As holiday season approaches, people are beginning to start thinking about sending out New Year's greeting postcards to relatives and friends. JP Post guarantees that all cards marked as nengajo will be delivered on New Year’s day and hires temporary staff to help them achieve this goal. However, in recent years, the burden of delivering nengajo has shifted from the post office to the internet and cell-phone networks, as increasing numbers of people opt to send electronic New Year’s greetings.

Though the web can cope with this increased traffic, cell-phone networks can’t, and every year the major networks issue warnings to customers that after midnight on New Year’s Eve, they can expect delivery delays of up to two hours for mail service as well as difficulty in making calls due to high traffic.

Even if you do get through, sending your nengajo via email may create the impression that you’re not that bothered about the person receiving the message — either that or they’ll think you’re a bit of a tight wad. This year, however, the traditional nengajo has been given a digital facelift and several innovative new services are available to help you get your New Year’s greetings done properly.

  • Postman: Mislaid addresses? No worries. Similar to Giftee, which works utilizing Twitter, this service finds addresses for you via Facebook. Ad agency Dentsu has teamed up with Japan’s Post Office to create Postman and in the future the service will be extended to allow people to send other kinds of greetings cards and even gifts. Using the templates available, you are able to customize your own cards. Available only in Japan, cards cost upward of ¥97.
  • Nenga-Cinema: These nengajo double as gifts. A code printed on the postcard can be input into the nenga-cinema website allowing the receiver to view one of 30 movies available online for free. The service is offered by Ripplex and Sony, and titles available are “Spiderman,” “Men in Black” and “Taxi Driver.” These cards cost a reasonable ¥365.
  • Budemame Nenga 2012: Want a personalized card, but too busy to sit at your desk and create one? Try this Android app, which allows you to create your own card on your smartphone. Combine photos taken on your phone with customizable templates to create a personalized nengajo. To print, send the info to a PC or use a smartphone compatible printer.