The end of letters in Denmark and why it caught my attention in Japan

I saw an article this week about the Danish postal service delivering its final letter at the end of December, and while I'm not Danish, I found it genuinely interesting from an expat point of view. A country formally ending letter delivery after more than 400 years feels symbolic, especially for those of us used to navigating life across different systems.

In Denmark, the move is being presented as a practical one rather than an emotional one. Letter volumes have fallen by more than 90 percent over the past 25 years, while digital communication has become the norm. Over there, most official correspondence is now sent through a national digital ID system, and very few people opt out of receiving mail electronically.

Living in Japan, it's hard not to wonder if something similar could happen here. A lot of social media content online sees life here in a very futuristic lens, but so much day-to-day stuff still relies heavily on physical mail. Visa paperwork, residence cards, tax notices, health insurance documents, and school communications are often delivered by post. In saying that, Japan Post has already seen a decline in physical mail being sent, even if more gradually than in Denmark.

For expats, I think a sudden move away from letters would be a big loss. I don't know about the rest of you, but I still send a lot of paper mail (not just parcels) as a way to keep in touch with people. I'd be devastated if that was cut from life here.