Gift giving culture in Japan: Ochu gen, Oseibo
In the previous entry titled "Greeting,Bowing in Japan", I wrote that here
in the states, when you meet new people, most likely, shake hands or
just carry conversation after greeting with no physical gestures. In Japan, we bow often when greeting to neighbors,new people, customers,boss etc.
I also wrote that bowing is also a way to express gratitude,apologies,respect,and requests.
Bowing is a big custom in Japan, and it is a reflection of our culture consider "harmony" valuable, and make a good human relationship each other.
"Harmony" in human relationship is worshiped in Japan in many ways. One of the customs you would see in Japan is "gift giving" custom.
Gift giving custom in Japan..
In Japan, it is customary to bring a gift, such as box of sweets with you when you visit someone those who you would ask a favor of (piano teachers,calligraphy teacher, neighbors who you ask them to take care of your house while you area away for vacation etc..) or someone/acquaintance you would meet not as often such as mother/father in laws, relatives, friends you had not seen for a long time etc..
Usually, when you brought something, you would say "Tsu-ma-ra-na-i mo-no-de-su-ga.." (Translation;"This is trifle") to express self effacing attitude.
I am not certain how common it is here in the states, but many Japanese kids (elementary school kids through high school kids) go to private lessons of their interests after school such as piano class, soroban class (Japanese abacus), calligraphy class, English class, or cram school where kids would study basic subjects from Japanese,math,science,history etc etc.
I myself have been to piano class, soroban class (Japanese abacus), calligraphy class, and cram school after class.
When my mother and I visited such facility for the first time, we brought box of sweets to teachers there.
In a way, from my mother's point of view, the box of sweets is kind of like a message asking teachers to take good care of my kids.
In Japan, going to cram school after regular school is norm. Especially if kids were at 12th grade, almost all kids go to cram school to study hard to get into University/college.
Unlike states, Japanese kids do not take SAT and university/college do not look at the score of SAT to decide acceptance.
Rather, when kids are at 12th grade, each kids look for University/college they would like to go to, and very first thing they can do to get into the University/college of their dreams is to take entrance exam via high school teachers' recommendation letters.
Usually each high school can have a few students for certain University/college they can recommend to, and often times, entrance exam via recommendation letters from high school teachers is via interviews. Some university/college let the kids to take exam with less number of subjects in addition to the interview.
Then, if kids wanted to get into the private college/university or the one run by prefecture, they need to study hard. Each university/college have their own exam dates and each university/college have their rules as to what subjects they would do as exam.
Kids can visit university/college as many as they want as long as exam dates are not on the same dates/same hours. If university/college were out of prefecture, the university/college sometimes offer kids to go to local facility to take exam but some university/college offer hotels for kids out from the prefecture and do exam at their own university/college.
Some university/college are run by government/country and with those university/college, kids must take exam at local facility hold at same date,same hour throughout the country with same basic subject (Japanese,science, chemistry,biology,social study,English,history etc etc).
Kids who get into the university/college run by government/country take larger number of subjects compared to private university/college exam.
If kids fail, they can try it again next year, but they must study hard to pass the exam.
Seasonal gift giving custom in Japan..
Other than the basic customary to bring a gift, such as box of sweets with you when you visit someone those who you would ask a favor of or someone/acquaintance you would meet not as often such as mother/father in laws, relatives, friends you had not seen for a long time etc..,there are seasonal gift giving customs in Japan.
One is called "Ochu-gen" (mid year summer gift), and the other is called "Oseibo" (year end gift giving).
Ochu-gen is mid year summer gift and, it is a customary to give a gift around mid July to acquaintances,boss, relatives etc.. to express appreciation and gratitude for help.
As a kid, I remember every time someone rang the bell and brought the gift to our house around the season, I was excited to see what we have got. Common/popular gift for Ochu-gen is soba noodle, beverage, jello, cookies etc..
Oseibo is year end gift giving custom around mid December in Japan, and we give gift to express appreciation and gratitude for help for the year. With Oseibo gift, gifts are more varied from meat,soy sauce coffee, miso etc..
Both Ochu-gen and Oseibo are to express thank you gesture to others. Department stores around those seasons are very busy and you would see all kinds of gifts choices.
Gift giving custom is so natural to me, when I came over to the states and when we had to ask boarding facility to take care of our stumpy little dog "Palette" while we were away to go see our family, I bought Japanese presents for the owner of the facility and tried to give the presents when we picked Palette up.
