新年明けましておめでとうございます！今年もよろしくお願いします！
Happy New Year Everybody!
Another rotation around the sun has come and gone. Somehow it's been six years since COVID-19. Everybody is anxious, pessimistic and broke. There was no definitive song of 2025 that people will remember. Vibes are not great.
But there's still time for the decade to finish strong, and 2026 could be the first step in doing that.
2025 Grades
2. Track My Spending Again
A.
I did it folks. I bothered to keep track everything I purchased that was hobby related in 2025. All of the trading cards, the shipping fees for cards I bought, various supplies, the polaroids, the everything.
In all it came out to 278,289 JPY which is roughly $1,776 USD using the very last exchange rate of 2025. I said I would use the average for the year last year but considering I want this post up on January 1st that's a non-option.
Though to be clear this doesn't include the postage I spent on Zappings which was roughly $830 USD. A lot I know but if it means I got stuff out of my house then it's worth it in the long run.
Also since I'm on the topic of sending stuff let me just say thank you to those that helped me accumulate data on how shipping times have changed since the tariffs changed international shipping markets. As far as I can tell there haven't been any major changes, BUT my envelopes arrive far quicker on the east coast. Faster than if I'd sent anything to the west coast or even the middle of the US. I assume this is largely because of the USPS facility at Newark is still extremely good at what they do and are able to quickly deliver stuff to people in New Jersey and New York.
1. One Non-Certified Autograph Intended for Me
A.
I accomplished this in early January last year when I got an autograph of a cosplayer then I continued to get more as the year went on. You can find a few in my post about my Comiket 106 trip. Thank you again cosplayers. The polaroids are all great.
Phew. I passed this year.
Now onto 2026 where I'll try to repeat.
2026 Goals
2. Track My Spending Again and Contrast to 2025
Now that I had a whole year of operating in the Japanese yen under my belt, I've been able to establish benchmarks in terms of what I'd spent on various aspects of my hobbies. In 2026 I'll be tracking my spending but also trying to see if I can keep it less than in 2025. Luckily I have my data organized by months and by categories.
Some areas will be tougher than others. Because I got a lot of my downsizing done in 2025 I expect shipping and supplies to go down (though you can never tell). Plus when it comes to polaroids and such, well I'm not going to really shy away from opportunities for meet and greets with dedicated (and more importantly conventionally attractive) cosplayers. Real wait and see stuff here as year 2 is when things start really get going.
1. One Non-Certified Autograph Intended for Me
Yep, running both goals back. No reason not to. Especially since I know this is weirdly easier than it was in the US.
Going forward I'd be surprised if these weren't my goals every year for a while. Maybe one day I might make a goal to be more cost conscious but for now I don't want to limit myself from having fun.
So with that, I'm waiving goodbye to my first full year back in Japan with my favorite pickups from 2025. Let's see how things fare in 2026.
Here's to better times in 2026 for all of us.
Take care.