I never participated in the gift-giving ritual, but I'm learning it's a big deal. Got any pointers?
----Shigeru
Shigeru----
This business about gift-giving IS an art! I haven't quite mastered it, and I've made a lot of mistakes. For example, you're supposed to give a good, but not pretentiously expensive, gift to your former teacher at New Year's, and I gave him a rather nice glass plate my mother had sent to give him.
The recipient feels uncomfortable, as he or she is obliged to give a return gift, and of course it shouldn't quite match the cost of the first gift.
And you know, at first I was surprised that people don't open presents in front of the giver: it might embarrass both parties, so they wait until later.
Some people never open them: a colleague of mine in Tokyo actually has a small closet in which she stores gifts from students and others, and 'recycles' them to give to others.
Since most gifts are sort of predictable--canned and bottled food, small decorative objects--they are pretty universally acceptable.
But this friend hadn't paid attention to the sticker on the department store gift wrapping, saying 'perishable,' and stored away a whole fresh fish -- when it was passed on, it was a pretty smelly present!
The safest gifts are food, and as you said, considering the price of fruits, like melons and strawberries, these are precious presents indeed!
