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These holiday greeting cards from Japan are so cool you have to see them to believe they’re real.

If you’re lucky enough to know someone living in Japan, chances are you’ve at some point received a Japanese greeting card from them that’s simply blown you away. With colourful light displays, cute characters, creative 3-D designs and traditional Japanese sounds, these cards are as unique to Japan as a cat in a kimono, and equally amazing. If you can’t make it to Japan right now, sit back and relax because we stopped by a department store to pick out some of the best creations from this year’s collection.

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We’ll start in the section that grabs us right away with its spectacular display of lights and music carols. There are dozens of varieties to choose from here, and most of them come in pop-out designs, including a couple made from lasercut wood.

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There’s a trio of Hello Kitty characters climbing a ladder in Santa outfits that lights up and plays music.

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And there’s a cat that meows “Jingle Bells” when you pull him out of his stocking! For dog lovers, there’s a dog version too.

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When it comes to 3-D Christmas tree cards, these are so good you might want to buy one for yourself to use as a table decoration on the big day.

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For an unusual alternative to the greeting card, there are palm-sized Christmas card books with gorgeous pop-up displays inside.

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Fans of Sanrio characters will love these Christmas-themed Hello Kitty and My Melody cards.

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And there are cute cards with plenty of humour, like this one that features a group of Santas enjoying a bite to eat at the sushi train restaurant.

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Some of the most elaborate and unusual designs can be found in the Japanese-style section. Here there are cards featuring scenes of Japan, auspicious symbols to celebrate the New Year, and a good selection of calendar cards.

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▼ If your first dream of the New Year contains an image of Mount Fuji, it’s a sign of good luck.

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▼ There are several kimono-clad Hello Kitty cards, including this one which folds out into a calendar.

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▼ This sumo card takes you to the New Year Grand Tournament with sounds from the match and a couple of animated cardboard wrestlers.

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▼ There are even pop-up Ninjas! Because any time of year is a good time to send your friend a ninja card.

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Of course, with so many beautiful cards to choose from, we couldn’t go home empty-handed. We chose to go with Santa and a reindeer enjoying an outdoor rotenburo with a view of Mount Fuji…

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▼ …Santas on a cake yelling out phrases of joy and support…

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▼ …a card that looks like a 10,000 yen note marked out as 1 million yen (US$8,249)…

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▼ And our most favourite find, a pop-up calendar card that lets you enjoy the changing seasons of Japan.

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▼ This will keep us entertained throughout the year!

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You can enjoy all the beauty of snow, autumn leaves, sakura cherry blossoms and fresh green spring colours from the comfort of your desk.

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▼ The attention to detail on the kimono and obi is simply stunning.

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▼ And we couldn’t resist the charms of this pop-up display, with its gorgeous New Year decorations.

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Whether you’re in Japan or abroad over the festive season, you can enjoy all the joy of a Japanese card with this short video compilation we’ve put together for you below.

Happy holidays, everyone!

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All images © RocketNews24