Omiyage (Souvenirs) from Japan

Some gifts my sister brought last week when visiting from Tokyo.


A lovely kit for creating your own nioi-bukuro, or scent sachets to place in a drawer. It's called "kaori-asobi," literally "scent play," suggesting time spent in enjoyment experimenting with these various fragrances.


Inside the kaori-asobi kit. There is a small lacquer bowl and spoon for mixing, a fabric nioi-bukuro and string tie, and ten exotic aromas for creating your own aromatherapy experience.


Fragrances in the kaori-asobi kit include my favorite sandalwood, as well as star anise and others.


Sake from Hokkaido wrapped in a reusable furoshiki cloth. The bottle within was also a snow-white, and the sake was exquisite. Furoshiki are traditional decorative cloths used in wrapping and offering gifts. Generally the gift is presented, opened, then the furoshiki is kept by the gift-giver for multiple reuse. My mother still has furoshiki that I remember her using back when I was three years old in Okinawa (it had a 60's-style mod polka-dot pattern and a zip closure). It's the ultimate eco-friendly gift-wrap. Penny tells me it's in again.


Unagi! Or broiled eel. These packages are heated by placing in boiling water. Add the accompanying sauce and sprinkle with sansho, then place on top of hot rice. Yum.


Furikake, condiments to sprinkle on rice. These types of seasonings are in every household and come in endless varieties.


My new favorite snack - flavored nori. This is part of a set of eight tins, each containing super-thin and crispy nori strips sandwiched together with different flavorings. Ebi (shrimp), uni (sea urchin), goma (sesame seed), etc.


For the Japanese, the practice of giving omiyage (souvenirs) is ingrained practically from birth. It's just something you do without question - if you go away on a trip, you are expected to bring back token gifts for family/friends/coworkers. It's part of the wide-ranging, ongoing tradition of giving and receiving gifts in Japanese culture.

Omiyage are often representative of the area you visited, so in Japan this might be a certain type of locally made condiment, sake or sweets. Food is a common thing to bring back, but I've noticed when traveling overseas, nihonjin often purchase anything available at the Duty Free shop - brand name goods, liquor, perfume. The point is, you don't go back empty handed, and it really doesn't matter if it's a token, mass-produced item from a souvenir shop or something more extravagant. The gesture and the thought is more significant than the item itself.

When extended overseas visits to family are involved, the omiyage-giving endeavor becomes a little more complex. You generally ask your family outright if they want something specific, or they make requests. For my sisters in Tokyo, that generally means schlepping back American chocolate (See's, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Ghirardelli), California wine, microwave popcorn, vitamins, and something trendy/fashionable like accessories, small purses and make-up. The bounty (and my luggage size) grows as my parents and other sister in the States add to the omiyage.

But I know during my Tokyo visit my sisters' friends will extend their hospitality towards me in some way, so I should have extra omiyage. Then you never know who else might end up doing you a favor, so I have to pack the back-up omiyage of San Francisco T-shirts and so forth. This may sound like a ridiculous amount of planning and expense just for a short vacation, but trust me, these omiyage will be reciprocated when I leave, and also, when my sisters come to visit me in the States.

On my last trip to Tokyo, I decided the omiyage was getting out of control when I found myself hand-carrying a panini maker for a friend - but on a previous visit to the States he'd brought me an antique stationery box, so I kind of owed him. Then I'd designated an entire suitcase for other gifts including an Akira Kurosawa Criterion Collection DVD set, several bottles of wine and six cans of Spam for my oldest sister Myrah (yes, it's considered a treat over there, and it's expensive).

I need to find smaller, lighter gifts for my upcoming trip. Ideas, anyone? Starbucks gift cards? Maybe high-end T-shirts for everybody this time. But then again...when my sis Penny visited with her husband Masao last week, I really scored on the goods! See my photos above.

One thing for sure: Japanese gifts are far superior when it comes to packaging and presentation. They make Stateside souvenirs look like stuff from Schlock City, U.S.A. I always feel I have to gift-wrap mine before offering them to Japanese recipients.