Japan Post Holdings announced on Friday that a record low of about 363 million New Year greeting postcards, or nengajo, were delivered nationwide on Jan. 1, marking the 17th consecutive year of decline and equaling just 74% of last year's figure. The shift to digital communication and a recent postal rate hike are key factors behind the drop.
Nengajo are traditional postcards that Japanese people send to friends and business acquaintances as year-end greetings. They feature lottery numbers, allowing winners to claim prizes such as travel tickets and electronic devices. However, in this digital age, many view sending physical postcards as outdated and prefer emailing greetings, using social networking service apps, or even attaching video clips.
According to Japan Post, the decline is also influenced by a recent hike in postal rates. To appeal to younger generations, the company partnered with Google to offer a generative AI service on its website for creating New Year's cards.
This trend reflects broader changes in Japanese society, where traditional paper-based customs are giving way to digital alternatives. While the drop in nengajo could impact the postal business, innovations like AI represent efforts to preserve the tradition in new forms.