A friend of mine is visiting Japan for a holiday from Silicon Valley.
Staying in Japan, I think I have lost perspective of what would make nice presents for visitors. Any suggestions? Something you gave someone, who really enjoyed it?
I was thinking of getting a Japanese fan, but it seems very cliched…
He is around 40, a semi-nerd, has a family(2 kids 9 and 12) and is a vegetarian.
Americans don’t expect gifts from the people that are hosting them. So, first off, from an American perspective, no gift is necessary.
However if that would make you feel uncomfortable, I think that an assortment of small, typical Japanese sweets (like Pocky, or those gummies that taste like green grapes, or cookies that come with little toys, or something like that) would be enjoyed. He can also bring them home to share with his kids (I took from your post he is traveling alone?)
Thanks, the sweets sound like a nice idea!
He is traveling alone, as you guessed.
I agree that American houseguests would not normally expect a gift from their host. Treating him to dinner or a night out would be nice, but he’s probably planning to buy any souvenirs he wants himself.
I don’t know if someone his age would think this was as much fun, but when I was living in Japan in my mid-20s a friend of mine came to visit and we had a good time going to the 100 yen shop. There was a really big one near where I lived and they had lots of stuff that made good souvenirs like little stuffed animals, key chains, paper fans, and maneki neko figurines.
I love maneki neko figurines.
You might want to show your guest those fantastic cloth wraps that are available in Japan. And give him the handout showing how to wrap things. Those wraps HAVE to be cheaper in Japan than in the US.
Thanks, everybody!
We went out for a beer and dinner which was quite nice.
Later I took him to a Don Quixote, which was apparently immensely amusing.
I knew I could trust the dopers!
You should have got him a sex robot.
Word on the street is, the best ones are from America. So maybe I should have asked him to get me one!
Link: NSFW of course http:// blog.livedoor.jp/dqnplus/archives/ 1377745.html
http://www. afpbb.com/article/economy/2681159/ 5145669