Here is an example of a New Year’s greeting. It is written in hiragana.
The translation is a statement of joy for the arrival of the New Year and celebration of it. This is written in honorifics, so it is valid not only for friends but also for close elders.
There is a manner of sending New Year’s cards in Japan.
Write vertically, use Kanji numerals, and avoid abhorrent words and redundant expressions. Punctuation marks should not be used, and ballpoint pens should be used as little as possible. Do not send out just printed New Year’s cards, making sure to use the correct address and honorific title.
Since New Year’s greetings are supposed to be sent until the end of the pine season (Matsunouchi), any day after that becomes “kanchu omimai (cold-weather greeting)”.
Matsunouchi refers to the period between the beginning of the New Year’s festivities and the return of the gods, when kadomatsu and shimenzukuri decorations are displayed. The end of the Matsunouchi period differs from region to region, with the Kanto, Tohoku, and Kyushu regions often ending on January 7, and the Kansai region on January 15 (Koshogatsu).
This manner is not strict, and if you are a foreigner, it is not a problem. However, there are some Japanese who are very particular about their manners, so I will mention it here just in case.
