{"id":5928,"date":"2023-11-28T16:52:35","date_gmt":"2023-11-28T07:52:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/omiyage-more-than-just-a-souvenir-its-a-way-of-life\/"},"modified":"2025-08-28T11:33:40","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T02:33:40","slug":"omiyage-more-than-just-a-souvenir-its-a-way-of-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hrcjapan.com\/ja\/omiyage-more-than-just-a-souvenir-its-a-way-of-life\/","title":{"rendered":"Omiyage – More Than Just a Souvenir, it’s a Way of Life!"},"content":{"rendered":"

There are myriad aspects of Japanese culture that can baffle the outsider, but on the face of it, <\/span>omiyage<\/span><\/i> seems pretty straightforward. <\/span>Omiyage<\/span><\/i> is usually translated as \u2018souvenir\u2019, and we all know what that is right? Coming from French for \u2018remember\u2019, a souvenir is usually something that we bring back from a trip or journey to remind us of a place we have visited. For Japanese, however, <\/span>omiyage<\/span><\/i> is so, so much more than that.<\/span><\/p>\n

Where did omiyage come from?<\/h2>\n

Though its origin is a little shrouded in the mists of time, it is commonly believed that <\/span>omiyage<\/span><\/i> began with sacred pilgrimages to Shinto shrines. Pilgrims were expected to return with evidence of their travels \u2013 presumably to ensure that they actually went on a holy mission and didn\u2019t just hit the Las Vegas strip for a fortnight \u2013 such as charms or <\/span>sake<\/span><\/i> cups. And then, upon gifting these trinkets to family and loved ones, the spiritual protection bestowed upon the traveller by the shrine\u2019s <\/span>kami <\/span><\/i>[gods] would be shared.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Modern day omiyage pilgrims.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/span>With the advent of Japan\u2019s railway system vastly improving travel times, perishable items became increasingly popular, and nowadays the purchase of <\/span>omiyage<\/span><\/i> has become necessary for absolutely every journey; in some cases, it can be the entire reason for a trip. In every major train station, you will find sprawling supermarkets dedicated to a dizzying array of sweets, local delicacies, and handicrafts. Furthermore, the roads around every tourist spot will be lined with hawkers enticing you with gifts to shower upon your loved ones \u2013 in Kyoto, it is somewhat disheartening to discover that the beautiful old buildings outside the likes of Kiyomizu-dera and Kinkaku-ji are not quaint little teahouses, but are instead stuffed to the rafters with trinkets, snacks, and general tat.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>You down with omiyage? Yeah, you know me!<\/span><\/h2>\n

\u00a0<\/span>Of course, when we go away, we might bring back the odd little souvenir, but these are usually just one or two pieces, and more often than not it is a keepsake for ourselves. Not so in Japan, where people regularly bring an extra suitcase with the sole purpose of carrying gifts. This is because the concept of <\/span>omiyage<\/span><\/i> plays an important part in sustaining harmonious relationships, as to give gifts shows an appreciation and thought for those you left behind.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is particularly important for work colleagues, as they\u2019ve had to take up the slack while you\u2019ve been gallivanting, and as weird coincidence would have it, literally as I typed this sentence, my co-worker walked in with some green tea cake and persimmons from Anjo (spooky timing!) But omiyage isn\u2019t just about holidays. Heaven forfend you should go on a business trip to your company\u2019s factory in Shizuoka and not bring back any <\/span>Abekawa-mochi<\/span><\/i>, or you visited a new customer in Nagano and didn\u2019t return bearing apple-flavoured goodies. Your co-workers would not only have your guts for garters, but also your Achilles for a tie, and your spleen for a tiny bowler hat.<\/span><\/p>\n

