I brought salt water taffy! Don’t remember how much, sorry.
0
I brought dum dum lollipops, probably 2 big bags (3 schools) They traveled well and my teachers found them interesting but honestly they didn’t expect me to bring anything.
Don’t bring something for everyone. Bring a few nice treats that you can give out as you start to bond with people.
Had a good conversation with a coworker but feel like you need an excuse to chat again, take the nice thing in.
Like maybe 20-25 dollars. Reese’s pieces and Lindor chocolate which I didn’t end up giving to anyone and kep them for myself.
I didn’t bring any, but instead, I bought some from a store in the hotel and they ate it all. I also got them Kyoto treats as well.
So like, 2 times. And it won’t be the last.
Taking this moment to once again advocate for the end of this really strange practice that makes no cultural sense. (Seriously WHO started this?)
Omiyage is only for leaving work/quitting or coming back from vacations.
Save money and luggage space.
I brought some cool postcards from my home state! They were maybe .50 each? I forgot how many I brought so can’t give you a number on total price.
0
I wrote each school a hand written letter both in English and Japanese (used a translator my Japanese is not great). That letter stayed in the center of the chalkboard for almost 6 months at each school. It meant more for me and each school then any bag of candy ever could, and was an incredible way to break the ice/ show my dedication/ commitment and friendliness.
I’d highly encourage you to do something similar and or bring actual physical pictures of your family/ friends/ home. It’s another meaningful 0 or low low cost thing that barely takes up any luggage space and will be both remembered and way more helpful breaking down any barriers then generic chocolate crap.
British tea, some pens, and handwritten cards for the teachers that I bonded well with. Under £10 I presume.
Around 100 bucks of homemade traditional sweets from Puerto Rico (it wasn’t a lot, just pricey cause it’s homemade plus i had it shipped to the States). What I was able to give out, I was told they enjoyed it.
I took maybe £20 worth of shortbread, tablet and other Scottish sweets.
I needed every ounce in my bag (or at the time I thought I did) and I still probably wouldn’t have brought anything. hell nothing would have survived how hot it was when I got here.
About $30 worth. I knew I was going to a big school (~75 staff), and since I like photography, I printed off a bunch of my favorite photos of my hometown and wrote a little “Nice to meet you” on the back (~$10). I then got two nice souvenirs for my VP and Principal (another ~$10). Finally, I bought some little knick-knacks at a souvenir shop for my English teachers (~$10).
As someone else said, omiyage is really only expected when leaving though, so if you wanted to skip there’s really no harm in that. Although I’ll counter by saying that at a minimum, a small gift for the VP/Principal can go a long way. Also, printing the photos was cheap and barely took up space, and most of the teachers really appreciated them.
Over $200, because I was told I should get some for all my teachers.
I deeply regret it. Never again.
Don’t worry about bringing any at all. No one will care. Seriously, I’ve already seen mine in my principal’s office in a long line of other souvenirs too, tucked away in a corner. Other teachers have left theirs in their desk for years. I heard of other teachers “accidentally” throwing away another ALT’s souvenir.
I only bring omiyage when I take a vacation now, and even then, I just spend $10-20 per school on treats. No one expects me to bring anything back, so I just like going the extra mile (or more accurately, I need to share snacks with others so I don’t feel like a total fatass eating them by myself lol).
Brought about £30 worth and turns out I didn’t need to. Kept it all for myself mostly apart from a couple small things I gave to my supervisors. It is advised to bring some but I do not feel like it is expected.
Not bringing any.
Go to your local $1 store and stock up on pens and paper and little things not worth anything and hand them out.
0. Your presence is the gift 😛
0. Wasn’t expected, wasn’t going to waste my luggage space on it either
0. CO told me not to bother (which was good because our luggage allowance was awful)
I didn’t bring anything and everybody is still my friend. Save the space in your luggage. Plus you can get most foreign stuff on amazon or iherb anyway. So get it as a treat for them later on
0. Didn’t bring anything
I spent maybe $10 on New Zealand chocolates, which was perfect (although, I arrived in basically winter so it wasn’t hot then). It’s been said here already but the omiyage that Japanese people buy to take back to their workplaces after holidays are almost always small food items (senbei or mochi or little cakes/biscuits, etc – of course, individually wrapped). You dump them in the omiyage spot and people eat them and sometimes they’re a point of conversation, but they’re not some big special thing.
So by all means bring some small food items from home to share – some people might really appreciate it and it might help you strike up a conversation with a new co-worker – but literally don’t stress about it.
I think we translate omiyage as ‘souvenir’ and think of small trinkets, but ~don’t~ take these.
~$200 Fair trade chocolate made in my hometown, kind of fancy artesanal alcohol made of our region’s famous fruits for the select few special people.
