年賀状 (New Year’s cards)
日本では「年賀状」を新しい年の初めに、親しい人、お世話になっている人へ送る文化があります。
西洋文化における「クリスマスカード」と同じ様なものです。
Much like the Western concept of Christmas cards, Japan has a tradition of sending New Year’s cards to close friends/family and others who have taken care of you during the past year.
■日本人はどれくらい年賀状を出すのか？
How many New Year’s cards are sent out each year?
以下サイトに「年賀状の発行枚数の推移」（１番目のグラフ）が紹介されています。
http://www.garbagenews.net/archives/2114695.html
2003年の44億5936万枚をピークに急激に減少しており、2017年発行は31億4207万枚でした。
その理由は皆さんもご推察の通り、インターネット、スマートフォンの普及です。
若い人達は年賀状を出すことなく、e-mail、チャットで新年の挨拶をする様になりました。
実際、私の子供達（10歳～20歳代）は年賀状を1枚も出しません。
The link listed above shows in its first graph shows how many New Year’s cards have been sent per year since 1949.
Compared to the peak year 2003, when 4,459,360,000 cards were sent, 3,142,070,000 cards were sent in 2017. The reason for this decline is of course, due to the advent of the internet and smartphones. Younger generations send less New Year’s cards, and send their New Year’s greetings via email or chat. For example, my own children in their teens and 20’s don’t send cards at all.
3番目のグラフは「日本人が出す年賀状の平均枚数」です。
2017年は23.5枚です。この数字は「年賀状の発行枚数を日本の全人口で割った」ものです。
減少したとは言え、平均枚数が23.5枚というのは、年賀状を出す人は相当の枚数を出していることになります。
私は妻の分と合わせ、毎年100枚程の年賀状を出しています。（これでも年々減っているのですが。。）
The third graph in the link shows the average number of cards sent per person.
In 2017 the average number of cards sent by a single person was 23.5 cards. This number takes the average by dividing the total number of cards sent by the population of Japan. Despite the overall decline, if the average person is sending 23.5 cards, that’s still quite a lot. In fact, my wife and I send a total of around 100 New Year’s cards every year (though every year we send less and less…).
■「年賀状はがき」の面白い仕組み
Interesting ‘New Year’s postcards’ arrangements
日本郵便が発売する「年賀状はがき」には面白い「仕組み」がありますのでご紹介します。
The New Year’s postcards sold by the postal service have some interesting arrangements.
１）いつポストに投函しても、新年に到着する
郵便料金（52円）の下に「年賀」と記されています。
「年賀」と記されたはがきは、12月中旬にポストに投函しても（受付開始は12/15）、新年（翌年1月1日以降）に配達されます。
日本郵便が販売する年賀状はがきでない場合、切手の下に赤字で「年賀」と書けば、この仕組みが適用されます。
1)No matter when you send the New Year’s card, it will arrive on New Year’s Day
On postcards sold by the postal service, ‘New Years’ is printed below the 52-yen stamp spot. even if the postcard is sent in the middle of December (New Year’s cards are accepted 12/15), the postcard will always be delivered on/after New Year’s Day.
If the postcard is not one sold by the postal service, never fear! Simply write ‘New Years’ below the stamp, and it will also arrive on/after 1 January.
２）お年玉つき年賀はがき
「お年玉つき年賀はがき」とは、日本郵便が発行する「くじがついている年賀状」のことです。
（「お年玉」は、日本でお正月に大人から子供にあげるお小遣い（pocket money）を意味します。）
年賀状の下部にナンバーが記されています。
2) Postcards that include New Year’s gifts
There is a special kind of New Year’s postcard sold by the postal service that include a lottery number.
先週の日曜日（1月14日）に抽選会が行われ当選番号が発表されました。
当選番号、商品、当選本数などが、以下サイトに記されています。
https://yu-bin.jp/letters/otoshidama/numbers.html
1等商品は「12万円相当の商品・旅行等からの選択」又は「現金10万円」です。
私はこれまで切手シートしか当たったことがありません。
The winning lottery numbers were announced last Sunday (14 January). The winning numbers, prizes, etc. are listed in the link above.
