Posukuma — Crypto Stamp Japan Post NFT Phase 2

About the Posukuma Edition 2023

The Posukuma 10th Anniversary edition is Phase 2 of the Japan Post NFT programme — dedicated to the 10-year anniversary of Posukuma, Japan Post's official plush bear mascot. It was marketed between 16 January and 27 March 2023 across five weekly drops on the Rakuten NFT platform and is the last documented crypto stamp / NFT stamp activity by Japan Post.

With approximately 1,000 packs total, the Posukuma edition is larger than the Stamp Art Series 2022 (300 packs) — the volume was scaled by factor 3.3. It remains a limited programme with small mintages per drop.

Posukuma — Japan Post's Mascot

Posukuma (ぽすくま, combination of Post and Bear) is Japan Post's official mascot — a plush bear postman working at the fictional Forest Post Office. He was designed in September 2012 by designer Hitomi Nakamaru for the Greetings: Autumn stamp set (秋のグリーティング, released 21 September 2012). Posukuma has appeared on new stamps every year since 2012 (particularly in the autumn Greeting stamp sets).

Posukuma's backstory: as a child he was sickly and looked forward to letters from his friends — inspiring him to become a postman. His favorite things: flowers and Honey Toast for breakfast.

Posukuma's Friends (all part of the NFT series):

• Posumiruku (ぽすみるく) — white bear, collegial-older
• Posutosuto (ぽすとすと) — brown bear, collegial-younger
• Posuraimu (ぽすらいむ) — green bear
• Posujamu (ぽすじゃむ) — jam bear
• Posukoguma (ぽすこぐま) — Posukuma's childhood version
• Penkoala (ぺんこあら) — grey koala, loves letters
• Kenfukurou (けんふくろう) — owl

These characters are part of Japanese yuru-chara mascot culture — a phenomenon in which Japanese cities, agencies, and companies maintain mascots (e.g. Kumamon for Kumamoto). Yuru-chara generate substantial merchandising revenue in Japan — through products, social media, and tourism.

Programme Mechanic: Trading Card Logic

The Posukuma edition followed a trading card NFT logic that differs from all other crypto stamp programmes:

1. Weekly drops at fixed dates (always Monday, 17:00 JST)
2. 200 packs per drop at fixed price JPY 2,980 (~USD 20)
3. Each pack contains 2 randomly selected moments from 4 different ones per drop
4. No guaranteed completeness — collectors wanting all 4 moments had to buy multiple packs or trade on the secondary market

This pack-based trading card logic is closer to NBA Top Shot or Sorare than to classical crypto stamps with clearly defined booklets/sheets/box sets.

The Five Drops in Detail

A total of 5 weekly drops between 16 January 2023 and 13 March 2023. Programme end: 27 March 2023 (sales for the last drop ended on 27 March).

Drop 1 — 16 January 2023: Nice to meet you! Posukuma

• Theme: introduction of Posukuma
• Format: still images
• 200 packs, JPY 2,980
• Sold out within 15 minutes — the fastest sale of the series

Drop 2 — 30 January 2023: Posukuma and Delicious Food

4 moments in culinary theme:

• Posukuma Enjoys Tea Ceremony (84-yen original)
• Posukuma grilling Okonomiyaki (84 yen)
• Opening of POSCUMA CAFE (63 yen)
• Posupuma and his huge Honey Toast (84 yen)

Drop 3 — 13 February 2023: Traveling Posukuma

4 moments with Posukuma's travels:

• Posukuma Delivering in Space (84 yen)
• Posukuma's Trip to England (63 yen)
• Posukuma makes a delivery in Antarctica (84 yen)
• Posukuma goes to a hot spring (84 yen)

Drop 4 — 27 February 2023: Yearning to be a Postman

4 moments with childhood stories:

• Posukuma as a child reading a letter in bed (63 yen)
• Posukuma becomes a postman (63 yen)
• Posukuma and Posukoguma meet (63 yen)
• Posukuma in his childhood yearns to be a postman (63 yen)

Drop 5 — 13 March 2023: Posukuma Adventures + Movies

• Posukuma and Posukoguma riding on a roller coaster (84 yen)
• Roku of Remembering (Movie) — first animated Japan Post NFT
• Moving Posukuma (Movie) — second animated Japan Post NFT

Drop 5 is distinct because it introduces animated NFT movies — the only time in Japan Post's NFT programme. As of May 2026, these are the only animated crypto stamp / NFT stamp contents from this issuer.

