Sunday, February 21, 2010

And the Number Shall (Not) Be Four...

Tonight is a crash course in gift giving!

1. You should never give a Japanese person four of something, as one of the pronunciations of "four" in Japanese is the same as "death" (shi 四 vs. shi 死).

2. Ladies, you're due some chocolate coming up on March 14th (White Day), as that's when men are supposed to give women chocolate. Valentine's Day in Japan is the other way around. Feel free to spread this idea around America. ;)

3. If you take a trip, even if it's just to the next city over, you should always bring back small omiyage お土産 for your co-workers and friends. Omiyage are small souvenir gifts that usually are a small box with samples of a famous food or tourist trinkets from that city or area. They're easy to find around major train stations, and nothing says you can't buy one for yourself too if it's something especially delicious. :)

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