In Japan, it is customary to bring back a small souvenir for friends and work colleagues (the latter to thank them for working hard while you were having fun!!!) The whole idea of gift-giving has become a national endeavor as every little town, area, and city has a special edible "omiyage" for which they are "famous." (For example, here in Hamamatsu it is eel pie!) Anyway, while Japanese people find it to be very obligatory -- and an expensive and sometimes annoying venture -- I personally find it to be great!!! The first day back from summer vacation is like Christmas with all kinds of fun cookies and candies piled on my desk. So what if most of them involve bean paste, its still fun to dig through the stash :-) This year, I maintained enough self-control to not eat any of the goodies before I was able to snap a picture. Can you guess which one I brought back from the States??
Sunday, September 19, 2010
おみやげ：Omiyage-- Japanese Souvenirs
In Japan, it is customary to bring back a small souvenir for friends and work colleagues (the latter to thank them for working hard while you were having fun!!!) The whole idea of gift-giving has become a national endeavor as every little town, area, and city has a special edible "omiyage" for which they are "famous." (For example, here in Hamamatsu it is eel pie!) Anyway, while Japanese people find it to be very obligatory -- and an expensive and sometimes annoying venture -- I personally find it to be great!!! The first day back from summer vacation is like Christmas with all kinds of fun cookies and candies piled on my desk. So what if most of them involve bean paste, its still fun to dig through the stash :-) This year, I maintained enough self-control to not eat any of the goodies before I was able to snap a picture. Can you guess which one I brought back from the States??
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