How are you doing
-New Year's card situation of Corona-Bad-December 1, 21:16
There is only one month left to leave.
Maybe some people are wondering what to do with the New Year's card.
I am one of them.
Since I work in Tokyo, I don't know if I can go home to my parents' house in Yamagata during the New Year holidays.
I'm also wondering if my friends in my hometown who haven't met in a year or my grandmother who doesn't have a smartphone are doing well, so I'm thinking of writing a New Year's card that I don't usually write to important people.
The first New Year's card season to be celebrated by the corona wreck.
What do you guys do?
(Network Press Department Reporter Mayi Ogura / Kayoko Tamaki / Director of Sports Information Program Department Shinya Ogasawara / Director of Morioka Bureau Naohiro Kawamura)
While the number of New Year's cards continues to decrease ...
As the number of people who send New Year's greetings by e-mail or SNS is increasing, the number of New Year's cards issued is decreasing year by year.
It is said that there are cases where companies whose business performance has deteriorated due to the spread of the new coronavirus infection reduce the number of New Year's cards.
According to Japan Post, the number of issued this year is about 1.94 billion, which is 17% less than last year, the lowest since privatization.
Meanwhile, various voices are being raised on SNS on the New Year's card with the corona virus.
"New Year's card, Naa because some people say that you do not want to touch because it? Corona epidemic should put out this year."
"I think it is ... not gonna be spread coronavirus in a New Year's card?"
On the other hand, even such opinion.
"I'm not going home this year
, so
I'll write a New Year's card to my family."
"
I
thought,'I can easily do LINE, and it doesn't mean much,' but many people haven't met in Corona this year. Let's have it serve as the original New Year's card. "
It seems that some people are reviewing the role of New Year's cards because of the corona virus.
send?
do not send?
What to do with this year's New Year's card.
A private company conducted a questionnaire survey on the Internet targeting 1,600 men and women nationwide.
Of the 1018 people who answered that they "send New Year's cards every year" and "often send", 111 people, or 10.9%, answered that they would not send (will not send) this year.
The reasons for this were "I'm afraid of the spread of corona by New Year's postcards" (male in his 60s) and "I don't feel like writing a New Year's card because I'm not happy" (female in my 30s).
On the other hand, of the 582 people who answered that they "often do not send" or "do not send" New Year's cards, 35 people, or 6%, answered that they "send (will)".
We received the following reasons.
"Because I have less chance to meet friends and acquaintances" (male in my 60s) and
"I have less chance to go out to the Obon festival equinoctial week at my stay home" (female in my 50s)
"Is it infected or healthy?" I want to know "(male in his 50s) Some
people are worried about the risk of infection or don't care about the other person, but because they can't meet even if they want to meet, they want to send it to tell them what's happening. There seems to be.
Is there a risk of infection on New Year's cards?
Some people were worried about the spread of the virus on New Year's cards, but is it possible for the infection to spread?
We asked Professor Hiroyuki Kunishima of St. Marianna University School of Medicine, who specializes in infectious diseases.
Professor Hiroyuki Kunishima, St. Marianna University School of Medicine
"The virus may adhere to paper, but it is unlikely that the New Year's card will be the route of infection. People infected with the new corona always have the virus in their hands. This is not the case, and even if someone wrote a New Year's card without washing their hands, there is a risk of getting infected through the New Year's card compared to the situation where the mask is removed and a conversation is held nearby, such as at a dinner or drinking party. Is low. The main infection route is droplet infection, which does not match the situation where clusters occur, so if you take measures such as hand washing, you do not need to worry too much. "
I want to fill the time I can't meet
What is the situation surrounding this year's New Year's card?
According to a story from a printing company in Tokyo that actually produces New Year's cards, orders have increased by 30% compared to the average year.
I was surprised at the large number of orders for this year as the number of orders for New Year's cards continued to decrease year by year at this company.
A person in charge of the company says that the background to the increase in orders may be the concern unique to Corona.
So what kind of designs are popular?
There are various types of illustrations, from unique reflections of everyday life swayed by the corona wreck, to illustrations that make you laugh with the corona.
The message "I'm doing social distance (for one cow)".
"The reality of remote work" depicts a calf sticking to a dad's cow and not working.
"I'm ventilating for patience now for the joy of having a gasp."
There is also an illustration aimed at "Amabie", a youkai who is said to protect people from the plague and was selected as the top ten of this year's "New Words and Popular Words Awards".
"Shirahashi" Sales Manager Masama Shirahashi
"I think many people have noticed that the New Year
's cards
they spend in their hometown after a long time are special. Even if they can't meet, they can address their relatives and friends to adversity. Maybe they have the feeling of rebounding, or at least they want to fill in the time they can't meet by sending a New Year's card, or they want to care for each other. "
Hoping for no illness ...
Such a New Year's card, which combines the "Ushi" of the next year's Eto and the wish for the end of the new Corona, is also gaining popularity.
This postcard says that it takes 4 to 5 days to finish one piece.
A lacquer ware shop in Aizuwakamatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, made it using lacquer ware techniques.
The idea is to brighten the world by combining the youkai "Amabie", which is said to protect people from the plague, and the Aizu region's local toy "Akabeko", which wishes for a disease-free life.
Mr. Morio Seki, President of "Seki Lacquerware Store" "
New Year's postcards of Makie are rare, and some people decorate them as pictures for a long time. I hope they will be a chance to have a conversation with people who are far away with the new corona."
Words that care about the other person
However, I think many people are hesitant to say, "I'm not happy with the spread of the infection and I can't feel like celebrating the New Year holidays."
We asked Kazuko Murakami, CEO of the "Letter Culture Promotion Association", what to think about the New Year's greetings at Corona.
Ms. Kazuko Murakami, CEO of "Letter Culture Promotion Association" "It
may be okay if you can convey your thoughts just by calling and greeting without necessarily using a New Year
's
card. However, the handwritten characters are that person. If it is a New Year's card, it is a good idea to write a word that cares for the other person, such as "Let's spend time with good health and care for the body" in the margin. The New Year's card is "Take care during the old year." I'm writing the thoughts of "Thank you for being" and "May the New Year be as bright as possible", so I think it's still the same even now with the Corona disaster. "
Acceptance of New Year's postcards will begin on December 15th.
What do you do?