My husband asked why we buy something and give stuff to her while we are paying for the service.
I gave the gift to the owner,and she was happy getting them. In a way, gift giving is part of my nature/custom I grew up with.
I also wrote that bowing is also a way to express gratitude,apologies,respect,and requests.
Bowing is a big custom in Japan, and it is a reflection of our culture consider "harmony" valuable, and make a good human relationship each other.
"Harmony" in human relationship is worshiped in Japan in many ways. One of the customs you would see in Japan is "gift giving" custom.
Gift giving custom in Japan..
In Japan, it is customary to bring a gift, such as box of sweets with you when you visit someone those who you would ask a favor of (piano teachers,calligraphy teacher, neighbors who you ask them to take care of your house while you area away for vacation etc..) or someone/acquaintance you would meet not as often such as mother/father in laws, relatives, friends you had not seen for a long time etc..
Usually, when you brought something, you would say "Tsu-ma-ra-na-i mo-no-de-su-ga.." (Translation;"This is trifle") to express self effacing attitude.
I am not certain how common it is here in the states, but many Japanese kids (elementary school kids through high school kids) go to private lessons of their interests after school such as piano class, soroban class (Japanese abacus), calligraphy class, English class, or cram school where kids would study basic subjects from Japanese,math,science,history etc etc.
I myself have been to piano class, soroban class (Japanese abacus), calligraphy class, and cram school after class.
When my mother and I visited such facility for the first time, we brought box of sweets to teachers there.
In a way, from my mother's point of view, the box of sweets is kind of like a message asking teachers to take good care of my kids.
In Japan, going to cram school after regular school is norm. Especially if kids were at 12th grade, almost all kids go to cram school to study hard to get into University/college.
Unlike states, Japanese kids do not take SAT and university/college do not look at the score of SAT to decide acceptance.
Rather, when kids are at 12th grade, each kids look for University/college they would like to go to, and very first thing they can do to get into the University/college of their dreams is to take entrance exam via high school teachers' recommendation letters.
Usually each high school can have a few students for certain University/college they can recommend to, and often times, entrance exam via recommendation letters from high school teachers is via interviews. Some university/college let the kids to take exam with less number of subjects in addition to the interview.
Then, if kids wanted to get into the private college/university or the one run by prefecture, they need to study hard. Each university/college have their own exam dates and each university/college have their rules as to what subjects they would do as exam.
Kids can visit university/college as many as they want as long as exam dates are not on the same dates/same hours. If university/college were out of prefecture, the university/college sometimes offer kids to go to local facility to take exam but some university/college offer hotels for kids out from the prefecture and do exam at their own university/college.
Some university/college are run by government/country and with those university/college, kids must take exam at local facility hold at same date,same hour throughout the country with same basic subject (Japanese,science, chemistry,biology,social study,English,history etc etc).
Kids who get into the university/college run by government/country take larger number of subjects compared to private university/college exam.
If kids fail, they can try it again next year, but they must study hard to pass the exam.
Seasonal gift giving custom in Japan..
Other than the basic customary to bring a gift, such as box of sweets with you when you visit someone those who you would ask a favor of or someone/acquaintance you would meet not as often such as mother/father in laws, relatives, friends you had not seen for a long time etc..,there are seasonal gift giving customs in Japan.
One is called "Ochu-gen" (mid year summer gift), and the other is called "Oseibo" (year end gift giving).
Ochu-gen is mid year summer gift and, it is a customary to give a gift around mid July to acquaintances,boss, relatives etc.. to express appreciation and gratitude for help.
As a kid, I remember every time someone rang the bell and brought the gift to our house around the season, I was excited to see what we have got. Common/popular gift for Ochu-gen is soba noodle, beverage, jello, cookies etc..
Oseibo is year end gift giving custom around mid December in Japan, and we give gift to express appreciation and gratitude for help for the year. With Oseibo gift, gifts are more varied from meat,soy sauce coffee, miso etc..
Both Ochu-gen and Oseibo are to express thank you gesture to others. Department stores around those seasons are very busy and you would see all kinds of gifts choices.
Gift giving custom is so natural to me, when I came over to the states and when we had to ask boarding facility to take care of our stumpy little dog "Palette" while we were away to go see our family, I bought Japanese presents for the owner of the facility and tried to give the presents when we picked Palette up.
My husband asked why we buy something and give stuff to her while we are paying for the service.
I gave the gift to the owner,and she was happy getting them. In a way, gift giving is part of my nature/custom I grew up with.
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