"Japan Post Co. on Thursday (13 June 2024) said it will raise the price of a standard-size letter stamp to 110 yen ($0.7) from 84 yen starting Oct. 1, among other postage rate hikes, to improve profitability amid declining letter usage" https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20240613/p2g/00m/0na/054000c 🔸Wondering if Japan Post's plan is to further diminish the volume of letters/postcards so that it can cut staffing🤔 Can see 年賀状 [New Year greeting cards] volume plummeting further for 2025 #Japan#postage
@mikako6 Extra stamps were needed every time 消費税 [consumption tax] increased and I've lost track how much it costs to send the occasional letters/documents now, so I go to the local post office to make sure they aren't returned for lack of correct stamps😓
@minorusaba they seem to be fine with helping to "stamp out" the 年賀状 tradition.
(It's good for puns, but in truth I enjoy sending and receiving physical mail that is not work or bills. I am sad that mail service here and abroad seems to be getting slower, more expensive, and in some cases less reliable too.)
@babababa Letters survive for centuries as historical records; not so sure about phone calls, e-mails and SNS. Often wonder if future historians/archaeologists digging into our current era will only find plastic bottles and a void in the historical record.😬