Unique Japanese Culture: the telegraph!

Once upon a time, the telegraph was a worldwide phenomenon. But chances are a young adult today in the West doesn't even know what a telegraph is! But not in Japan. Where telegraphs still exist. Yes, you can STILL send a telegraph in Japan in 2024. I am as surprised as you are. As I was back in 2008 when I got married and we got eight telegraphs for our wedding. Even back in 2008 telegraphs no longer existed in my home country (Ireland). 

"Denpo" Telegraphs 

I have been going through a few things at home and came across the teddy bears that came with two (of the eight) telegraphs for our wedding. Because in Japan a telegraph was rarely just a piece of paper with a message typed, but an elaborate 'gift'. In the case of the teddy bear telegraphs, called 'denpo' in Japanese, the message was tucked into a tube as you can see pictured on both the Winnie the Pooh and Minnie Mouse above. 

Out of curiosity, I've just spent some time researching their use in 2024 and was astounded to see they are still used for sending messages for weddings. However, it seems there use has eased off in recent years. The most recent figures show that "only" 3.7 million were sent in 2022.

Have you ever received a telegraph in Japan?