I was wondering if any of you f#cked gaijin knew of any English Nengajo software programs. I would like to try and make my own this year, but unfortunatley my kanji reading skill is not up to snuff to use one of the multitude of Japanese programs available now. If you know of any English software programs available, please let me know. I found a bunch of card making programs by Hallmark etc., but they were mostly focusing on birthday greetings and the like. Anyway thanks for your help.
Canman1
Happy Holidays!

I know that somebody out there must know of some program. I don't like to whine, but you've got to help me on this one. I'm not particularly fond of the nengajo, (although I must admit, it thrills me to receive them), but its such a headache trying to get them done. So the English program would make things so much easier. Once again a thousand thank you's.

canman1 wrote:I was wondering if any of you f#cked gaijin knew of any English Nengajo software programs. I would like to try and make my own this year, but unfortunatley my kanji reading skill is not up to snuff to use one of the multitude of Japanese programs available now.

CUT and PASTE!

Use a Japanese children's program and cut the Japanese graphics you want. Or better yet, just go to Google Image function and type in "Nengajo" and copy an image of Japanese Year of the Sheep-sex. Go to the following url to find thousands of Japanese nengajo...
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&lr=lang_en%7Clang_ja&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&safe=off&q=Nengajo&btnG=Google+Search

Use any English program greeting card program {or just use MS Word-yuck and your address book} and paste in your Japanese addresses. Most Microsoft-puke products will accepted mixed Japanese and English text just fine.

Me?
I just Photoshop myself with Wallace and Grommit's sheep for my card. Then I take it down to cutest college girl clerk I can find at my local Office Depot. Generally I have more fun teasing the clerk girls than ANY nengajo could provide.

All the photo and office supply shops print my "art" on real negajo postcards for a lot cheaper than damn ink-jet printer would cost.

Canman, here's a solution to your problems: don't send nengajo. The last thing you want to do is get caught in the endless cycle of sending and receiving those cards at the end of the year. Pretty soon you will have to send out thousands.

I never sent cards during the holidays in the States and I'm not about to start that tradition in Japan. One of the great things about being a gaijin is that no one expects you to send out nengajo. But once you do, people will add you to their list and could be offended if you forget the next year. One slip up, and you might make an enemy for life.

canman1 wrote:I was wondering if any of you f#cked gaijin knew of any English Nengajo software programs. !

Check out the suggestions offered by the Japan Times today..
Internet opens new era in New Year's cards

A number of companies are now offering a full menu of Net services, ranging from designing and printing to distribution...
One example is photo film and camera maker Konica Corp., which offers an online service that lets people custom-order cards using pictures supplied by the customer.

Called "Online Lab," it is one of many such services letting customers turn out original calendars and albums by sending in digital images and picking their favorite design via the Net...If a customer places an order by Dec. 15 for more than 100 postcards, the company will offer a 30 yen discount per card from the usual 120 yen, Konica said.

Internet-related company Livin' on the Edge Co. runs the Web site Ohagaki.com, where a customer can have the company do everything... price for the service is 125 yen per postcard
from---The Japan Times: Dec. 12, 2002

So is anyone else working on this at the very last minute like I am? Remember.. 25th is the last day they'll accept the postcards if you want them sent on time.

go back in time and castrate (or at least severely cock-punch) the father of whoever it was that started this tradition..

i'd almost forgotten that the 25th was the deadline..

i typically use word / excel to do the address side and then graphics software to do the picture side.. i can't imagine actually trying to do this without being able to read japanese though.

im cheap ass, i download a corny free japanese sheep nengajo, stick my picture in the middle, open it with PAINT, none the less, type akemashite mother fucker, print and stick in the post. Its a stupid tradition. Id rather receive a box of beer.

Oh crap, I always paint my own artwork, now I have to paint an ugly rat.

You could always 'hang a rat' for your card pattern. I'm sure the recipient would grateful.

who hate this fucking pita "tradition".. (japanese)

here

still workin on mine here but almost done. they'll be late but i'm well past the "i don't give a fuck" stage.

I am now a big advocate of the software method too. I took the plunge last year and bought Microsoft Hagaki Studio. All I had to do this year was make sure I had fresh supplies: postage-paid inkjet nengajo cards from the post office for domestic friends, regular inkjet-ready postcards for overseas cards, 70-yen stamps for airmail postcards, and plenty of ink cartridges.

All I had to do was edit the address database for a few friends that moved. Then I designed several cards: a English-language version for overseas friends & family, a Japanese one for local friends, and a variant of the Japanese one for Mrs. Omae Mona's friends, since she wanted me to remove the dorky rat image to leave more room for a handwritten note. Let the printer go to work with automatic double-sided printing, and voila, the whole thing was done within two hours. I took another hour to scribble handwritten notes and lick stamps for the overseas cards.