The top prize is a choice between ‘a 120,000 yen listed item or vacation’ or ’10,000 yen in cash’. In the past I have won a sheet of stamps from this lottery.
■日本の年賀状を海外の家族、友人に出してみませんか？
Why not send Japanese New Year’s cards to overseas family and friends?
年賀状はプラス18円※で世界中に送れます。
（※年賀状には52円[2018年の場合]の郵便料金が含まれています。）
https://www.post.japanpost.jp/int/ems/greeting/situation/newyear.html
日本で働く外国人の皆さん、日本のお正月文化に触れてみませんか？
New Year’s cards can be sent overseas for an additional 18 yen. (New Year’s postcards include the 52 yen (as of 2018) postage.) See the link above for details.
Why not share this Japanese tradition with overseas friends and family next year?
- T.M.(日本在住日本人) (Japan)
----
I find the month of December to be culturally very interesting, as the Western celebration of Christmas is advertised alongside traditional New Year’s cards, foods, and decorations. I even noticed postal service representatives selling New Year’s postcards in subway stations, to allow busy workers the opportunity to pick some up on their way home.
Despite having Japanese family, and living for a few years in Japan, the tradition of New Year’s cards has always eluded me. After asking other non-Japanese employees and friends if they sent New Year’s cards, it seems that this tradition is not as easy to participate in: some expressed confusion on who they were obligated to send cards to, and many do not receive cards at all. There is a sense of formality surrounding this tradition, which perhaps makes it mildly inaccessible to non-Japanese living in Japan. It is also not especially ‘exciting’ or ‘flashy’ to send postcards, and most of the work of addressing them and buying them occurs on a personal level, making it a nearly invisible tradition to those not already aware.
That being said, as with any kind of greeting card, it is nice to be thought of and to think of others, to respect the people who have taken care of you over the past year, and to express these feelings in concrete form. As the number of non-Japanese people increase yearly, perhaps it is time to draw more attention to this tradition, and encourage non-Japanese residents to send cards both in Japan and overseas.
Translation/editorial: N.M. (U.S.A.)
西洋文化における「クリスマスカード」と同じ様なものです。
Much like the Western concept of Christmas cards, Japan has a tradition of sending New Year’s cards to close friends/family and others who have taken care of you during the past year.
■日本人はどれくらい年賀状を出すのか？
How many New Year’s cards are sent out each year?
以下サイトに「年賀状の発行枚数の推移」（１番目のグラフ）が紹介されています。
http://www.garbagenews.net/archives/2114695.html
2003年の44億5936万枚をピークに急激に減少しており、2017年発行は31億4207万枚でした。
その理由は皆さんもご推察の通り、インターネット、スマートフォンの普及です。
若い人達は年賀状を出すことなく、e-mail、チャットで新年の挨拶をする様になりました。
実際、私の子供達（10歳～20歳代）は年賀状を1枚も出しません。
The link listed above shows in its first graph shows how many New Year’s cards have been sent per year since 1949.
Compared to the peak year 2003, when 4,459,360,000 cards were sent, 3,142,070,000 cards were sent in 2017. The reason for this decline is of course, due to the advent of the internet and smartphones. Younger generations send less New Year’s cards, and send their New Year’s greetings via email or chat. For example, my own children in their teens and 20’s don’t send cards at all.
3番目のグラフは「日本人が出す年賀状の平均枚数」です。
2017年は23.5枚です。この数字は「年賀状の発行枚数を日本の全人口で割った」ものです。
減少したとは言え、平均枚数が23.5枚というのは、年賀状を出す人は相当の枚数を出していることになります。
私は妻の分と合わせ、毎年100枚程の年賀状を出しています。（これでも年々減っているのですが。。）
The third graph in the link shows the average number of cards sent per person.
In 2017 the average number of cards sent by a single person was 23.5 cards. This number takes the average by dividing the total number of cards sent by the population of Japan. Despite the overall decline, if the average person is sending 23.5 cards, that’s still quite a lot. In fact, my wife and I send a total of around 100 New Year’s cards every year (though every year we send less and less…).