A big bag of dumdum lollipops for the whole staff room. Forget how much it was, but it was cheap I think. They were all gone by the end of the day.
I can’t remember how much I spent. Maybe around $20-30. I brought tea, maple candies and wooden keychains that represented my province and country. I know some people say you don’t need them but my coworkers loved mine and it started many conversations! I’m glad I brought some.
I recommend not bringing anything with one exception. Your supervisor or whomever is dragging you around helping you sign up for bank account apartment and all that bureucratic nonsense would probably appreciate a small token of appreciation for their time they are spending helping you , it is probably their job but since you’re going to be relying on them for help with this stuff, they’d probably appreciate something small simply as a “thank you”. Something edible is usually the best bet. Plus they’ll be more likely to help you out in the future. And you’ll need help.
Probably $15 worth. I brought dum dums and smarties (teacher related treats 😂). I was told I didn’t need to bring any and I think I would have been fine if I didn’t. I didn’t get anything special for my superiors except for my supervisor who had been above and beyond in communication and help. She also let me stay the night at her house while I waited for my apartment. She mentioned she missed a certain kind of candy so I brought it for her. I put the others out in the teachers room and they were gone in 2-3 day, but I did had some to a few people (principal, VP, and office staff(they sometimes go I noticed so I think they appreciated it)). I also kept some back just to hand to people in the community (landlord, super nice realtor, people who helped with my apartment, etc.) I think these people were most excited because they don’t get to interact with foreigners much. In all I think it was maybe 1-2lbs of my luggage weight but I was already paying for overweight luggage, so it wasn’t a burden. I almost regret not bringing more, I enjoy handing them out.
$20 And I used a fraction of it
So like half day not to bring anything as it probably doesn’t matter. That’s a load off my back…
Two things; Omiyage is not necessary from the JET ALT, most likely a waste of luggage space and money. When new alts would arrive the #1 issue was the timing of giving the omiyage. A lot ended up intimidated or weren’t sure who to actually give the omiyage in the end and most held onto it. You’re most likely coming mid school year so you don’t need it.
A lot of people said that omiyage is only for when you leave a job or go on vacation, but it also is for when new teachers or employees arrive to a school. This usually happens in April with the teacher changes. Maybe this is where JETs think omiyage is necessary. However it is the most nominal thing/snack they pass out so you should not overthink omiyage. Best omiyage is something edible, small, and easy to forget. You also don’t want to give something of huge value because it may put the receiver in an awkward position. For example, if you give them a great bottle of wine from your hometown or an artisanal leather wallet (you’d be surprised what I’ve heard gifted), these gifts are a little to personal or if considered expensive, may cause the receiver to feel obligated to reciprocate. To be honest, buying some omiyage at the local department shop once you arrive like a senbei or other snack will be sufficient and probably appreciated at the same level as whatever other snack you spend your money and luggage space to bring.
$0 didn’t bring anything
$20-30 and it somehow vanished from my luggage on the way so I wasn’t able to give it to anyone. From what I’ve gathered, it is way overhyped/overstressed and not worth wasting your packing space over.
Related my coworker tells me the few times when he first arrived and would go on vacation and bring something back no one in the office seemed to be thankful or care either way so he stopped doing it, so I have never bothered to either. No one seems to feel offended and for him never treated him any nicer for doing it.
Maybe this is a YMMV/ESID kinda situation since those terms get bandied about so often in relation to JET, but I’d personally advise others not to lose much sleep over it. After you figure out who you like in the office you can always bring something to just them instead of to the random people in your office who seemingly ignore you regardless of anything you do.
I didn’t bring anything with me. And I don’t think I needed to. But my first day my supervisor seemed to think I needed something and so he ended up buying a bunch of donuts them out and saying they were from me. So I say you could just buy something here. 😅
I didn’t bring anything because I honestly had NO clue how many people I was going to be buying for, who I should give them to, and also I just did not have the space for them in my luggage. Since I work at multiple schools each week, with numerous different teachers… Was impossible to plan, and would have been very expensive. I have brought in snacks / omiyage for some of the schools I work at (usually the smaller schools, lol) when I’ve travelled somewhere, but please, don’t worry about it when you first arrive. You’ve got enough on your plate as it is, and I found people were generally quite understanding of that when I first arrived as well. 🙂
36 comments
I brought salt water taffy! Don’t remember how much, sorry.
0
I brought dum dum lollipops, probably 2 big bags (3 schools) They traveled well and my teachers found them interesting but honestly they didn’t expect me to bring anything.
Don’t bring something for everyone. Bring a few nice treats that you can give out as you start to bond with people.
Had a good conversation with a coworker but feel like you need an excuse to chat again, take the nice thing in.
Like maybe 20-25 dollars. Reese’s pieces and Lindor chocolate which I didn’t end up giving to anyone and kep them for myself.
