Hi guys. Are there Japanese equivalents of customary English salutations and closings in personal letters? That is, is there a Japanese equivalent of "Dear Michiko" (or insert whatever name)? And for closings, is there a Japanese equivalent of, say, "Best regards" or similar? In general, how do Japanese open and close personal correspondence with friends?

I think this is the book I have:

http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Letters-Ja...44&sr=8-13

It's practical, if I've got the right one. Many of my books are packed up, so it'll take a bit to find it.

That's for more formal letters; if it's just friends I think they usually just have the name as an opener, and just use some conversational close like じゃあ.

"Dear X" and "Best regards" aren't used by friends in the US, I don't think. The Japanese equivalents of more formal greetings are complicated and it's good to get a book like the one linked.

I just Googled 手紙の書きかた for all the juicy details, though, like Bertoni's recommended book, they probably err to the formal side.

From my (very limited) experience, there's no equivalent of "sincerely," or "best regards," and "dear X" is typically just 「◯さんへ」. Letter writing is more of a style thing than a strict template.

The へ is not really necessary. I checked some of my old e-mails from Japanese people and none of them use it.