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You can bet this melon cost a few yen!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On top of that, before you even headed out, you had to bring some <\/span>omiyage<\/span><\/i> with you to said factory\/customer to show appreciation for the business relationship. And here is where things start to get complicated, because there is something of a hierarchy when it comes to gifts. Of course, for most of your coworkers, individually packaged cookies or <\/span>manju<\/span><\/i> [steamed buns, often filled with red adzuki bean paste, tastier than it sounds] are fine, but if you are visiting a boss or someone actually important, you better go all out. If you know them well, and they are that way inclined, you <\/span>could<\/span><\/i> bring some <\/span>nihonshu<\/span><\/i> [rice wine, what you might call <\/span>sake<\/span><\/i>], but that\u2019s a bit of a dodgy line to take \u2013 \u2018what, are you calling the boss a drunk?\u2019 No, the best thing to go for is fruit. But we aren\u2019t talking about picking up a bag of bananas from the supermarket. Here, fruit is a really big deal, and gifting the right ones can really make an impression. Word of warning though, be careful what you buy as it can cost a pretty penny: in 2019 a pair of Yubari King melons went for \u00a55 million (about $46,000 at the time).<\/span><\/p>\n

So, it\u2019s omiyage time. What are you gonna do?<\/span><\/h2>\n

So, yeah, giving <\/span>omiyage<\/span><\/i> can be a bit of a minefield if you are unaccustomed to it, but fortunately, I am here on hand to help you out. The first question you have to ask yourself is \u2018where am I?\u2019 The spelling of <\/span>omiyage<\/span><\/i> is<\/span>\u304a<\/span>, which is an honorific prefix used in formal Japanese; <\/span>\u571f<\/span>, meaning in this sense \u2018local\u2019; and <\/span>\u7523<\/span>, meaning \u2018product\u2019. Therefore, your gift should have some connection to the area you have come from. The next thing to think about, particularly when giving foodstuffs, is presentation. Is the gift packaged beautifully or is the thing itself cute? For example, if visiting Gero in Gifu Prefecture, picking up <\/span>manju<\/span><\/i> in the shape of frogs (<\/span>gero-gero<\/span><\/i> is the sound a frog makes in Japanese) is better than something that looks like vomit (<\/span>gero<\/span><\/i> is also the onomatopoeic sound for puking, though the last time I went to Gero, I didn\u2019t see any <\/span>omiyage<\/span><\/i> making that connection. They\u2019re missing a trick if you ask me.)<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Apparently Piyorin is the most popular Nagoya omiyage.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Quantity is also a key consideration, as you have to think about everyone you are giving for. Yes, those little <\/span>Shisa<\/span><\/i> lion statues are a great gift to bring back from Okinawa for your kids, but are you going to buy one for everyone in the office? Even Takeshi-san in HR who always steals your coffee mug and never washes it up? No, best to get a few big boxes of <\/span>shio-choco<\/span><\/i> [salty chocolate] cookies and be done with it. You should have plenty of space in that extra suitcase you brought with you. Of course, you might want to keep in mind that your boss or <\/span>senpai<\/span><\/i> [senior] may expect something a little more appurtenant to their standings. For them, try to avoid anything too generic. Yes, those <\/span>Momiji manju<\/span><\/i> [steamed buns in the shape of maple leaves] scream out that you went to Hiroshima Prefecture, but they are sooooo obvious. Why not get a personalized <\/span>shamoji<\/span><\/i> [rice paddle] for that \u2018I really respect you, even when I\u2019m on my hols\u2019 touch.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Momiji manju is a classic Hiroshima omiyage<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Oh, and what to do if someone gives you <\/span>omiyage<\/span><\/i> (because they will, it\u2019s very much a reciprocal, never-ending system)? Well, you shouldn\u2019t just open it straight away, because that\u2019s considered impolite for some reason I can\u2019t fathom. Instead, pop it in your drawer and either wait until you are in private to enjoy it, or forget about it and end up with a desk filled to the brim with stale, inedible cookies, <\/span>senbei<\/span><\/i> [rice crackers] and <\/span>manju<\/span><\/i> like I usually do.<\/span><\/p>\n

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No trip to Nagoya is complete without tebasaki chicken wings.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

Images By Mark Guthrie
\nMelon and Momijimanju via photo-ac.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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