Japanese gift-giving culture
"If the recipient liked the gift, it means that you gave part of your soul."
We study the approaches that are polar in their ideologies. From French emotional gifts we come to useful Japanese.
To develop a gift-giving culture there is fertile ground in Japan:
They do celebrate most popular in the world and their own religious holidays (today they can celebrate Christmas, and tomorrow they go Buddhist festival - all holidays are good).
There is a custom twice a year to give gifts to those who usually take care about you. Gifting in the summer, during the summer holiday of the commemoration of the ancestors of O-Bon, is called o-tugen, and in winter, in the pre-New Year period - o-sabo.
The Japanese built an intimidatingly complex system of social relationships, so they did not forget about gifts-giving system too.
• Food products (beer, coffee, fruit, sweets, seafood)
• Tickets for the purchase of goods (gift certificates)
• Souvenirs from other countries
• Bouquets (instead of one or two flowers)
• Something well-packaged (one of the most important criteria)
• Anything with figures 4 and 9 (death superstitions)
• Anything white (funeral topic)
• Something extravagant or fashionable
• Something at the first meeting (if it is very necessary - at least after negotiations);
• Something different for people of the same position at work, or gifts to individual participants in the meeting
• Gifts are given to children when they are three, five and seven years old, enrolling in school and graduating, success at the entrance exams to the university, the day of majority
• A feature of Japanese customs associated with gifts is the tradition of giving something in return
• The cost of a return gift should be slightly higher
• The Japanese never open presents in front of guests. It can be perceived as impatience, greed. In addition, the gift can be very personal. The gift is always accepted with both hands, with a bow, trying not to spoil the packaging.
• From a business trip local brands are brought with them as souvenirs.
For seasonal gifts, o-tugen and o-seibo, gifts on the occasion of adulthood, weddings, funerals, etc. events from the traditional outdoor adornments from the paper cord of mizuhiki.
In addition to the mizuhiki popular and floral greeting cards, which the donor can make himself. Mostly postcards with collages and in the technique of quilling, origami, and aspen are hand-made.
Akane, 24 y. o., Hiroshima
1. Is gift convey a norm?
→Sometimes yes. We have several rules about sending or giving gifts.
2. Is it accepted in Japan to give gifts more often than on Birthday, New Year and other popular holidays around the world (like very often)?
→We have custom to send seasonal gifts for buisness related people or relatives in Summer and Winter. These stand on ceremony between family and family, rather than personal, also each cerebrations (ex: school enrollment, new jobs, new born baby etc..) are chance of giving gifts.
3. Do the Japanese give gifts when they move to a new place to their neighbors?
→Yes. As a greeting, we visit neighbors and give some common stuff (ex: abluents, towels, or cookies) However, as the relationship between neighbors are getting poor with modernize, this custom is less popular.
4. How widespread is this form of gift like money in Japan?
→We have custom which adults gives money to kids at new-years relatives' gathering. For wedding, people give money with new bills.(not used, just withdrowed from the bank.) You need to prepare odd numbered bills (ex: 30,000yen, 50,000 yen ). Which means "can't divided" for the couple. We give money during funelal also, but in case you need to prepare with used-bills.
we have special paper only for folding money.
7. Are gifts that “speak” of knowing the recipient's personal taste acceptable to friends and acquaintances? Colleague?
→Yes. Rather be appreciated. The gifts which fit to the recipients' personal taste mean "I understand you and choose it after well consideration!".
Do people in Japan nowadays have musky melons (cantaloupes), or is this custom obsolete? → Yes,they still have cantaloupe
How widespread is this form of gift like money in Japan? → A little. For examlple, giving a gift certificate is much more often.
Japanese gift-giving culture has one very important thing: How was a gift packed. Everything depends on this , remember!
