Japanese have a custom of sending New Year’s Day postcards, nengajo, to greet their friends and relatives. It’s similar to the Western custom of sending Christmas cards. Starting with a set greeting, you express your thanks for the relationship of the previous year and communicate your recent news. Usually, people use post office nengajo, which come with special lottery numbers, but you can also use just an ordinary postcard. It’s better to post nengajo by December 25 so that they can be delivered on January 1. The period from late December to early January is the busiest time for Japanese post offices.
