An Example of American Practicality Liked in Japan
The American bridal gift-giving custom is very handy. A couple who are getting married pick items they like and register the items in a gift registry at a shop, while their friends and families check the registry list and choose gifts according to their budgets. This is a practical system for both sides. Nowadays, this approach is also getting popular as a method of gift-giving on Christmas or birthdays in the US.
Meanwhile, an American friend is trying to introduce this system to Japan. The blue-eyed Suzie is married to a Japanese man whose family runs a liquor wholesale business in Fukushima Prefecture. She has introduced the gift registry system into people in her town, which is well accepted.
All started when she realized that many people, including her mother-in-law and neighbors, had a problem in dealing with summer and year-end gifts, such as soapboxes, cooking oils, and seaweeds. In a town meeting, she criticized Japan’s “shame culture,” saying, “It’s not disgraceful or shameful to tell others what you want. Also, it’s not rude to ask others what they want. The most important thing is to give somebody what he or she likes.”
Now this gift registry system partnered with local shopping arcades is becoming popular and common every year.
“The Chrysanthemum and the Sword”