As an affiliate for various programs such as Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission on some of the purchases you make at no extra cost to you. Read my disclaimer here.

Since embarking on my minimalist journey, stopping unnecessary noise that might otherwise influence my decisions was one of my top priorities. This includes things like visual noise (labels, advertisements, too much colors), email junk. After almost purging my email of all junk mail, I had my sights set on reducing or stopping the delivered mail coming to my home.

I remembered that as a kid, I was excited each time I get mail. Because my dad would go through the mail and give me only the letters or cards from my friends, each mail had importance and value. As an adult, I take on the that chore of having to filter through all the unsolicited coupons, brochure for the thousand and one services around me. Stopping it would save time, reduce external influence on my consumption and save the earth since they get tossed anyway.

Unlike junk email, you cannot simply unsubscribe to them. Calling each of them up is also not sustainable as they are probably just using some sort of marketing list for residents here. Luckily, I found a way that works.

This simple little label on the slot cover was the secret to this problem. A small label that says “チラシ禁止”.

This used to be an ad. But no one likes ads, so I got rid of them. If my articles helped you, I ask for your support so I can continue to provide unbiased reviews and recommendations. Every cent donated through Patreon will go into improving the quality of this site. Become a Patreon or buy me coffee

And guess how many junk mail I received in the past 2 weeks that this sticker was on? ZERO. What sorcery is this, I thought. I’m guessing that the Japanese mailman, being both the stickler for rules and also respectful of customers’s wishes, simply followed the little sticker. After all, if you deliver junk mail even after requested not to, the customer would not think highly of the product or service that goes against their wishes.

For your reference, this was in Shibuya-ku, so I hope it works for your area as well.