Canada-bound letters in mail jail

Like me, you probably correspond with your friends and family abroad by email and messaging apps. But no virtual communications beat handwritten missives. Well, my plan to send letters on classy and cute stationery is thwarted by the Canada Post strike. The labour dispute has been ongoing since November 2024. At the end of September, full strike action started again.

Japan Post's latest news update on the situation cautions that mail sent to Canadian addresses may be returned. For now, items bound for the Great White North are in mail jail. Japan Post will release your posted item for a whopping 680 yen a piece.

Assuming the dispute is settled soon, I'll prepare my holiday cards. But I imagine there will be a significant backlog.