Customer: Do you have those ¥18 stamps to send New Year’s postcards abroad?
Postal employee (Excitedly): Yes! This year we have taiyaki (fish-shaped cake filled with red bean paste) and odango (mochi dumplings served on a skewer).
Customer: Splendid!
— Hotel New Otani Post Office, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. Overheard by a Japan Times On Sunday reader
Overheard a conversation you’d like to share? Simply fill out the online submission form at jtimes.jp/overheard. Please recount the conversation in the format above and be sure to provide a description of the participants (age, male/female, nationality if relevant, etc.), note where the conversation took place and include any other context that might be necessary.
In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.