As a relationship-based society, Japanese have long relied on gifts to acknowledge the importance of connectedness. This $100 billion market has been a ritualized institution for eons.
Ochugen is considered the mid-year gift-giving season, with the exact timing differing by location: July 1st to July 15th in the Kanto area (Tokyo), July 15th to August 1st in Kansai (Osaka and Kyoto), and August 1st to the 15th in Kyushu.
During the ochugen season, department stores open up special sections, sometimes a whole floor, to display their selection of typical gifts for this occasion, take orders, and make thousands of deliveries. If you want to honor the custom, department stores are probably the best place for you to shop. This way the gift you buy won't be something unusable for Japanese and, more importantly, it will be properly packaged and wrapped, as well as delivered if you so choose.
What’s popular this year?
1. Hokkaido Melon
2. Beer Sets or Goma Mugicha (Sesame Barley Tea)
3. Simmered and Grilled Pork
4. Dried whole squid
5. Seafoods – ex. Abalone, Sea Urchin
6. Nori
7. Wagyu
8. Fruits directly from the farming area – ex. Peaches from Yamagata Prefecture
9. Fresh water eel (from Japan)
10. A themed gift basket
Originally a custom for honoring ancestors, in the Edo period merchants began using the season to show appreciation to their customers. Gradually it morphed into its current practice of giving to business clients, teachers, doctors, mentors and others to whom one feels indebted. In recent years, the younger generation has also started giving smaller gifts, Puchi (petit) gifto and customized combinations (kumiawase gifto) to family and friends.
Recently, there has been a trend to first buy a small sample for tasting to make sure it’s right and to share in the experience. With the proliferation of selfies, why not self-gifting?
