30 Japanese Gift Ideas for Japan Fans
Do you have someone in your circle who is passionate about Japan and would you like to offer them a gift of Japanese origin? Decorative objects, cultural objects, stuffed animals: there is no shortage of Japanese gift ideas! However, it is not always easy to find the ideal gift - especially when you do not really know the subject. As a fan of Japan and a specialist in Japanese culture, we have gathered here 30 original Japanese gift ideas for your loved ones who are passionate about Japan. Original ideas, friendly brands and good addresses all over France: we have listed everything for you! Great discovery and great inspiration!
#1 Japanese stationery
Stationery and stationery accessories are a Japanese specialty and an easy gift for a loved one who loves this type of item! Washi paper, cute erasers, colored pens with more or less fine tips: there are many gift ideas! Plus, this idea works regardless of your budget: you can buy a single item or a whole kit!
You can find them at Adeline Klam , come to the store directly or order online.
#2 Mugicha
Mugicha is an infusion of roasted barley. It is particularly consumed in Japan, because it is a drink without theine or caffeine with numerous properties and a delicious taste. Offering mugicha to a Japan enthusiast is a more original idea than offering tea.
At Maison Aimi, we offer mugicha made from French barley and made in France 🇫🇷 with the aim of promoting this drink while limiting its environmental impact 🌱. For a Japanese gift, offer our 130g box of mugicha : cute, it will allow you to discover this drink and will then be refillable.
#3 Japanese cooking class
Do you have a loved one who is passionate about cooking and Japan? Offering a Japanese cooking workshop is an original gift that will also give you the opportunity to spend time together! Among the Japanese cooking workshop offers, our preference goes to Osara, the brand of Sarah Lacoste . She comes to your home in Paris for a personalized moment of sharing around Japanese cuisine. And if your loved one is not in Paris, she also offers distance training to allow everyone to practice.
#4 Japanese-inspired watercolor
Another lovely gift idea is a watercolor depicting a Japanese landscape or a Japanese cultural element. Our favorite is the Japanese watercolors by Ariane Gerard . Japanese building facades, scenes from everyday life or even framed wagashi collections, her offering is as beautiful as it is poetic.
#5 Japanese Kimono
Does your loved one appreciate Japanese culture and dress in pieces with Japanese accents? While a traditional full Japanese kimono can be tricky to wear on a daily basis—in terms of style and practicality—we particularly like the kimono jackets (haori) from Kimono Toujours . Created by a Japanese woman who lives in Paris, the brand aims to modernize the kimono—a goal they succeed in very well: their colorful pieces can be adopted on a daily basis!
#6 Japanese meal kit
Does your loved one like to eat Japanese food and cook but doesn't have the ingredients on hand to cook this type of food at home? What if you offered a kit to create a Japanese meal with the ingredients and a recipe: this is the offer proposed by Takenoko, a French company, located north of Paris. Less expensive than a Japanese cooking workshop, it's an interesting Japanese gift idea!
#7 Japanese chopsticks
Japanese chopsticks are a cute and practical little gift for a loved one who is passionate about Japan. Crafted in wood, metal, especially for children: there are many models at very different prices. Note: it is easier to eat with wooden chopsticks than with metal chopsticks (they slide more), take this into account when making your purchase!
#8 Bento box
Bento is the equivalent of our lunch box and the bento box is the container we use to transport our meal. Refrigerated, cute, microwave-safe, multi-tiered: there are different types. If your loved one is used to bringing their meal to work, a bento box is an idea that is as practical as it is cute!
#9 Ramen bowl
Ramen bowls are large bowls with traditional patterns (dragons, flowers, etc.). They can be used for ramen (dehydrated or homemade) and for all meals eaten in bowls (pasta in sauce, soups, etc.). The must-have: a bowl that does not heat up even when the contents are hot to avoid burning yourself!
#10 Japanese pajamas or jinbei
The jinbei is a traditional Japanese clothing set that consists of a short-sleeved kimono and wide pants. This lightweight garment, most often made of cotton, is worn by men, women and children as pajamas or in summer outdoors. It is a perfect dressy pajama that is used especially for invitations or for hanging out at home.
#11 Matcha tea set
Matcha tea is a Japanese green tea that is prepared from a powder of green tea leaves selected for their quality. This beverage is bitter and is consumed during Japanese tea ceremonies. Our favorite matcha tea powders are Takenoko matcha powder and Setsuna tea matcha powder .
To prepare matcha tea, it is best to have a small wooden whisk (it facilitates the emulsion): this is why it will be interesting to offer a set as a gift if you have a little budget. We particularly like the matcha tea set offered by Setsuna Tea.
#12 Japanese Knife Set
Japan is known for its particularly sharp and fine knives. In addition to their precision, the most beautiful Japanese knives are engraved and decorated with taste. Buying a knife or a set of knives is a beautiful gift that will be very appreciated if your loved one cooks. However, it is an expensive Japanese gift: a beautiful Japanese knife can cost between around €100 to more than €1000.
