I will be visiting the Tokyo area soon, and will probably be invited to a Japanese family’s house for dinner. I have a couple of small gifts for them, a book which is a pictorial of Minneapolis/St. Paul (where I’m from) and a 1 lb. bag of hand-harvested Minnesota wild rice.
I’m fairly certain that the family will enjoy the book, but how do you think the wild rice will go over? WIll that be too unsual for a country that has exacting taste in rice?
I think the wild rice is a nice idea.
I wouldn’t worry about it being unusual. Have you seen some of the things they eat ? 
Can I ask for help, too? My husband and I are going on a last-minute vacation to Japan next week. My in-laws, upon hearing this, contacted an old colleague of my FIL today, who now lives in Tokyo. His wife and daughter have offered to show us around, an offer I’m pretty staggered by. (Apparently, they remember my husband from when he was a small boy, when they were living in the US many years ago. Obviously, they’ve never met me.) I know I should give them something, probably something fairly nice, but I have no idea what would be appropriate. We’re leaving in a couple of days, and are busy until then, so I can’t do extensive shopping and browsing, and don’t have time to order anything online. It’d have to be something I can find here in NYC without having to shop too much for it. Help!
usar_jag, I think your gifts would be splendid and the Japanese family would enjoy them, including the Minnesota-grown rice.
You don’t necessarily have to focus too much on the Japan aspect. A nice bottle or two of wine or liquor is almost always welcome. You can even get it at the duty-free for cheaper.
How expensive is ‘a nice bottle’? I ask because from what I’ve read, an appropriate gift in Japan is either extremely expensive, or else handmade. I’ve got no particular aptitude for handicrafts, so I’m left with the expensive category.
Actually if you buy an expensive gift for a Japanese, they will be obliged to buy you an even more expensive gift when they see you again. So it is better if you give them an inexpensive gift. Try something different which is local to your area. Most American things they can buy in Japan
I have… I have not done any of the live seafood, but I did eat fugu (the poisonous globefish) the last time I was in Japan. The only thing that I’ve had that I haven’t liked on some level is sea urchin.
Thanks for everyone’s input! It was much appreciated!
GilaB, if you can’t make handmade, how about buying something handmade? I love blown glass, so a vase or something similar would be my first choice. Or maybe really nice chocolates? I like the OP’s idea of a book about your local area–there have to be great books on NYC. Oooo, or maybe that book that is photos taken all over the US on the same day?
I took a ‘refresher course’ in Japanese many years ago. (I spoke it as a small child, got an A in the class, and now I need another refresher!) The instructor said that the custom is for recipients not to open the gift in the presence of the giver. She also said that the gift should be meticulously (or professionally) wrapped. The recipient would admire the wrapping and open the gift after the giver leaves.
This was like a decade ago, so I’d be interested to hear if gift giving and receiving are still practiced this way.
Would Columbia U.-related merchandise be appropriate? My FIL and this gentlemen got their PhDs together there long ago, but as I’m looking more for a present for the wife and daughter, I thought that might be hokey.
One thing we’ve given my wife’s family on visits that is a big hit is pure maple sugar and/or maple syrup.
As there are no sugar maple trees (acer saccharum) in Japan, it is difficult for them to believe these are made by just boiling the sap, with nothing added. And, of course, the stuff is delicious.
When in doubt, t-shirts that are somehow indicative of your hometown (think ‘I love new york’) and cool post cards almost never go wrong. If you enjoy photography, I’d also recommend bringing some cool photos of your area to show off.
Also, when it comes to wrapping you shouldn’t ever, ever wrap something in white or red paper.
(actually, on that note I wouldn’t recommend giving red t-shirts/other clothes to a man, either. When it comes to traditional clothing women are the only ones who wear red, and in some families that prohibition carries over to modern stuff.)
Those gifts sound hunky dory to me. A little sake cant hurt though, kampai!
Are you allowed to bring wild rice which is a live seed into the country? It’s something to consider. Processed food is probably not going to be a problem.
Good call. I’ll check the import restrictions. I looked at the bag of wild rice, and it says that it’s “Roasted Wild Rice”. I’m guessing that the roasting process will take care of the live seed concerns.