Gifts of Japan

Gifts. They're an effective way to entertain people.

In the United States, we exchange gifts on Christmas Day. That's common sense, right?

How about Japan?

On what occasions do the Japanese give gifts?

There are a lot of opportunities during the year.

Japan also has a Christmas tradition. But it is not religious.

It's a holiday event, imitating the West.

Christmas in Japan began when December 25, 1928 was established as a national holiday.

Despite the small number of Christians in Japan, Christmas has become a well-established event. That's a credit to the missionaries who came to Japan. 

By the way, in Japan, the Christmas Day meal is grilled chicken and white cream cake.

Anyway, even in Japan, the Christmas season is the biggest time to shop for gifts.

Do you have any other gift-giving traditions in Japan?

Yes. In Japan, there are many opportunities to give gifts.

Valentine's Day has changed in this country, becoming a uniquely Japanese custom.

In Japan, the Girls will present the Boys with chocolates on this day. It will never be a gift from Boys. Why is that?　In Japan, it is not customary for a woman to confess her love to a man. So the idea is, let's just put women first on Valentine's Day.

Mother's Day. It's the same with the world. Mothers receive flowers from their husbands and children.

Father's Day, on the other hand, is an event on a smaller scale than Mother's Day. There are many fathers who do not receive gifts. I'm sorry.

Have you ever heard of Respect-for-the-Aged Day?　That day is a national holiday.

In Japan, we visit our grandparents. Then eat out together or give them some present to thank them with grateful feelings and wish them good health.

The Japanese respect the elderly. There are other celebrations for each age group.

Ages 61, 70, 77, 80, 88, 90, 99, 100...we celebrate. We do celebrate grandparents each of these years. Each one is said to have a meaning. Isn't that interesting?

　　　　　　　　　

OCHUUGEN and OSEIBO

In Japan, there is a Buddhist ritual period called OBON in the middle of August.

OCHUUGEN is the custom of giving goods during the OBON season. It is closely related to the rituals for our ancestors.

OBON is a very traditional and important religious event. Many Japanese return home for the OBON season. That's when you need a gift.

If they do not return home, we will still send them a gift. If he doesn't give them a gift, that's disrespectful to the person he's giving it to during OBON season. You should never forget these manners.

At the same time, Japanese people send goods to others who have helped them on a daily basis. It's about expressing gratitude. That act of giving is collectively referred to as OCHUUGEN.

OSEIBO means the same thing. This is done at the end of the year. The types of gifts are almost identical to OCHUUGEN.

The people you send gifts to are those who are close to you, those who have helped you, and those who are involved in their work.

The items vary. We used to give towels and soap as gifts. But these days, the value is rising more and more, and people are opting for more and more expensive things.

For example, an assortment of processed meats. High-end hams are especially popular. And the assortment of sausages, bacon, salami, wieners, etc. is a favorite.

In addition, with advanced preservation technology, cured beef is also attracting a lot of attention these days as a gift.

Fruit is also popular, as a gift. The most popular is melon. The Japanese hold melons in very high regard as a luxury fruit. The most expensive muskmelons cost between $100 and $200 each.

Japan's fruit-growing technology is at the top of the world. (The most expensive strawberries are $100 for a single strawberry, at $1,000 a pack!)

Japanese sake, wine and beer will also be sent in a special gift box.

And for families, a set of sweets is a delight. Gift cookies and jellies are popular. And sweets featuring Sweet Beans are also common. These also come packaged in special and luxurious packaging.

In short, Japan has this ritualized tradition of giving twice a year. Of course, it's even more important to give a gift that is "sincerely appreciated".

　

Japan also has a strange gift-giving tradition.

One of them is "Summer Comfort". Summer in Japan is very uncomfortably hot. For the purpose of alleviating it, we send a gift. 

For whom?

It's for those close to you. The most popular items are sweets and SOMEN or SOBA (cold pasta). In recent years, frozen ice cream and frozen fruit have also become popular.

January of the New Year is OTOSHIDAMA, a tradition of giving away gifts. It's a gift from an adult to a child. Usually it's cash in a special envelope. Primarily, it is exchanged between relatives and the target audience is children from infants to adults. In recent years, $100 has been the price.

In Japan, this kind of gift-giving ritual is very important to relatives.

When a child enters and graduates from school, grandparents send congratulatory gifts to their grandchildren. Cash and stationery are universal gifts.

In addition, when students get a job, they also often give gifts again.

　

As you can see, Japan has many gift-giving customs.

Of course, there are those who don't send. It is true, however, that this custom of giving and receiving gifts has been beneficial to friendly relations between the Japanese.

Do you have any special giving practices in your country?