High Tech Holiday Cards a Hit in Japan

They stand up, they sing, they flicker on and off.

Ingenuity and high technology have led to some unusual Christmas cards, which retailers say are a big hit with Japanese holiday shoppers this year.

Take, for example, the card that unfolds into an upright Christmas tree, complete with blinking red lights and a two-tune repertoire of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.”

“It’s very big with 18- to 25-year-old women this year,” said Takehiro Ushishima of the sales promotion department at Tokyu Hands, a popular store for hobby goods.

The songs are stored in a tiny integrated circuit that is activated by a light sensor when the card is opened. The cost is about $15.

Tokyu Hands sold out of cards made with real gold costing upwards of $3.

“The most popular new cards this year are those that come with compact discs,” Ushishima said. The discs feature one or two Christmas tunes and are often decorated to match the cards they are sold with.

High-tech cards are decidedly upscale, averaging more than $8 each, or more than four times the price of the conventional printed card.

“But this year card makers in general have been more elaborate,” bringing up the average price, Ushishima said.

Christians are a 1% minority in Japan, where Buddhism and the indigenous Shinto faiths are most common, and Christmas is not a national holiday. However, many Japanese non-Christians celebrate Christmas by having parties, exchanging gifts or eating special foods.

“Sales of Christmas cards are now at their peak,” said Ichiro Saito, public relations director of Itoya, a major stationery store in the swank Ginza district.