“Before, we had to print more than 100 cards because that’s the polite and natural thing to do in business,” he told This Week in Asia. “Then I had to write a personal message to each one, thanking all my contacts for their business over the past year and looking forward to an even better year ahead. I had to add.
“There were years when it took days to do everything, but when we forgot to send a card to a customer, we had a problem and had to rush to print it on January 1st after receiving the card. , please write your message and put it in the post as soon as possible and it will arrive the next day,” he said.
“Since I retired this year, I no longer need to keep in touch with those business contacts. So this year I haven’t sent any cards, and starting January 1st, I will send a few to personal friends and family. “I decided to send only one,” he said. “It’s actually a real relief to no longer feel stressed about having to send so many cards.”
New Year’s greetings first began being exchanged among Japanese aristocrats during the Nara period, and then spread among the upper classes and businessmen for centuries as a way to convey seasonal messages to people living far away. Ta. Later, with the establishment of the postal system, ordinary people were able to send similar messages, but the concept did not really take off until 1873, when the first official New Year’s postcard was issued. did.
By the turn of the century, the exchange of New Year’s cards had become a seasonal staple, and the demand was so high that certain post offices were designated exclusively for the exchange of New Year’s cards. new year’s card Towards the end of the year.
Technology in recent decades has made it possible for families to design and print their own New Year’s cards at home, but it seems technology may also be to blame for the tradition’s decline.
‘It was a nightmare’: Japanese workers slam office culture as karoshi cases rise
‘It was a nightmare’: Japanese workers slam office culture as karoshi cases rise
The stationery company Pilot began its annual New Year’s card survey in 1979, and by 2001 the number of people planning to send at least one New Year’s card reached 96.9 percent of the nation. In the latest survey of 400 people, there were only 43.8 people per person. Cent announced it would be sending out cards this year, but the number fell below 50 percent for the first time.
When asked why they don’t send cards, 61% said they prefer to send messages through apps like LINE, and 32.7% said they prefer to post messages on their Facebook or Instagram pages instead. Although multiple reasons could be cited, 45.7% of respondents said preparing the card was a “trouble” and 26.9% said it was a hassle to send the card.
Perhaps surprisingly, just over 55% said they wanted the tradition of sending cards to celebrate the new year to continue.
Emi Izawa, 21, who attends a university in Tokyo, said, “I didn’t send a single card this year, and I don’t plan on receiving any.” She said, “I keep in touch with my friends and family on LINE and Instagram, and this year I sent messages that way. Cards are very old-fashioned, so all my friends sent New Year’s greetings that way.” .
“It also takes a lot of time and effort to make the cards, write the messages and send them to the post office,” she says. “I work part-time, so I don’t have time for that kind of thing. Cards are inconvenient, and they’re basically obligations and obligations, so I don’t enjoy them at all.”
That attitude is reflected in a comment on CBC Television’s website that reported a drop in the number of cards sent this year.
“I think it’s important to connect and greet people, but let’s not waste so much effort and resources just to deliver a single piece of paper,” one message read. There was also an opinion that “I want New Year’s cards to be abolished.” He only received one email this year. ”
However, some people say it’s a shame that the tradition is fading.
Takako Tomura, a housewife in Yokohama, said, “I was busy because I had the day off just before the New Year, but I still had time to write cards.” She said: “I think it’s really good to think of others and send them personal messages during this time.
“It doesn’t take long. I feel grateful when I receive a card from an old friend.”