Wednesday December 16 2015
Having studied Japanese for five years and having a keen interest for Japanese culture, I know that souvenirs or Omiyage are very important in Japan. When Japanese people go overseas it is expected that their colleagues, as well as family and friends, will receive something from their trip. If you're a school teacher, your students will receive gifts also. It's usually something small, that's why in New Zealand souvenir shops have packs of things in 20's, like pencils or erasers.
Knowing these things about Japanese culture has been really helpful in planning my trip and I've been thinking a lot about what to take with me to Japan. I'll also be posting to my personal Facebook to ask what my friends want from New Zealand that they cant get there in Japan and of course I'll be taking NZ classics; Marmite (even though I prefer Vegemite...), NZ lollies like Milk Bottles, Chocolate Fish, Pineapple Lumps and of course Whittakers chocolate (my favourite!). Sadly I wont be able to take a tub of Hokey Pokey ice cream but maybe a Crunchie bar will suffice?
Another thing that Japanese girls go ga-ga for, is Cookie Time Cookies, which is funny, because back when I was a little girl I remember getting visits from the Cookie Time Cookie Monster and his "eat healthy" campaigns. I ordered a Christmas bucket of mini Cookie Time cookies to take with me to Japan and they arrived last week. I'm sure they will go down a treat with any new-found friends I meet along the way...
I'm really glad at Not Socks, where I work, there are tonnes of awesome NZ gifts that I can take with me. They're a little bit expensive, but it will only be a few things for the very special people that I meet. Of course, I'll pack plenty of treats for everyone else!
Thanks for tuning in. See you next week!
Emily.
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