Need a gift from Japan
 

I need a gift from Japan for a businessman and I really don't know what I to buy. Any advice of what Japanese handicrafts might be appreciated by an American business man? On recent trips to Tokyo I have been disappointed with the selection and quality of the souvenirs (have browsed in Oriental Bazaar, Akakusa, etc). I am visiting Hiroshima, Kyoto, Kanazawa, Takayama and Tokyo and I'd like some suggestions from fodorites what gift to buy.

Thanks.

Generally speaking I found the selection of gifts/souvenirs at Kanazawa to be much better than elsewhere in Japan. There appeared to be a lot more 'one off' items as compared to the mass produced (although they were there as well).

There were a number of shops in the Higashi Chaya District that we enjoyed browsing through but I don't know their names and, of course, there is also the famous Hakuza Gold Leaf Store. I would be surprised if you couldn't find something there suitable for a businessman. I also recall another shop in the heart of the Nagamachi (samurai) district that we particularly enjoyed.

I know not having the names of any of them isn't a great help but we were amongst the well trodden tourist path so I am sure you will come across some of them as well.

I also thought Asakusa was kind of kitchy.

I bought most souvenirs from Kyoto. However, the gift for men depends on the person. Here are some possibilities. Try to find out what may be appreciated by the person. I don't think there is an universal item. Don't be surprised by the sticker. When you cross over to the business gift category, they are meant to impress the recipient.

Traditional:
- Folding fans. The street leading to Kiyomizu Temple in Kyoto is lined with gift shops. Some kitchy, some quite good. I have also bought some on Shijodori street.
- Lacquerware products. If a person cannot tell the difference between the plastic and the lacquerware, don't bother.
- Nishijin-ori fabric products from Kyoto. Small to large items.

Not handcraft, but practical:
- Models of many products not sold outside Japan.
- Umbrella. Japanese umbrellas use super light, high strength components with well engineered mechanisms. I always pick up one in Japan. They are quite expensive, however.

Try looking for a Tokyu Hands store. If you can't find something there for him then your really not looking,lol

http://www.tokyu-hands.co.jp/en/index.html

Aloha!

I saw better quality goods in Kyoto and Kanazawa than in Tokyo, which probably just means they were easier to find in those locations. I found some hand woven/hand painted ties for some of the men on my shopping list.

it depends what your budget is, what you want to buy, who you buy it for, etc ...
YOu can buy sake and loads of Japanse sweet and food and tea and ... (better not buy and take sushi, by the time you are at home your fish might be flying).
Japan has nice kitchenware, kitchen knives, loads of electrical stuff, porcelain, bonsai, etc ... Even some Japanese female are for sale to take to your country ...

Thank you for replies.

I was going to buy a bottle of sake as part of the gift and I'd like to add something else to the gift. I was thinking, if not something from Japan, maybe crystal. How does sake and a crystal vase sound? I really don't want to travel to Japan and find nothing suitable as I need to give the gift toward the end of my trip before I return home.

My budget would be US$100, plus the cost of the sake. What brand(s) of sake do fodorites recommend? As for food items I too had thought of sweets, but I'm not sure if the business man has allegies, as I do not know him well.

Thanks.

Yoshinogawa

Its a brand of sake that the famed sake connoisseur kuranosuke introduced me to. Real good stuff at about $40.00 a bottle found in the Mitsukoshi or Matsuya stores on the Ginza.

Aloha!

<<How does sake and a crystal vase sound?>>
Not quite as good as a bottle of sake and a handmade sake set (pottery decanter and five matching cups). Available in Kyoto on the route up to Kiyomizu.

Hawaiiantraveler, thank you for the recommendation, I'll definitely visit Maksuya and Mitsukoshi in Ginza. Diamaru, too, I am looking forward to going back to Japan, it's been a while since my last visit.

WillJame, good point, but I don't think he'll drink too much sake after the bottle I give him is finished.

I'd like to give an item that is useful around the house.

I think I made a mistake, it's Matsuzakaya in Ginza, not Diamaru. And, who could forget Wako or Takashimaya!

I don't think Japan is known for its crystal.

If you want something useful around the house, here is my experience with the most useful household item I have bought in Japan. There is a seller at the Toji market (happens the 25th of every month at Toji Temple grounds) who makes and sells incredibly crafted beautiful wooden spoons and wooden kitchen impliments. All kinds of wood, all sizes, from spoons to stir soups to small and large ladles. These are unique and totally handcrafted. I have about 8 of these items in a ceramic crock on my kitchen counter (I bought the crock also at Toji market) and use them every day.

A friend of mine went to Toji market a few wks. ago and told me the same man is still there, selling his handmade wooden items.

Alternatively, you can go to a nice tea shop (there is a great one in Kyoto) and buy a nice Japanese tea pot and some high quality teas. And get some great traditional sweets to go along w/it. And get him the bottle of sake also. That is a very Japanese gift.

ccmelk, that is a totally bizarre comment to say that "there are Japanese female for sale to take to your country."

What kind of person are you to make that comment here? It isn't funny. And if you meant it to be true, you really don't belong on this board.

I wasn't clear enough in my last post, I meant a crystal vase bought from outside Japan. Just wondering if the vase and sake would be appreciated. The reason I ask is because I need to buy the item and travel with it before I leave home later this week, if not, then I would have to buy something in Japan. Teas and a tea pot, gold leaf handicrafts, folding fans or emanmel handicrafts is what I would be looking for. Like I said in my op, I don't know what is available outside Tokyo, and I appreciate the helpful replies on this thread. I'll start a thread in the lounge about the vase and see what fodorites have to say.

I would very much enjoy the handmade Japanese sake set (two cups enough) from WillJame. Double the enjoyment if I knew its origin ... Hagi-yaki or from Saga-ken. And, for me, the bottle of sake would be entirely optional. If it was a small bottle and I could enjoy it with WillJame with the set he gave me then I might go for it.