#13 Maneki neko
The maneki Neko is a little white cat that raises its paw. You have certainly already seen it in shops near the cash registers and in the windows of Japanese restaurants. It is a symbol of good fortune and is very popular with the Japanese. It is a nice Japanese gift to offer on the occasion of a professional promotion, to wish professional and economic success.
#14 Daruma
The daruma is a papier-mâché figurine that has (vaguely) the shape of a Buddhist monk. It is red in color and has an unstable body. In Japanese culture, it is a wishing figurine, which brings luck and prosperity. It is common for the pupil of the Daruma's eyes not to be drawn: it is the person who receives it who must draw a first one and make a wish. The second pupil will only be drawn when the wish is granted. It is a Japanese gift full of meaning that is very interesting to offer at Christmas, especially to wish a happy new year.
#15 Japanese lantern
Japanese lanterns are elongated paper lanterns, most often red in color and marked with a Japanese character (hiragana, katakana or kanji). If, in the past, candles could be inserted into them, they are now designed to be able to put light bulbs in them. When offering a Japanese lantern, remember to check the character it bears as well as its meaning.
#16 Kendama
Kendama are wooden games of skill of Japanese origin. Kendama are similar to cup and ball games, except that they are topped with a part formed by two cups (the sarado ) to accommodate the ball. It is a perfect Japanese gift for hyperactive people who always need to keep their hands busy.
#17 Rice cooker
Does your loved one love Japanese cooking and still not have a rice cooker? If he/she has space in his/her kitchen, this kitchen appliance could change his/her life. It allows you to cook rice perfectly and quickly. Available from around fifty euros, this Japanese gift is also a nice idea!
#18 Cast Iron Teapot
This Japanese gift is less original but it will please your loved one who loves Japan and tea. Cast iron teapots are small traditional teapots that contain a basket to allow the tea to be infused. These are pretty objects that allow you to entertain around a good tea.
#19 Bonsai
Does your loved one who is a Japan fan have a green thumb? Offering them a bonsai, this small tree whose roots are cut to keep it small, could be a beautiful Japanese gift. It is a beautiful decorative “object” and a challenge for someone who appreciates plants. Our recommendation: also buy a guide on the maintenance of bonsai, these trees being particularly fragile and specific.
#20 Japanese Incense Box
Japanese Buddhist temples are all perfumed by the incense sticks that burn there permanently. Their smell is woody, smoky. It perfumes and gives a particular atmosphere to an interior. At Maison Aimi, we have a real crush on the incense sticks and the well-being box from the Thelma Paris brand. We like that they have been designed not to be heady and to have a very low smoke emission which makes them very soft.
#21 Sake
Offering a good bottle of sake is a great Japanese gift idea for someone who appreciates alcohol. The prices are not necessarily very high - there are good Japanese alcohols whose prices start at €20. To discover sake and offer some, we can only recommend that you do some research. Wewantsaké is a site that will allow you to understand sake, choose your bottles well and buy some .
#22 Yosegi Secret Box
Yosegi is a Japanese brand specializing in the manufacture of handcrafted wooden secret boxes for over 200 years in Hakone (Kanagawa Prefecture). A Japanese secret box is a mix between a puzzle and a box where you can store your secrets. It is both a magnificent decorative object, with its unique designs, and a place to keep your most memorable and discreet memories. It is a rather expensive Japanese gift, since a Yosegi secret box costs between €100 and €500.
#23 Kokeshi Doll
Kokeshi dolls are Japanese wooden dolls that look like bowling pins (cylindrical body and rounded head). They have been made for children since the Edo era by carpenters based in the north-east of Japan, in the wooded region of Tohoku (region in the north of the island of Honshu, which extends from Fukushima, 200km north of Tokyo, to Aomori). There are 11 different types of kokeshi dolls. In Japan, you will find them in Sendai and in France, you can find them at the second-hand dealer Koji Japon .
#24 Kit Kat Discovery Set
Ah, the famous Kit Kat with 100 improbable flavors! Matcha, sakura, Mont Blanc, apple pie, Japanese sake, wasabi… there is no shortage of flavors in the special editions of Kit Kat! For a Japanese gift that is inexpensive, original and sure to please a gourmet loved one, the Kit Kat set is the perfect idea! Several French import sites offer a set of Kit Kat with Japanese flavors , such as Tokyo snack box.
#25 Omamori Lucky Amulet
An omamori is a Japanese lucky charm dedicated to a Shinto god (kami) or a Buddhist deity. It takes the form of a small bag made of colorful embroidered silk and closed with a knotted cord, often marked with a word or a promise. Inside this bag, there is generally a prayer engraved on a small piece of wood or written on a piece of paper. Be careful though: for luck to work, you must keep the bag closed.
