|
Gift giving has always been an important aspect of Japanese culture and is a ritual in which most of society eagerly engages. Traditionally there are two gift-giving seasons in Japan; ochugen in August and oseibo in December. Together they make an important contribution to the Japanese economy.
The gift-giving season of oseibo is rooted in the tradition of the Japanese presenting gifts to their parents to honor the spirit of their ancestors at the start of the new-year. According to a survey published in the Yomiuri News, 75% of consumers planned on giving an oseibo gift during the next year. This involves individuals sending gifts to their parents, relatives, friends, or teachers, while companies send gifts to their clients or important business partners.
As with many things Japanese, there are strict rules and guidelines for how one engages in gift-giving and receiving. Japanese Department stores set aside special floors or areas for oseibo gifts, where one can consult with an expert on which gifts would be most appropriate for a particular recipient. Department store staff can assist you in determining the right price point for the situation (ranging from 10 dollars to 300 dollars) and ensure that the gift is appropriately wrapped. And wrapping is a big deal! Foreign visitors to Japan are often dumbfounded at how a six-pack of fruit juice can be exquisitely presented within a luxury gift box. Even simple household goods such as soap and laundry detergent, which are fairly popular oseibo gifts, are wrapped in special packaging that often appears to be more valuable than the gift itself.
|
 |
 |
|
| |
Special wrapping procedures necessary...don't try at home! |
|
|
The economic value of the oseibo gift-giving season is estimated to be nearly 9 billion US dollars per year, and department stores and manufacturers of gift products count on the oseibo season for a good chunk of their yearly profits. In many ways, Oseibo gift giving is a traditional custom that has been maintained, as Japanese society has modernized in other ways. However, changes have begun to take place and these reflect the broader changes occurring in Japanese society and the economy as a whole.
While social etiquette generally remains important, consumers feel less obligated these days to give oseibo gifts simply for the sake of giving. Instead, they seem to be considering the gifts as a subtle form of self-expression within a thank you. The season overlaps Christmas, which is a modern holiday to the Japanese, where gifts are given to one's friends and lovers. The freedom that a consumer has to choose any kind of gift at Christmas seems to have rubbed-off on oseibo gift giving - nowadays consumers are customizing and personalizing their gifts to show their own unique flair.
These days, instead of a box of elaborately packaged soaps, consumers are more inclined to give a specialty product from a prefecture they have personally visited in recent months. Indeed according to a recent poll, these kinds of special local goods/foods have become the second most popular gift to send. So expect purple potato chips from Okinawa, fresh sea urchins from Hokkaido or beef from the beer-fed cows of Kobe...
 |
|
| How would you like some special sea urchin from Hokkaido!!? Or octopus dash from Hakata? |
|
| |
|
Gift giving by corporations is on the decline due to cost cutting and anti-corruption laws. Now companies typically send gifts only to their most key business partners. Given that individuals also feel less obligated to give to as many relatives as previously, the market as a whole is not necessarily a growing one. However, this decline has been compensated by a new consumer trend: buying gifts for oneself.
This hedonistic tendency is due to the increase in customization seen in the market today. There are more specialty items on sale now, especially via the Internet. In many cases, consumers try out a specialized product before sending it to their friends or relatives. There are good deals available for those wanting to buy a local food typically not available unless you traveled six hours by train.
Those who lament the increasing individualization of Japanese society may frown, but to the manufacturers who rely on the oseibo season for a significant portion of sales, the ultimate sign of individualization - giving a gift to oneself - is a gift in itself!
|
