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Thursday, December 2, 2010

お中元とお歳暮 (おちゅうげんとおせいぼ - ochuugen to oseibo) - Mid-year and end of year gifts

Japan has always had a strong gift-giving culture that predates recent imports like バレンタインデー (barentain de-) Valentine's Day and クリスマス (kurisumasu - Christmas); お中元 (おちゅうげん - ochuugen - mid-year gifts) and the corresponding お歳暮 (おせいぼ - oseibo - end of year gifts) have been traditions since feudal times. They're sometimes known as Summer and Winter gifts, due to the arrival of お中元 just before 夏休み (なつやすみ - natsu yasumi - Summer holidays) and お歳暮 just as 冬 (ふゆ - fuyu - Winter) starts to bite. Wondering why that big box has arrived at your door days after you'd be expecting any クリスマス presents? Wonder no more - 'tis the season for giving, in more ways than one!


At the heart of the matter, お中元 and お歳暮 are beautifully packaged gifts containing various goodies that are sent out at the corresponding times of year. These times would be very hard to miss because like the arrival of Easter chocolate in the supermarkets at home, department store shelves are flooded with them at the slightest provocation. These shops hold a virtual monopoly over the industry and for good reason - they stock just about every variety of gift you can imagine, so it's a very convenient way to pick the perfect one. Several years ago there was enormous brand loyalty - the place you chose to buy your gift was almost as important as what it was; having a box wrapped with gift paper from a posh department store like 大丸 (だいまる - Daimaru) or the like was the best way to impress. With the state of the economy more recently however, people have turned to cheaper department stores like ダイエー (Daiei), which is where today's pictures are from.


So what's actually inside these boxes? For both お中元 and お歳暮, the answer is much the same - large collections of extraordinarily practical things. Food and drinks are typical, as the photos will attest - ジュース (juusu - juice), コーヒー (koohii - coffee), デザート (dezaato - desserts), 果物 (くだもの - kudamono - fruit) and お酒 (おさけ - osake - alcohol) are common choices. On the slightly stranger side, other household consumables seem to be fair game as well - detergent, washing liquid and other cleaning products come similarly wrapped and presented. Failing all that, gift cards are becoming more popular for people you just can't find something for. On the more traditional side, gifts like のり (nori - seaweed) and 昆布 (こんぶ - konbu - kelp) as found in 鍋物 (なべもの - nabemono - hot pot) has been given and enjoyed since feudal times. Back then, there was much less emphasis on the practical; selections of gourmet local produce were bought from independent merchants and retailers as more of a treat than an everyday item. I'm not sure how the average 侍 (さむらい - samurai) would feel about handing over a box of fabric softener.


Since the olden days, お中元 and お歳暮 have been given to your superiors, whether that means people further up the feudal hierarchy than you, your boss or your teacher. Public figures like government workers and public school staff are now expected to turn down any offers to avoid looking like they're accepting favours, but private enterprise is fair game. In fact, you can expect to be ostracised if you don't come up with a good present, whether you're a or a サラリーマン (sarariiman - salaryman - office worker) in a private company. The purpose is to show thanks to people and, if you're feeling cynical, perhaps to curry favour with your superiors. There's been a recent crackdown on what's called 虚礼 (きょれい - kyorei), meaning "meaningless courtesy" - some offices will have a policy that says 虚礼廃止 (きょれいはいし - kyorei haishi - "abolish meaningless courtesy"). In these cases there's no obligation to buy something for the sake of it - you should only give out presents if you mean it.


The "household" theme isn't limited to the actual gift - it's traditionally the wife's role to buy and send it, which probably made more sense in the olden days. These days the rules seem less rigid and with policies like 虚礼廃止 coming in, the popularity of お中元 and お歳暮 have been steadily dropping off. Nevertheless, they're a major part of the department stores' revenue for the year and huge displays and glossy catalogues still appear without fail. I can understand why - the average gift costs 3000-5000 yen depending on the receiver and when you're in for a penny, you're in for a pound - handing out お中元 means you're expected to commit to お歳暮 as well. Traditionally it's more polite to give the gift in person but for convenience and practicality (can you imagine having to carry a few of these boxes home?), they're often posted now. Particularly generous gifts may be rewarded with a small thank you gift sent back as well - fortunately the department stores can help you out at every stage of this process as well (for a small fee, of course).


お中元 and お歳暮 are linked to both the and seasons and form a key part of Japan's penchant for gift giving. 虚礼 or not, it's hard to argue about how exquisitely presented they are and I'm sure anyone would be happy to have one land on their doorstep. If you have a chance, at least have a wander around the shelves, flip through the catalogues and enjoy the explosion of colours and consumables. If you're lucky, a coworker might spot you pining after something really good and write it down on their お歳暮 list. Hopefully in that case you'll end up with some nice fresh 果物 so you can put the silly season behind you and get a head start on the sensible season.

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