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Brandon
Keene
Nicholas
Crowder
Title 6
SECTION 1
Title 1
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December 10, 2005
DRAGOMAN CHRONICLES
JAPAN TRAVEL- GIFTS
Japan’s culture of gift giving is centuries old. It can be traced to the feudalistic period. Often, individuals in lower positions would give gifts to higher status individuals to develop good and lasting relationships. Gifts were also used as a form of gaining favors and staying out of trouble with individuals that could do harm. They often included foods, lacquer ware and silks.
·There are two important gift giving seasons in Japan. Ochugen between July 1-15 is the time for midsummer gifts and Oseibo from December 1-20.
·The dates are strictly adhered to.
·Ochugen gifts are usually given for maintaining and building good relations. They may include fruit packages, candy, dried sheets of seaweed and money.
·Oseibo gifts are important for personal and business relationships.
·These gifts often represent appreciation or for favors and loyalty and the hopes for future business.
·Oseibo gifts may be beer, wine, whiskey, foods and calendars.
·Whiskey is premium label scotch – of which my grandfather Keene was never without a good supply of Laphroaig on his jaunts around the world.
·Gifts are given throughout the year at most events. Thank you gifts are extremely important.
·A gift should never be presented unwrapped.
·The presentation is almost as important as the gift itself.
·Westerners use wrapping to obscure the gift.
·Japanese view wrapping as a way to refine the gift.
·Gifts are often wrapped in two sheets of white handmade paper with cords of rolled paper to tie the present.
·Wrapping paper is sometimes reversed for a sad occasion.
·For happy occasions the paper will have the right side of the paper folded over the left side.
·When presenting a gift you should hold it in both hands and bow slightly as a gesture of humility.
·The Japanese recipient in a humble manner will hesitate to accept the gift. However, it will be accepted.
·The recipient will not open the gift in front of you. This is for the purpose of saving face for both parties in the case the gift is too valuable, not valuable enough, or inappropriate. If you receive a gift you should wait to open it in private.
·Reciprocation is an important part of gift giving. Think of the long-term consequences. The tradition is not discontinued.
·Gift giving is not born out of sharing or that you are unique. It is more a balancing of the obligations and a reminder of the importance of relationships.
·Japanese retail businesses often give towels as gifts to customers wrapped in cellophane. The towel may have the company name or logo on it.
·Refusing a gift a sign of severing a relationship.
·When Japanese travel within Japan they often bring back to close associates and family gifts from the particular region such as foods that are marked “local product”. This practice is hundreds of years old when family members or friends would save the money for someone to go to a pilgrimage. Bringing gifts back was a way for those who helped contribute share in the experience of the trip. Gifts are also given on trips from abroad.
·Often when someone goes on a trip within Japan friends and family will give a gift of money for the journey. In most cases half of the gift will be used to provide a reciprocal gift to be given upon the travelers return.
·While in Japan I often noticed that when people returned from their travels within Japan that they would often carry as much back in gifts as what they originally took in luggage. You will often see this on trains and buses.
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