Japanese gift giving

[JanxAngel]

What kinds of things would be given as gifts? What are the meanings of the gifts and who are they appropriate for?

What I'm looking for in the second question is a basic overview of what you'd give to superior, inferior, friends, relatives, girl/boyfriend, spouse etc. As well as what kinds of "occasions" like thank yous, welcomes, partings, weddings, birthdays, holidays and the like.

Thank you.

[tengumoon]

Bear in mind
I have not been to Japan.
My experience is limited to working for Japanese and many years in Japanese martial arts.

I think it is very much a case of "its the thought that counts".
A couple of things to keep in mind:
make sure it is something useful, not just another piece of clutter.
something handmade or personal is more appreciated than something generic.
be aware that the receiver may feel indebted to give a gift in return at a later stage - so dont start a gift giving war - be wary of creating "giri" / obligation
be wary of possible implications of the gift (for instance dont give a seppku blade)

be prepared for a Japanese person to thank you profusely, explain they dont deserve it and that you shouldnt have done so

I also believe that once opened there is some tradition about rewrapping the gift
I also believe that wrapping in furoshiki is also traditional rather than wrapping in paper

I am interested to hear more about this from those more experienced in the Japanese culture, both modern and past

[Saionji Shonagon]

www.1worldglobalgifts.com/japangiftgivingetiquette.htm describes modern gift-giving practices, though it does offer some clues on things like inauspicious numbers of things or gifts which have negative connotations, gift-giving to persons of differing social status and so forth. It is essential not to cause the recipient any social embarrassment with one's gift by being too extravagant or choosing something which could be perceived as a judgment on their personal tastes. Modern gifts may be presented in paper gift-wrap or gift bags. I love buying gifts from a certain Japantown shop because the proprietor's wrapping skills are simple and extremely elegant.

Clothing geekery commences here: One gift-giving practice we should all be grateful for is the one which has resulted in the preservation of garments and textiles from our period into the present day. A powerful daimyo might be moved to present someone with the gift of one of his own garments as a mark of favor for loyal service, or in the case of Noh actors, for a particularly moving performance. Lovers might make an intimate and sentimental "trade" of their clothing. Lady Nijo's 13th century diary describes how she treasures the robe given her by the retired Emperor Go Fukakusa - the translation I have is frustrating, but I believe the exchanged garments were the kosode layer worn as undergarments.

If I were expecting a social occasion where I would be interacting with a visitor from Japan, I would try to pick something that they can't get at home, perhaps locally made candy or produce, or some sort of small but nice memento of the place they've come to visit.

I have exchanged such highly valuable swag as cell phone charms, beads and souvenir stickers with a Japanese gentleman from the Barony of the Far West.

[JanxAngel]

I'm not particularly thinking of gifting to a Japanese person, though that's quite helpful, but just getting an overall idea for the traditions. I like giving "traditional" Japanese gifts to people so they can get a taste of the culture. Everyone I've done this with has given a positive response, so I want to make sure I'm doing it right.

[Yamanouchi Eidou]

So in my experience (Modernly) gifts are quite often giving when you go places. That is to say, when you go visit a place, you give gifts to the people you visit while you're there, and you get souvenirs for your friends when you get back.

Often times, these gifts will be specific to the area you are from, and then the area you visited respectively. That is to say, If you live in Fukuoka City and go to visit friends in Tokyo,when you travel to Tokyo, you should bring things from Fukuoka to give ti the Tokyo...jin. When you go back to Fukuoka, you should get stuff from Tokyo to spread around for your buddies in Fukuoka. Just for example. This style of gifting brings unique things to friends in both places that they wouldn't get otherwise.

When my parents came to get me from Japan they brought a bunch of stuff with them for when we would go visit people I knew around the area. Some of the most popular gifts were Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, especially among the kids.

A lot of times, an specific area will have things it is known for all around Japan and these are common gifts.

Examples:

Fukuoka city: Hakata Ramen, Hakata Gyoza (smaller than regular gyoza), Anything to do with the Fukuoka Hawks baseball team

Futsukaichi (A little city about 20 minute train ride from Fukuoka City): Special Rice and red bean cakes imprinted with a plum blossom design (there's a famous temple there surrounded by plum trees)

Saga Prefecture: Cermeonial festival masks, figurines of parade floats from a famous parade held in the fall, Akita ceramicware, Figurines of the Saga mud-skipper fish

Okinawa: Pineapples, Shi-saa (Lion Dog)figurines (I have a set on my entertainment center right now, they keep evil spirits away from my DVD's), Okinawa Soba, Goya Bitter Melon Vegetables

Ishigaki (Southernmost island group in Japan): Minsaa fabric, more shi-saas, Seashells, pearls from Kabira bay

Just to give you some ideas

[crimsongriffin28]

The modern custom from what I observe, is to give local famous foods from where ever you visit, as mentioned by Yamanouchi.

One reason for the prevalance of food-gifts, is besides the Japanese appreciation for cuisine, food is not something that's going to clutter your apartment up. That's thoughtful for you. There's been a few times when I've received something that was not really useful and ended up onlt taking up space. Japanese understand the idea of Western souvenirs being, you know, T-shirts and knicknacks. Thankfully, this is one aspect of Western culture they have for the most part not taken to their hearts.