Year of the Sheep Postcards Arrive in Hokkaido

Oct 06, 2026 | News On Japan

HOKKAIDO - New Year postcards for 2027 arrived at post offices across Hokkaido on October 6, with designs featuring sheep for the upcoming Year of the Sheep as Japan's traditional New Year card market continues to shrink.

A truck arrived at Sapporo Central Post Office in Sapporo's Higashi Ward at around 9 a.m. on October 6, delivering about 130,000 New Year postcards packed in 32 cardboard boxes.

The 2027 cards feature a range of sheep-themed designs reflecting the Chinese zodiac year. A special Hokkaido edition will also be available featuring the shima-enaga, a white-faced subspecies of the long-tailed tit that has become a popular symbol of the region.

The number of New Year cards issued in Japan has been declining steadily as social media and other digital forms of communication become more widespread.

Just over 19 million cards are scheduled to be sold in Hokkaido for the 2027 New Year season, equivalent to about 60% of the 2025 level.

Sales of the 2027 New Year postcards will begin on November 2, while post offices will start accepting cards for New Year delivery on December 20.

Source: 北海道ニュースUHB

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