Japanese Culture

Japanese society has a complex gift-giving culture and manners.
You don’t have to check all of them, since some traditions are no longer in people’s mind, yet some still matters to Japanese or you might be surprised if you don’t have recognitions.

Omiyage（お土産）/Temiyage（手土産）

Omiyage (お土産)
When you travel somewhere, approximately more than 2 hours by car, people come back with small gifts such as sweets, snacks, alcohol sometimes, and give them to their friends or co-workers. This is why you can find Omiyage shops everywhere at tourist spots.

Omiyages are supposed to be something related to the place, for example Matcha flavor at Kyoto or melon flavor at Hokkaido, but some even do not have anything to do with the place, just with the place name printed on it, because people buy them anyway.

It is not an obligation to buy Omiyages, instead, it plays a role in showing daily gratitude and respect, so it is slightly different than Souvenirs.

Be careful not to buy too expensive omiyages, which are inappropriate and uncomfortable to receive.

Temiyage (手土産)
When you visit someone’s house or your old friend, co-workers that cannot see often, it’s nice to bring some gifts with you.
This is called “Temiyage.” The difference between Omiyage is that Temiyage does not have to relate somewhere you travel.

You can bring things that related to where you live, if there are any local specialties, but it is totally okay to bring some gifts that can be purchased anywhere.

If you are visiting someone’s house, it is nice to bring some food that you can enjoy with the host while visiting. In that way, you can reduce the burden on the gift recipients.

At department stores, you can find a floor, generally at B1, where you can find many Temiyage shops.

Prices that might feel a bit expensive for personal use are generally considered the benchmark for hand gift prices.

Marriage Celebration

To celebrate the marriage, or more of wedding ceremony custom, people give cash.
It is called “Goshu-gi (ご祝儀).”

The Goshu-gi is wrapped in special paper called “Goshu-gi Bukuro (ご祝儀袋)” which can be purchased at stationary shop or convenience stores. When you arrive to the wedding ceremony venue, first you pass Goshu-gi to the reception, and it’s done.
The price varies from 30,000 yen to 100,000 yen, depends to the relation you have.

It is totally okay to give wedding gifts if you meet newlyweds apart from the wedding ceremony. Goshu-gi is for the wedding ceremony, or for distant relatives who you have to give something but don’t have clue what to.