While imbibing, I would have WillJame explain how he got a bottle of liquid past the TSA (got it at NRT and didn't connect in the US? or isn't there a way to carry a bottle of wine and have it scanned to have it approved to take on the flight?).

I have had hundreds of opportunities in my life to buy a crystal vase for myself and have not bit yet. That would probably be re-gifted, donated, or just put into a storage closet.

I would also enjoy a Japanese vase or other pottery (of known origin), But the sake set is kind of more of a guy thing.

You will be stepping in very deep and murky fluids if you bring a gift to someone in Japan. If you do so, you may well be putting the recipient in a situation where, by culture and custom, he/she will be compelled to provide you with a gift of similar value. And you could cause the recipient to lose face by not having such a gift for you when you give yours.

If you are serious, you would need to hire an expert in Japanese business relations to guide you through the maze that is the Japanese way of doing things. Seems to me that the OP would do extremely well to offer no gift (and especially not one of value), unless he's specifically been instructed to do so by a Japanese business relations pro.

A small box of mochi would beat a crystal vase from Macy's. I do actually own a vase and has never held flowers, but it is a special thing because it is Hagi-yaki.

If the businessman is Japanese, then definitely a box of mochi with whatever you get.

rizz, she(or he) needs the gift to bring home for an American business man not take to Japan for a Japanese business man as I understand it.

Aloha!

I thought this thread was about bring a gift back from Japan to a businessman not in Japan (and probbaly not Japanese?).

The gift is to be given in the US to an American businessman.

oh.

My husband bought some ultra-cool stylish headphones with AMAZING sound for about $100 in Akihabara, which everyone in the family still fights over. That was three years ago and there is probably an even superior selection now. Just go into one of the electronics shops and see what everyone else is buying. We also got some yukatas (cotton kimonos worn in spas), much appreciated by male friends and relatives, and very easy to pack.

My husband also bought a Toto toilet, but that's another story.

Mr. Crosscheck just reminded me that he was back in Tokyo last year and he seconded the headphone recommendation. he said that there are now LOTS of stores that exclusively sell headphones, but you could also pick them up at the airport. He also recommended getting a cool flash drive.

emd3, the sale at Toji Temple (called Kobo-san) happens on the 21st of each month. But how among the 100s of sellers there would one ever find your particular one?
mrwunrfl, I'd love to share a cup of sake with you. The interesting thing is that the local liquor store in our small Canadian city carries the same kinds of sake one can buy in Japan, and at about the same price. I used to buy a duty-free gift bottle of Crown Royal as a gift for Japanese friends only to find that it was cheaper at the corner supermarket in Japan.
(Mrs) Crosscheck's mention of a yukata or summer kimono of the onsen-style reminds me that that's a gift we've brought back sometimes. They're similar to what hotels provide as sleepwear (properly called nemaki) and sell for about $30 at dept stores, or at Co-op grocery stores. They come in great blue and white patterns and in LL sizes too.

WillJame, thank you for the correction; I was thinking of the Kitano temple market that is on the 25th of each month. Toji is indeed on the 21st.

It is not hard to make your way around to all of the booths at Toji market. And this man is the only one selling handmade wooden kitchen items (the friend I sent to Toji market recently told me that that is still the case).

Good luck, RJames. Let us know what you end up getting.

WillJame, good point about sake being available at the local liquor store.

That sake bottle will need to be in checked baggage. Some airlines (like United) require that the bottle be in an approved shipping container inside the luggage. These boxes can be purchased online (probably like all the gift suggestions and can hold one or multiple bottles of wine.

I learned this when I decided on bringing back a bottle of wine from Argentina as a gift for my physical therapist (knee). After learning a bit about Argentine wine and transporting in on a flight I decided not to do it. I didn't want to have the shipping container taking up all that space for the whole trip.

i brought a spa robe for my husband's boss. He loved it. Can be used as bathrobe or over bathing suit.

Seconding the Tokyu Hands suggestion. Take the south exit out of Shinjuku and bam, there it is, it's a huge department store with lots of quirky little "Only In Japan" things.

I recommend the knives. If you refer to my trip report, you will find a great place for engraved knives. They are high quality and if engraved properly will never forget you.

Just fyi, a tip for anyone who likes the Japanese knives: There is also a man at Toji market who sells wonderful knife sharpening stones. They are nice enough to be used as decorative items. He carves his family's name into the lower right hand corner of the stones. They vary from about $25 to $100. I bought from him a few yrs ago and my friend who went to Toji market recently said yes, he is still selling there. He is not hard to find. He is the only one selling sharpening stones and has a large table.

emd-the knife store I mentioned sells sharpening stones and tutors you in the proper sharpening method so as not to destroy the blade. Be aware that some blades need to be dry befor you sharpen.

Cool - I think I will visit that knife store on my next trip, thanks for the info.

I also vote for Tokyu Hands. As they say, if you can't find it anywhere, you'll find it at Tokyu Hands.
Also, the office accessories in other fine department stores, or Itoya stationery have the neatest desk accesssories. One of the gifts I gave a gentleman back in the USA was a pen, pencil & highlighter set in a nifty case from Mitsukoshi. It might sound like a mundane gift but the set was very neat looking and handy. He loved it and wanted to get more.

If anyone else is interested in the knife store citiboy50 mentioned in his trip report, here is the info, in Kyoto:

"...Aritsugu Co. to buy a knife. We took the subway 2 stops from Kyoto Station. There was a great selection. My wife bought a vegetable knife engraved at no extra charge..."

And here is a site I found with some reviews of handmade knife stores in Kyoto:

http://openkyoto.com/stores/real-kyo...gu-knives.html