Here are the winning numbers for the 2013 New Years Postcard Lottery:
957503 – Prize: Computer, digital camera and printer – or – Digital TV
111316, 294651, or 346247 – Prize: Digital camera and digital picture frame – or – Humidifier – or – Bicycle
xx5635 – Prize: Regional food items
xxxx29, or xxxx70 – Prize: Postage stamps
Did you win anything?
As I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, including last year, Japan’s 年賀状 (New Year Postcards) that are mailed in Japan to friends and family every New Years season have a six-digit number in the lower right-hand corner on the back.
And every January, the Japan Post Office draws random numbers for the New Years Postcard Lottery. People who have cards (from the current year) with a matching number win prizes.
Every year the prizes are basically the same…but they’re very nice prizes.
This year’s (2012) winning numbers were drawn today.
The winning numbers are:
● First Place Prize: 030625 (Odds of winning: 1 in one-million)
Choice of prize includes: a 40″ Sharp TV, Canon printer, Toshiba computer, overseas or domestic (Japan) trips.
● Second Place Prize: 071658, 153787, or 675457 (Odds of winning: 3 in one-million)
Choice of prize includes: a Canon digital camera, X-Box, domestic (Japan) hotel stay, or a folding bicycle (with “no-flat tires“).
Foldable bicycle
● Third Place Prize: cards with the last-four digits being 2511 (Odds of winning: 1 in 10,000)
Choice of prize: One of many wonderful food items such as cookies, cakes, tea, curry, etc.
● Fourth Place Prize: cards with the last-two digits being 27 or 44 (Odds of winning: 2 in 100)
Prize (no choice): A set of two commemorative “Year of the Dragon” postage stamps.
2012 "Year of the Dragon" postage stamps
Once again, I won a few sets of the stamps but none of the “big” prizes. Well, there’s always next year.
How about you?
Are you in Japan? Did you win any of these prizes?
If you live in another country…does your post office have a similar lottery?
(By the way, it’s snowing in Tokyo right now. The first snow of this winter for Tokyo. It normally snows two or three times each winter in this city.)
New Years is Japan’s biggest holiday. The holiday has many traditions in Japan.
One of the traditions is sending 年賀状 (New Years postcards).
One the back of Japanese New Years postcards, in the lower right-hand corner, is a six-digit number.
Every year in late January, the Japan Post Office has a New Years Postcard Lottery.
Yesterday was this years drawing.
The winning numbers for the 2010 年賀状 (New Years Postcard) lottery:
★ First Place (TV, computer, travel, digital camera or an office set)
– 975424
★ Second Place (Wii, digital camera, DVD player, TV)
– 259668,
– 446722, or
– 630838
★ Third Place (brand name merchandise)
– any number with the last four digits as 0977
★ Fourth Place (postage stamps)
– any number with the last two digits as either 00 or 52
★ “C” Prize (JTB ¥5,000 gift certificate)
– any number with the last five digits as 27520
There is also a Summer postcard lottery in Japan.
And I wrote a post about the New Years Postcard Lottery last year.
Did you get 年賀状 (Japanese New Years postcards) this year?
Do any of you cards have a winning lottery number?
I have three winning cards…all for postage stamps.
As I mentioned in an early post (Click here to read it), Japanese people send 年賀状 (New Years Postcards) to friends and family.
On the back, in the lower right-hand corner, of every 年賀状 (New Years Postcards) is a six-digit number.
Every January, the Japan Post Office chooses random numbers for a kind of New Year Postal Lottery and if you received a 年賀状 (New Years Postcards) with one of the winning numbers, you can get a prize.
Yesterday, the winning numbers were announced.
Did you receive any Japanese 年賀状 (New Years Postcards)?
Check the number on the back to see if you’ve won. (If you have, bring the winning postcard to a post office to claim your present).
Here are the winning numbers for the 2009 lottery (of course, you can only win if you have a winning number on a 2009 年賀状 (New Years Postcards)):
Did you win?
(BTW, Click here to visit the Japan Post page (in Japanese) that I found the winning numbers and prizes listed)
Tokyo Five 
Recent Comments