By MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network, translated by Zhang Yingying

Many travelers in Japan love collecting locally exclusive postcards during their trips, and Japan Post often releases seasonally and festively themed postcards accordingly. This has made many Japan travel enthusiasts not only passionate about collecting postcards as travel mementos, but also keen on using locally issued postcards to send to friends, family, and even themselves while traveling.

For the 2015 winter season, Japan Post also launched mailbox-shaped postcards filled with winter and Christmas cheer. In addition to red and green mailboxes in color, they feature animal motifs such as snow rabbits, reindeer, and snow monkeys soaking in hot springs, adding to the fun of collecting. Available from November 2, 2015, to February 29, 2016, these postcards were sold at over 6,000 post offices across Japan for 185 yen each, while supplies lasted.

In 2015, Japan Post also released mailbox-shaped postcards in collaboration with Sanrio, featuring Hello Kitty and KIKI & LALA as the themes to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Little Twin Stars, along with themed stamp stickers, prompting many fans to snap them up for their collections. Additionally, railway-themed postcards available for limited regional sale were also launched, leading to a rush among train enthusiasts and postcard collectors. As 2016 was the Year of the Monkey, many New Year’s greeting postcards featured monkey-themed designs. When traveling in Japan, keep an eye out for these to collect and create special travel memories.

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