Every year in December in Japan people are preparing for the New-Year’s-card rush – the nengajō. Most people select a design from one of the various apps on their laptops, or more recently their smart devices, and print them up on their printers. It is a survival skill that rivals, if not top, that of word processor skills. A nengajō is a postcard designed especially for the year’s end. It has the year it with a lottery included. The omote (front side) has the names and addresses of the addressee and addresser. The ura has the design.
There are various styles, but the most basic ura design is one without photos. The Japanese follow the Chinese zodiac calendar which is in a cycle of twelve years with each year having an animal (apart from the Year of the Dragon) to represent it. 2019 happens to be The Year of the Boar. So most people incorporate a boar in the design. Those which include photos ones which show the entire family.
The apps generally have an address list function to help you keep track and print up both sides of your card.
This should get you started if you are new to this Japanese custom. Enjoy.
If you want more detailed information check out these pages by Fukuoka Now and Savvy Tokyo.
This entry was posted in life, other and tagged culture, custom, japan, japanese culture on 25 December 2018 by signature103.