■「年賀状はがき」の面白い仕組み
Interesting ‘New Year’s postcards’ arrangements
日本郵便が発売する「年賀状はがき」には面白い「仕組み」がありますのでご紹介します。
The New Year’s postcards sold by the postal service have some interesting arrangements.
１）いつポストに投函しても、新年に到着する
郵便料金（52円）の下に「年賀」と記されています。
「年賀」と記されたはがきは、12月中旬にポストに投函しても（受付開始は12/15）、新年（翌年1月1日以降）に配達されます。
日本郵便が販売する年賀状はがきでない場合、切手の下に赤字で「年賀」と書けば、この仕組みが適用されます。
1)No matter when you send the New Year’s card, it will arrive on New Year’s Day
On postcards sold by the postal service, ‘New Years’ is printed below the 52-yen stamp spot. even if the postcard is sent in the middle of December (New Year’s cards are accepted 12/15), the postcard will always be delivered on/after New Year’s Day.
If the postcard is not one sold by the postal service, never fear! Simply write ‘New Years’ below the stamp, and it will also arrive on/after 1 January.
２）お年玉つき年賀はがき
「お年玉つき年賀はがき」とは、日本郵便が発行する「くじがついている年賀状」のことです。
（「お年玉」は、日本でお正月に大人から子供にあげるお小遣い（pocket money）を意味します。）
年賀状の下部にナンバーが記されています。
2) Postcards that include New Year’s gifts
There is a special kind of New Year’s postcard sold by the postal service that include a lottery number.
先週の日曜日（1月14日）に抽選会が行われ当選番号が発表されました。
当選番号、商品、当選本数などが、以下サイトに記されています。
https://yu-bin.jp/letters/otoshidama/numbers.html
1等商品は「12万円相当の商品・旅行等からの選択」又は「現金10万円」です。
私はこれまで切手シートしか当たったことがありません。
The winning lottery numbers were announced last Sunday (14 January). The winning numbers, prizes, etc. are listed in the link above.
The top prize is a choice between ‘a 120,000 yen listed item or vacation’ or ’10,000 yen in cash’. In the past I have won a sheet of stamps from this lottery.
■日本の年賀状を海外の家族、友人に出してみませんか？
Why not send Japanese New Year’s cards to overseas family and friends?
年賀状はプラス18円※で世界中に送れます。
（※年賀状には52円[2018年の場合]の郵便料金が含まれています。）
https://www.post.japanpost.jp/int/ems/greeting/situation/newyear.html
日本で働く外国人の皆さん、日本のお正月文化に触れてみませんか？
New Year’s cards can be sent overseas for an additional 18 yen. (New Year’s postcards include the 52 yen (as of 2018) postage.) See the link above for details.
Why not share this Japanese tradition with overseas friends and family next year?
- T.M.(日本在住日本人) (Japan)
----
I find the month of December to be culturally very interesting, as the Western celebration of Christmas is advertised alongside traditional New Year’s cards, foods, and decorations. I even noticed postal service representatives selling New Year’s postcards in subway stations, to allow busy workers the opportunity to pick some up on their way home.
Despite having Japanese family, and living for a few years in Japan, the tradition of New Year’s cards has always eluded me. After asking other non-Japanese employees and friends if they sent New Year’s cards, it seems that this tradition is not as easy to participate in: some expressed confusion on who they were obligated to send cards to, and many do not receive cards at all. There is a sense of formality surrounding this tradition, which perhaps makes it mildly inaccessible to non-Japanese living in Japan. It is also not especially ‘exciting’ or ‘flashy’ to send postcards, and most of the work of addressing them and buying them occurs on a personal level, making it a nearly invisible tradition to those not already aware.
That being said, as with any kind of greeting card, it is nice to be thought of and to think of others, to respect the people who have taken care of you over the past year, and to express these feelings in concrete form. As the number of non-Japanese people increase yearly, perhaps it is time to draw more attention to this tradition, and encourage non-Japanese residents to send cards both in Japan and overseas.
Translation/editorial: N.M. (U.S.A.)