TOKYONovember 4 (NHK) – Post offices across Japan have started selling New Year’s cards that will be more expensive this year due to a rise in postal rates in October.
A ceremony was held in Tokyo on Friday to mark the start of the nationwide sale.
At the Tokyo Central Post Office in Chiyoda Ward, people bought cards with illustrations of snakes โ next year’s constellation.
The price of a regular card has increased from about 41 cents to 85 yen, or about 55 cents.
A man in his 50s said he bought 200 tickets last year, but only five this year because of the higher price.
Japan Post raised its rates in part because of rising losses. In fiscal 2023, it posted an operating loss of 89.6 billion yen, or about $590 million.
Nowadays fewer and fewer people send mail. The higher transport costs also weigh on the postal sector.
Japan Post expected less demand and reduced card issuance this year by 25 percent compared to 2023. 1.07 billion cards are being printed – the fewest since 2004, when issuance peaked at more than 4.4 billion.
More and more people are now using social media and email to send greetings. Companies are also beginning to abandon the practice of mailing cards due to cost savings and environmental concerns.
There is also a trend, especially among older people, to send New Year’s cards with the announcement that the senders will stop doing so.
A stationery store in Tokyo’s Taito district is selling a special text stamp that politely states that this year’s cards will be the last. The store says it expects demand from people abandoning the tradition.
