Mixi launched Mixi Nengajou (Nengajou = new year greeting card), on which user can send a real(=paper) greeting card to your MaiMiku(My Mixi = online friend) WITHOUT knowing their real address. You may choose 400+ designs from 98 yen (48 yen with sponsors’ ads, more expensive designed cards are also available). Mixi works with the recently privatized nation wide postal service Japan Post.
When you order the card, Mixi will send it to the receiver. If the receiver had not registered their address on Mixi, they are asked either to give their address to Mixi, or refuse to receive the greeting card.
The service began on November 28th. At December 15th point, there were 300,000 cards ordered [J], which is not a lot when every year every Japanese people sends nearly 20 greeting cards averagely (around 3 billion in total).
However, as every year Japan Post has been losing users, especially young generation, because of e-mail, cellphone and such formality being thought uncool, it could be a good stimulus to regain this traditional custom (and their sales) for them.
See Also:
Mixi Press Release Mixi Nengajou [J]
The total number of nengajou sent on the 2007 new years day was 2.03 billion cards. [J]
Oh really . it’s great that Mixi Nengajou sends Real New Year Cards to our Social Network Friends. Thanks for this.