おくりもの（gift）

みなさん、こんにちは！サンクスギビングの休みはよかったですか？The holidays are nearly upon us, so this post is a about gift-giving in Japan.



Gift-giving Occasions

• 御歳暮（おせいぼ）: Gifts that are given at the end of the year.
• 御中元（おちゅうげん）: Mid-year/summer gift
• バレンタインデーとホワイトデー： On バレンタインデー, women to give chocolates to men. The chocolates can be 本命（ほんめい）チョコ, the "chocolate of love" that is typically hand-made, or 義理（ぎり）チョコ, "obligatory chocolate." Men return the favor on ホワイトデー, March 14. Reciprocity is often seen in Japanese gift-giving culture.
• ご祝儀（ごしゅぎ）: At a Japanese wedding, this is gift money given to the couple. The average ご祝儀 is 30,000 JPY (about $300). It is also customary for the couple to give gifts to the guests, which is known as 引出物（ひきでもの）
• 手土産（てみやげ）: A gift that is given when going to someone else's house. Traditional Japanese sweets such as どらやき、だいふく（もち） are common as 手土産。おいしいですね。たべたい…

Etiquette

• Gifts should always be given and received with two hands.
• It’s common for the recipient to decline a gift up to three times before accepting it.
• Timing is important. If you just met someone and gave them a gift, it would seem like you are trying to rush the relationship.

Phrases to Use
With all that we've learned so far, we can actually translate these phrases ourselves!

• つまらないものですが…：The most formal way to give a gift.
• たいしたものじゃないんですが…: This is a little more informal, but it is still rather polite.
• これ、どうぞ：Less formal and should not be used with expensive gifts.
• えんりょなくいただきます: This is said when accepting a gift. Its literal translation is something like "I humbly receive without hesitation"