Sending postcards to everyone that you know is a popular custom for celebrating the New Year in Japan. They are called nengajo and carry wishes of hope for health and happiness to friends and relatives. The postal service takes extra special care to insure that the cards are delievered on Janurary 1 -- Japan has followed the Gregorian calendar since 1873. You may send in your New Year's postcards from the middle of December, right up until December 31. The postal service holds on to all of the cards that they receive and then, when the New Year comes, there is a mad scramble to insure that all the cards are delievred. The volume is quite large, for the sender may send many nengajo to the same address. Imagine delivering all the Christmas cards for all of December on one day, and you can get an idea of the chaos that goes on. The postal service hires students to help with all of the deliveries.

There are a number of customary phrases that go on these cards, and they always follow the same format. First, you wish the recipient a Happy New Year.

Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu.
Shinnen omedetou gozaimasu.
Kinga Shinnen
Kyooga Shinnen
Gashou
Geishun

The above phrases are all ways to say, "Happy New Year!" The last four are seasonal words associated with the new year and are not used in ordinary conversation.

Next you express your good wishes for the new year, or your gratitude for help that you have received.

Sakunen wa taihen osewa ni nari arigatou gozaimashita. -- Thank you for all your kind help during the past year.
Minasama no gokenkou o oinori moushiagemasu. -- Wishing everyone good health.

The above are examples, but many such similar phrases are used.

It is customary not to send postcards when one has had a death in the family during the year. In this case, a simple postcard is sent instead to inform friends and relatives that they should not send joyful New Year's cards, in order to show respect for the dead in Japan.

Most of the postcards are decorated with symbols and images repersenting the Chinese zodiac sign of the new year as their design. This year in Japan, New Year cards will carry images of inu, or the dog, for 2006 is the Year of the Dog. You can see examples of nengajo here: Nengajoo

People get their nengajo from many sources. Stores sell preprinted cards. They may have spaces for the sender to write a personal message. Blank cards are available, and people can hand-write or draw their own. Rubber stamps with conventional messages and with the annual animal are on sale at department stores and other outlets, and many people buy fountain brushes for personal greetings. Special printing devices are popular, especially among people who practice crafts. Software also lets artists create their own designs and output them using their computer's color printer. Because a gregarious individual might have hundreds to write, print shops offer a wide variety of sample postcards with short messages so that the sender has only to write addresses. Even with the rise in popularity of email, the nengajo remains very popular in Japan.

Lastly, here is a link to a wonderful site explaining more of the traditions of the Japanese New Year, accompanied by lovely art prints showing maiko and geisha celebraing. Enjoy! Japanese New Year - Art Prints

~Shibori