I’m going down to Fukuoka this weekend rather suddenly as I apparently need to meet my partners parents before we move in together (not with the parents, me and my partner alone in Tokyo). They’re pretty traditional i’m warned.
So it’s a bit late, but I’m hoping to take them a gift that would be appreciated, or at least give me the pass. My Japanese isn’t so hot, my health isn’t the best, and I’m currently unemployed (intentionally, I’ll work from next year but they’re always questioning about it even though I have money…). So I look pretty shit so far.
**What I know of them is:**
\- Neither of them are able to drink alcohol
\- They’re not well off financially
\- Father likes collecting miniature cars and golf
\- Mother likes gardening (or at least does it as a side-job/hobby)
\- Father and mother both absolutely love their 3 young Shiba Inus
\- Mother and father are not good with technology
I know nothing of gardening, golf, and the miniature car collection world and am scared of buying a kids toy or something simple and offensive for their hobby. Price is not really an issue.
If anyone has any ideas, or also has hobbies in cars, golf, gardening and dogs, I’d really appreciate any suggestions.
9 comments
Melon and other high quality fruits are
always a good and traditional choice.
Well, my go to advice of Whisky isn’t relevant is it – in that case…
Go to a large high end department store.
In the basement of said department store there will be dozens of small individual counters with various sweets/confectionaries.
Find 2 boxes of reasonably priced sweets/confectionaries.
Purchase said boxes.
Have the store staff wrap the boxes as gifts.
Present boxes of sweets to “partner’s” parents.
Be aware that the fact your being introduced to parents means that matrimony will likely be a subject of conversation.
I suggest asking your partner, as s/he presumably knows them better than anybody else. Perhaps you could stop in a dept. store when you arrive in Fukuoka and pick up some fancy cakes or cookies, and some high-grade fruits. Packaging and presentation are more important than anything else here.
Buying gifts connected to their hobbies is a worthy idea, but as you yourself stated, could go badly wrong. Instead just do some reading up about them, so you can at least keep up when they start talking about them. At least you won’t run out of ideas for conversation.
Don’t forget to tell them how adorable their fur babies are!
Something homemade or something from your country always goes down well!
When you find out what they like, then you can bring their favourite things every time.
Omiyage or Fruit, and some flowers
Tokyo omiyage (a nice one), or from your home country.
Your list seems to be targeting things they might want/need, but it’s definitely a “it’s the thought that counts” thing in this respect.
I don’t think you need to ask us when you can get the information straight from the source. Ask your partner what you should buy.
Glad you know that neither of them can drink! I didn’t know (and my partner apparently didn’t know either as he helped me pick a bottle out) and had a really awkward moment when they were like “uhh well we can’t really drink but still thank you” lol.
Maybe something from sembikiya? For me fruits is always better than confectionery because they are at least healthier.