I can't remember what I paid for the software last year, but whatever it was, it was worth it go get the whole project done in 3 hours.

Alright. Who is doing this ritual again this year?

When is the deadline this year? I need to get off my lazy ass and start on it!

I did christmas cards. Did a mail merge for the address printing and had mojoprint do the actual cards. too easy. Not cheap though but they did come out fab.

IkemenTommy wrote:Alright. Who is doing this ritual again this year?

When is the deadline this year? I need to get off my lazy ass and start on it!

They are requesting you get em posted by the 25th (tomorrow). Ganbatte..

kusai Jijii wrote:Gotta tell ya, OM, you are waaaayyy more efficient than me.

That message was from a year ago, but the same trick worked for me and I just ran the software again over the weekend. The one problem with this solution is that the ease of use causes you to spend more time messing around. We had four entirely different versions of the card this year depending on audience, so we actually ended up spending quite some time doing design.

This software saves lots of time and money, and I think the results look nicer than what the shops do most of the time. But actually my favorite thing about it is that I am disorganized and *always* forget a few people in my first round, and end up adding some extra last-minute cards. This would be impossible if I sent it out to a store.

By the way, two pieces of useful information about the blank postage-prepaid nengajo cards you can buy from the post office.

1. There's a serial number on them that qualifies the recipients for a lottery. They can claim great prizes at the post office when the numbers are drawn on the 25th.
2. If you have cards left over, you can exchange them the next year for new cards, or for other postage stamps. I think in most cases there is a 5 yen handling charge, but getting back 45 out of 50 yen ain't bad.

Finished the last of them this am, and put them into the mail. I must admit using the Fudeo software makes things so easy. And since the addresses and everything are already in the system, the longest part is writing the individual messages on each, which I foolishly do each and every year. This year over 120. And I haven't won jack squat on the new years lottery yet.

Courtesy of Omae Mona, here exclusively for members of the FG community, the only known English translation of this year's nengajo lottery information!

This year's otoshidama winning numbers and prices were announced yesterday. Check the 6 digit number on the pre-paid postage nengajo cards you received. You must claim prizes by July 27th.

FIRST PRIZE
Last 6 digits: 345898
Odds: 1 in 1,000,000
Prizes:

• Sharp Aquos 32 LCD TV & Blueray disk recorder
• Panasonic massage chair
• JTB Premium Ryokan / Hotel nationwide selection
• Toshiba rice cooker
• Canon EOS DSLR camera, PIXUS printer, tripod set
• ASKUL office goods set

SECOND PRIZE
Last 6 digits: 663829, 908796, or 028962
Odds: 3 in 1,000,000
Prizes:

• Nintendo Wii + Wii Fit
• Omron: "Karada Scan" scale & body composition measurement device
• Casio: EX-word electronic dictionary
• Canon: IXY Digital camera
• JTB: Luxurious onsen and gourmet plan day trip
• DeLonghi: Espresso & coffee maker

THIRD PRIZE
Last 4 digits: 5070
Odds: 1 in 10,000
Prizes:
13 different prizes and I'm too lazy to type them up. Examples are cans of shark fin soup, yokan, tea bags, etc.

FOURTH PRIZE
Last 2 digits: 94 or 46
Odds: 2 in 100
Prize: Otoshiadma stamp sheet

C-GUMI ONLY PRIZE
(your card must have the "C" batch number, meaning it's one of the carbon offset nengajo cards)
Last 6 digits: 882347 or 223109
Prizes:

• Panasonic "Recycler" raw trash processor
• Bridgestone Cycle "Sneaker Light" folding bicycle
• Coleman camping set

Details on the post office page (Japanese only) are here.

omae mona wrote:C-GUMI ONLY PRIZE

If you received a nenkajo at all you win a free shot from Noriko....

Greji wrote:If you received a nenkajo at all you win a free shot from Noriko....

And even if you didn't receive one, you still win a free shot from Noriko...God bless 'er!

kusai Jijii wrote:And even if you didn't receive one, you still win a free shot from Noriko...God bless 'er!

Don't trust Noriko when it comes to a freebie!
Last time she offered me one, the fickle hussy changed her mind and had me up on a charge of rape.
Fortunately, the judge reduced it to shoplifting!

We're going software this year as well. The post office has a free downloadable nengajo package that works pretty well, so we use that. Pick out a photo to use, get a fresh pack of cartridges for the printer, and you're all set.

I got two nengajo cards last year. One was from my dentist wishing me a bright smile for the new year, and another was from some wannabe idol, who happened to be male, and I cannot remember meeting, wanting to meet, much less providing my mailing address to. Come to think of it, at least year's bounenkai, my boss gave me a card, which read, "Thank you for your cooperation".