With increasing numbers of people embracing nengajo-jimai and switching to digital equivalents, many now find they are left feeling empty.

For over ten years now, I have sworn off Christmas and birthday cards: simply writing my name, plus a sentence or two, simply doesn’t justify the dollars spent purchasing and sending cards. As a recipient, I feel obliged to display them somewhere visible for a couple of weeks, before either keeping them in storage to never look at again, or trashing them. To me, I’d rather send a perfunctory message to those I’m not particularly close with, and invest my time into choosing well-thought-out and personalized presents for the ones I truly care about.

Japan doesn’t really have a culture of giving Christmas or birthday cards, but there is something similar. It has long been customary to send nengajo, physical New Year’s greeting cards, to friends, relatives, and colleagues, which would arrive on January 1.

▼ Blank nengajo, ready for a thoughtful message

The cards often feature seasonal designs, Chinese zodiac motifs, and handwritten messages detailing anything of note that has happened over the past year, as well as warm wishes for the next year, but more personal and contemporary designs are available, with even an option to create your own.

▼ A more modern nengajo using characters from the manga and anime Demon Slayer

It has long been such a core part of New Year’s culture that the post office has a dedicated system to to process the millions of nengajo it handles nationwide, even recruiting short-term staff to deliver them all on time. The post office also incudes a lottery number on some cards, later announcing the winners of commemorative stamps, household appliances, and travel vouchers.

In recent years, with the rise of messaging apps like Line, and other social media, many people have decided to stop sending physical cards altogether in a trend that is known as nengajo-jimai, with “jimai” meaning “quitting”. To learn more about this shift in attitudes, Japanese printing company Futaba surveyed 200 people who had stopped sending nengajo, which resulted in some surprisingly optimistic findings.

Nearly 80 percent of respondents had stopped sending New Year’s cards within the past five years, citing reasons that digital messages felt “good enough,” and preparing cards during the busy year-end season felt like too much effort.

▼ A nengajo from Futaba, picturing Mt. Fuji, cherry blossoms, and a horse

However, once people stopped, many started to realize that things were a little different to what they used to be. Messages on social media often felt rushed or impersonal, sometimes receiving just a single sticker or emoji, whereas other people yearned for the simple ritual of opening the mailbox on New Year’s Day to see who had sent them a card. Some people realized they had lost touch with distant friends and relatives, because nengajo had been their only point of regular contact. Despite many quitting the tradition of nengajo, which was supposed to make life easier, it instead led to many feeling emotionally empty.

▼ Another example of a nengajo, with a personalized photo and some horse motifs

When asked about what reminded them of the value of nengajo, many respondents mentioned how happy they felt receiving one unexpectedly after they had stopped sending cards themselves. Holding a physical card, seeing handwritten words, and knowing someone had taken time to think about them created a sense of warmth that digital messages often lacked. This feeling resulted in more than half of the respondents saying that they would like to send New Year’s cards again, even just occasionally. So, rather than return to the large mailing lists they once slogged through, people said they would focus on close friends, family members, or people who had supported them, making the whole tradition feel a lot more personal and less burdensome.

▼ A Futaba nengajo in English, with a horse and a shimekazari, which is said to ward off misfortune

Not a single one of the respondents said they felt annoyed or inconvenienced by receiving a New Year’s card. Instead, many claimed to feel happy, remembered, and connected; holding a card from someone triggers memories of them and a warm feeling of nostalgia.

Among the many people who quit, it was only after they stopped that they realized the appeal of nengajo as a once-a-year chance to take the time to pause and reflect on their relationships, and begin the new year with a thoughtful and heartfelt gesture.

For many Japanese people, even in this fast-paced digital world, where interaction with other people is constantly changing forms, the appeal of holding a card containing a warm and sincere message has yet to lose its charm.

Related: Futaba Nengajo, Rokkaku Nengajo, Futaba Rakuten Shop
Source: PR Times
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