Nengajo

 I thought that the act of making postcards being popular in Japan was so cute! Christmas cards are popular here, but they feel less personal because they’re not handmade. I’d like it if printers here were also made for postcards so that it would be easy for me to make and send things to my family and friends. I think sending things through the mail is an underused form of communication here. I’d like to start sending postcards through the mail because I think it’s special to receive something handwritten and hand decorated. I also love Japanese stationery! I’d like to get my hands on more products that I can use for letters and postcards. On this new years nengajo, my name is written on the left side of the card in katakana. Then the Japanese way to 2024 is written to the right of it with new years written under it. The kanji for dragon is written in the sun and to the right of that happy new years is written in hiragana. I included a dragon because it is the Chinese new year of the dragon this year. I included white plum blossoms because they are popular flowers during the winter months in Japan to appreciate because they bloom in February and March. Then I included the sun behind Mount Fuji with minimal clouds to show new beginnings and luck because Mount Fuji is mostly in the clouds and so when it is able to be seen it is a lucky day! I imagine that most people don’t hand draw their cards like we do but I still think that designing your own card from ready made assets is a good form of creativity and I find it really endearing that people engage with postcard making in such a large quantity in japan.