The Tartan Backgrounds

The backgrounds of the original Posukuma stamps (on which the NFTs are based) show tartan plaid patterns in various color combinations. These tartans are officially registered with the Scottish Tartan Registry as Japan Post Original — connecting Japanese postal industry and Scottish heraldry.

The NFT versions adopt these tartan designs and expand them with animations and scene extensions. The NFTs thus have a multi-layered connection to classical stamp culture:

• Tartan background (officially registered)
• Face value of original stamp (real, in postal system)
• Character (Posukuma since 2012, established mascot)
• NFT extension (still images or animations)

But: no physical twin. The NFT buyers did not receive the original Posukuma stamps — these exist separately at the post office.

Tech Stack

Identical to the Stamp Art Series 2022:

• Blockchain: Rakuten-owned private chain
• Platform: Rakuten NFT (nft.rakuten.co.jp)
• Payment: yen via Rakuten ID, credit cards, Rakuten points — or ETH
• Secondary market: only within Rakuten NFT
• Self-custody: limited
• External verification: not possible (no block explorer findability)

Sales Performance

Drop 1 (Nice to meet you!) sold out within 15 minutes — the fastest sale of the entire series. Press sources then expected competition for the following drops, with preparation recommended for 17:00 JST on drop days.

Later drops likely sold more slowly (no 15-minute record repeated), but all 5 drops were according to available sources successfully sold. Exact sales times for drops 2-5 are not documented in the available sources.

Secondary market: As with Phase 1, secondary transactions took place exclusively within Rakuten NFT. As of May 2026, secondary market activity for the Posukuma edition is reduced — Rakuten NFT has since 2024 transformed into an NFT ticket service.

Programme End and Aftermath

After Drop 5 (13 March 2023) and the official programme end on 27 March 2023, no further Japan Post NFT drops have appeared. As of May 2026, the programme has been inactive for over three years.

Possible reasons for the programme pause:

1. Market conditions: 2023 began the crypto NFT bear market — collector NFT volumes collapsed worldwide. Many platforms closed 2024-2025 (Topps NFT, GameStop NFT, Kraken NFT, KT MINCL, etc.)
2. Rakuten NFT pivot: The platform has since June 2024 transformed into an NFT ticket service (sports, concerts) — collector NFTs are no longer in focus
3. Strategic reorientation by Japan Post: Japan Post Bank now focuses on DCJPY (digital yen, from 2026) — banking innovation instead of collector NFTs
4. Operational complexity: 5 weekly drops over 8 weeks was high operational effort for comparatively small volumes

The probability of a comeback is low but not zero. If Japan Post should issue crypto stamps again in the future, it would likely happen on a different platform and with a different model — possibly as hybrid crypto stamp on public chain (Polygon or DCJPY integration).

Significance in the Programme

The Posukuma edition marks several programme highlights and limits:

1. First Japanese NFT animations in Drop 5 (Roku of Remembering, Moving Posukuma)
2. First mascot NFT in the crypto stamp space — before Sanrio, Disney, and other pop-cultural brands
3. Volume peak of the Japan Post NFT series (1,000 vs. 300 packs in Phase 1)
4. Weekly drop logic as experimental approach — similar to weekly sneaker drops
5. Last documented activity — the final crypto stamp programme by Japan Post to date

The Posukuma edition is thus simultaneously the commercial peak and the end of the Japan Post NFT experiment. It shows what Japan Post could achieve with the Rakuten joint-venture architecture — and where the limits were.