Business Gifts and Seasonal Greetings in Japan

Gifts and seasonal greetings have long played a part in Japanese business relationships. A box of sweets on a first visit, a summer or year-end gift to a valued client, a New Year card: none of these are contracts, but they help build the trust that contracts depend on. For overseas companies working with Japan, knowing the customs, and knowing when they are changing, helps you make the right impression.

Customs are changing, so check first

Many Japanese companies have scaled back business gifts in recent years, and some have stopped sending or accepting them altogether, often for compliance reasons. Your own company may also have anti-bribery rules that limit gifts and hospitality. Before you send anything, check your company’s policy and, where you can, ask your Japanese contact or a colleague familiar with the client what is usual. A thoughtful message is always appropriate; a gift is not always.

Gifts when you visit: 手土産

When visiting a client or partner for a meeting, especially the first time or after a long gap, it is common to bring a small gift called 手土産 (temiyage). Good choices:

• Individually wrapped sweets or snacks, so they can be shared around the office.
• Something from your own country or city, which also gives you something to talk about.
• Moderately priced, well presented. Very expensive gifts can make the recipient uncomfortable.

Hand it over with both hands, usually at the start or end of the meeting, with a modest phrase such as 心ばかりですが、皆様でどうぞ。 (“It’s just a small token, for everyone to share.”) For more on meeting etiquette, see our guide to business etiquette when meeting Japanese clients.

Seasonal gifts: お中元 and お歳暮

Typical gifts are food and drink: quality coffee or tea, sweets, fruit, beer or other consumables. Department stores and online shops in Japan offer ready-made gift sets and will deliver them with proper wrapping and a printed paper band (のし, noshi). If you start sending these gifts, it is generally expected that you continue each year, so think before you begin.

New Year cards and greetings

New Year is the big season for greetings. Traditionally, companies send printed New Year postcards (年賀状, nengajō) to clients, timed to arrive around 1 January. Many firms now send emails instead or have stopped altogether, so follow what your Japanese partners do.

In the first days back at work in January, it is common to greet partners with:

• 新年あけましておめでとうございます。 (“Happy New Year.”)
• 旧年中は大変お世話になりました。 (“Thank you for all your support last year.”)
• 本年もどうぞよろしくお願い申し上げます。 (“We look forward to working with you this year.”)

At the end of December, the counterpart is 本年も大変お世話になりました。よいお年をお迎えください。 (“Thank you for your support this year. Wishing you a good New Year.”) It is also courteous to tell partners when your office closes for the holidays. Note that many Japanese businesses close for several days around New Year and around Obon in summer, so plan deadlines around those periods.

What to avoid

• Sets of four or nine, as these numbers can sound like the words for death and suffering.
• Gifts that look like bribes: cash, vouchers or anything lavish.
• Sharp items such as knives, which some people associate with cutting ties.
• Overly personal gifts for business contacts.
• Surprising a client whose company doesn’t accept gifts. Ask first if you’re not sure.

Receiving gifts

If you receive a gift, thank the giver warmly: お心遣いありがとうございます。 (“Thank you for your kind thought.”) For seasonal gifts, a short thank-you message or card soon after it arrives is expected. Check your own company’s rules before accepting anything valuable.

Seasonal greetings are a good chance to show you understand Japanese business culture. If you’d like help writing New Year messages or gift cards in natural Japanese, we offer translation (see our checklist before you order), and our guide to Japanese business emails covers the standard phrases.