takkyubin

you see the vans everywhere - parked illegally with high adrenalin drivers navigating in and out of them and up alleys and into buildings - you often see them running up a street with a huge trolley. despite high speed courier post being relatively new to japan compared to america, the black cats, sumo wrestlers and pelicans that adorn the side of trucks really dominate the cityscape. despite the postal service being totally relaible (as royal mail once was), most people in japan courier stuff because of it's convenience and presumably the face to face service. it also requires the use of the hanko 'signing stamp' which is still so important to japanese daily life. it's like it was made for japanese living. people receive important documents by takkyubin, people send luggage ahead when travelling by takkyubin and people send gifts by takkyubin - in december especially, the traditional boxes of fruit needing signed for come thick and fast as a sweating, breathless man jostles paper work with one eye on his watch.