Omamori are sold in many temples and shrines in Japan. They are traditionally bought at the beginning of the year during the Japanese New Year to invite luck and success into the home and burned at the end of the year in the temple to ward off bad luck and honor the deities. This Omamori lucky amulet can also be offered as a gift to a person you care about – it is a nice Japanese gift at a low price (around €10). You will find a large number of Omamori to offer on the Univers du Japon website.
#26 Custom Shikishi
A Shikishi is a cardboard drawing board with gold edges. It is an ideal support for calligraphy and to highlight a work and frame it. In Japan, fans buy shikishis to have their favorite artists or stars signed. Having a personalized shikishi made, in the name and values of a loved one, can be a beautiful gift. It is a way to support Japanese art while offering a beautiful piece of decoration. You will find personalized shikishis at Onamaesama: you just have to send the name of the person to whom you wish to offer it and a design will be proposed to you.
#27 Sushi socks
Here is a Japanese gift that is as gadget as it is useful: sushi socks! These are several pairs of socks presented in a tray, like sushi. It is practical because they are socks and it is funny because the trompe l'oeil is total. Let's be honest, it is neither a typical Japanese gift, nor a traditional gift and even less a craft gift. But it is cute and not very expensive (about fifteen euros): we liked the idea and we share it with you.
#28 Book on origami (and paper to boot!)
Origami is the traditional Japanese practice of sculpting figures out of folded paper. Cranes come to mind (those thousands of cranes that are folded to wish someone well) but many folds and models are available. Offering a book on origami as well as traditional paper with delicate patterns is a Japanese gift suitable for people who are interested in Japanese culture and who like to make things with their hands.
#29 Book on Japanese philosophical concepts
Japanese life revolves around many philosophical concepts that some of us have already had the opportunity to discuss on our blog or on our Instagram account: Ikigai, wabi-sabi and so on. Several Western personal development trends have reinterpreted them in their own way or are inspired by them and, at Maison Aimi, we cannot help but be sensitive to them and take an interest in them. If your loved ones like personal development, Japanese culture and books related to them, offering a book on Japanese philosophical concepts is a great gift idea. It may lead you to ask yourself many questions! We are thinking in particular of:
- The secrets of Japanese savoir-vivre , by June Fujiwara. Living in France, in Paris, for more than 20 years, the author presents the four pillars of Japanese wisdom and gives you the keys to apply them in your daily life.
- The Japanese Art of Living , by Erin Niimi Longhurst. Ikigai, forest bathing, ikebana, calligraphy: the author presents all the Japanese cultural practices and shows you how to integrate them into your life to better appreciate the present moment.
#30 Japanese Fiction Book
Personal development, is it not really for you or for your loved ones? We all have different feelings about this discipline. Here to conclude this article is a list of several fiction books that address Japan, contemporary or historical.
- Pachinko , by Min Jin Lee. A family saga that traces the life of a Korean family in Korea under Japanese rule and then in Japan, between the late 1900s and the present day. It's tough, it's gripping, and it's a Japan that we rarely get to see.
- Memoirs of a Geisha , by Yuki Inoue. Inspired by a true story, this novel depicts the story of Kinu, a young child sold to become a Geisha in Kyoto at the age of 8. From her apprenticeship in the late 1900s to her role as the owner of a geisha house, we discover this life as traditional as it is difficult.
- 1Q84 , by Harumi Murakami. Harumi Murakami is certainly one of Japan's most famous authors. Her text 1Q84, inspired by George Orwell's 1984, is a three-volume science fiction book about the development of a cult in contemporary Japan in the early 2000s—published at a time when Japanese cults were gaining more and more followers.
- While the Coffee is Still Hot , by Tochikazu Kawaguchi. In this small café in the basement of a Tokyo building, you have the ability to go back in time, for a few minutes. A special ability that leads to beautiful stories with universal themes–grief, romantic and filial love, the desire for motherhood. A bestseller that should please!
Finally: our best addresses for your Japanese gifts
The previous 30 ideas have given you some ideas, but you're still not sure what you want to give your loved one? What if you went to a 100% Japanese store to find a Japanese gift idea?
- Japanese shop in Bordeaux: our favorite is Tanuki Bordeaux, a Japanese gift shop . And bonus: it's also one of our points of sale, you can taste our drinks!
- Pop-up in Paris: On December 7 and 8, 2024, the Cité fertile in Pantin will host Shizen, the 100% Japanese designer market . The opportunity to meet us as well as several of the brands presented in this article but also to buy your Japanese Christmas gifts!
Wrap your Japanese gifts in a Furoshiki
Last tip when giving a Japanese gift: wrap it the Japanese way in a furoshiki. The furoshiki is a piece of fabric cut into a square that you tie on itself to wrap your gift. The advantage? It's zero waste!
💡 Our tip: in Japan, the furoshiki is passed down from family to family to wrap gifts. It is therefore customary to offer it with the gift it contains. In France, as the custom is not yet established: if your loved ones are not sure about reusing your furoshiki, you can offer to collect it rather than it being thrown away / abandoned in a drawer.