Wrote a postcard to my Auntie on Friday and took it to the Post Office where I was very surprised to find out that I was gonna be charged an extra 30 yen (on top of the regular 80 yen for a postcard) just because a few of my end lines continued across the whole postcard underneath the part where her address was marked. I thought the lady was joking when she put the price up after scrutinizing my card for a moment and told her as much but as i was in a rush I paid up and left very bemused by it all. I wonder if this is a rule elsewhere or just an example of the Japanese having some of the most anal rules ever.

How a postcard can constitute being a letter I don’t know. Surely it doesn’t matter where the hell you put your writing as long as the address is clearly marked and that theres enough room for a stamp. A postcard is a postcard and it weighs the same no matter how its written and I thought that it was this weight and size which dicate the price of something for delivery.