Giving a Japanese object for Christmas often means giving something that will be used every day: a teapot, bowls, a kitchen knife. To choose well, it is better to start from the person and their habits than from the object itself. Here are a few ideas for different people, and two Japanese customs worth knowing before you wrap your gift.
Oseibo, the Japanese year-end gift
In Japan, the end of the year has its own gift-giving custom: oseibo. From early to mid-December, people send a present to family, colleagues, a teacher or a client, to thank them for their help during the year.
The gifts are mostly useful, everyday things: tea, condiments, fruit, sweets. It is a lovely spirit to keep for Christmas: a simple gift, chosen for the person, that will really be used.
For the tea lover
The kyusu, the teapot with a side handle, is the classic teapot for Japanese green tea: you hold it and pour with one hand, with a turn of the wrist. Our ribbed kyusu tea set brings together a 300 ml teapot and five small matching cups in white porcelain with fine vertical ribs. It is made in the Toki-Tajimi region, in Gifu Prefecture, and is dishwasher and microwave safe.
For a smaller gift, or to complete the set, think of a tea tin. The Fujisan tea tin, made of tinplate covered with washi paper, is made in Japan. It holds about 100 g of loose tea and comes in green or orange, with Mount Fuji among flowers. Add a bag of sencha or hojicha and the gift is complete.
For someone who loves to cook
The nakiri is the Japanese vegetable knife. Its thin, rectangular blade cuts carrots, leeks or cabbage cleanly and finely. It is usually sharpened on both sides, like most Western knives, which makes it easy to handle.
Our nakiri knife has a 165 mm stainless steel blade and comes from Seki, in Gifu Prefecture. The town has been working blades for more than 700 years: its swordsmiths were among the most renowned in Japan, and today it is considered one of the world's great cutlery centres. A tip to pass on with the gift: wash it by hand and dry it straight away. Discover our other Japanese knives too.
For a shared table: why sets of five?
You may have noticed: Japanese tableware is often sold in fives. In Japan, the number four is sometimes pronounced "shi", like the word for death. For a gift, sets of four are therefore avoided, and plates or bowls are given in threes or fives instead.
The set of 5 Wave and Fuji bowls is a good example. These five 15 cm porcelain bowls carry an indigo design of waves and Mount Fuji, with touches of red. They are for rice, miso soup, noodles or side dishes. They also come from the Toki-Tajimi region, home of Mino ceramics, and are dishwasher and microwave safe.
A few tips before giving
- Start from their habits: someone who drinks tea every day will appreciate a teapot; someone who cooks a lot, a good knife.
- Put a set together: a teapot and a tea tin, bowls and a few small dishes, for a coherent gift.
- Check the care: porcelain goes in the dishwasher and microwave; ceramic is best washed by hand; wood and knives, always by hand.
- Mind the number: for tableware, a set of three or five respects Japanese custom.
Our Christmas selections
For more ideas, browse our gift ideas for small budgets, our gift ideas for medium budgets and our new arrivals. And if you are still unsure, come and talk to us in our shops in Carouge and Geneva: we will gladly help you find the right object.