I didn’t bring any, but instead, I bought some from a store in the hotel and they ate it all. I also got them Kyoto treats as well.
So like, 2 times. And it won’t be the last.
Taking this moment to once again advocate for the end of this really strange practice that makes no cultural sense. (Seriously WHO started this?)
Omiyage is only for leaving work/quitting or coming back from vacations.
Save money and luggage space.
I brought some cool postcards from my home state! They were maybe .50 each? I forgot how many I brought so can’t give you a number on total price.
0
I wrote each school a hand written letter both in English and Japanese (used a translator my Japanese is not great). That letter stayed in the center of the chalkboard for almost 6 months at each school. It meant more for me and each school then any bag of candy ever could, and was an incredible way to break the ice/ show my dedication/ commitment and friendliness.
I’d highly encourage you to do something similar and or bring actual physical pictures of your family/ friends/ home. It’s another meaningful 0 or low low cost thing that barely takes up any luggage space and will be both remembered and way more helpful breaking down any barriers then generic chocolate crap.
British tea, some pens, and handwritten cards for the teachers that I bonded well with. Under £10 I presume.
Around 100 bucks of homemade traditional sweets from Puerto Rico (it wasn’t a lot, just pricey cause it’s homemade plus i had it shipped to the States). What I was able to give out, I was told they enjoyed it.
I took maybe £20 worth of shortbread, tablet and other Scottish sweets.
I needed every ounce in my bag (or at the time I thought I did) and I still probably wouldn’t have brought anything. hell nothing would have survived how hot it was when I got here.
About $30 worth. I knew I was going to a big school (~75 staff), and since I like photography, I printed off a bunch of my favorite photos of my hometown and wrote a little “Nice to meet you” on the back (~$10). I then got two nice souvenirs for my VP and Principal (another ~$10). Finally, I bought some little knick-knacks at a souvenir shop for my English teachers (~$10).
As someone else said, omiyage is really only expected when leaving though, so if you wanted to skip there’s really no harm in that. Although I’ll counter by saying that at a minimum, a small gift for the VP/Principal can go a long way. Also, printing the photos was cheap and barely took up space, and most of the teachers really appreciated them.
Over $200, because I was told I should get some for all my teachers.
I deeply regret it. Never again.
Don’t worry about bringing any at all. No one will care. Seriously, I’ve already seen mine in my principal’s office in a long line of other souvenirs too, tucked away in a corner. Other teachers have left theirs in their desk for years. I heard of other teachers “accidentally” throwing away another ALT’s souvenir.
I only bring omiyage when I take a vacation now, and even then, I just spend $10-20 per school on treats. No one expects me to bring anything back, so I just like going the extra mile (or more accurately, I need to share snacks with others so I don’t feel like a total fatass eating them by myself lol).
Brought about £30 worth and turns out I didn’t need to. Kept it all for myself mostly apart from a couple small things I gave to my supervisors. It is advised to bring some but I do not feel like it is expected.
Not bringing any.
Go to your local $1 store and stock up on pens and paper and little things not worth anything and hand them out.
0. Your presence is the gift 😛
0. Wasn’t expected, wasn’t going to waste my luggage space on it either
0. CO told me not to bother (which was good because our luggage allowance was awful)
I didn’t bring anything and everybody is still my friend. Save the space in your luggage. Plus you can get most foreign stuff on amazon or iherb anyway. So get it as a treat for them later on
0. Didn’t bring anything
I spent maybe $10 on New Zealand chocolates, which was perfect (although, I arrived in basically winter so it wasn’t hot then). It’s been said here already but the omiyage that Japanese people buy to take back to their workplaces after holidays are almost always small food items (senbei or mochi or little cakes/biscuits, etc – of course, individually wrapped). You dump them in the omiyage spot and people eat them and sometimes they’re a point of conversation, but they’re not some big special thing.
So by all means bring some small food items from home to share – some people might really appreciate it and it might help you strike up a conversation with a new co-worker – but literally don’t stress about it.
I think we translate omiyage as ‘souvenir’ and think of small trinkets, but ~don’t~ take these.
~$200
Fair trade chocolate made in my hometown, kind of fancy artesanal alcohol made of our region’s famous fruits for the select few special people.
A big bag of dumdum lollipops for the whole staff room. Forget how much it was, but it was cheap I think. They were all gone by the end of the day.
I can’t remember how much I spent. Maybe around $20-30. I brought tea, maple candies and wooden keychains that represented my province and country. I know some people say you don’t need them but my coworkers loved mine and it started many conversations! I’m glad I brought some.
I recommend not bringing anything with one exception. Your supervisor or whomever is dragging you around helping you sign up for bank account apartment and all that bureucratic nonsense would probably appreciate a small token of appreciation for their time they are spending helping you , it is probably their job but since you’re going to be relying on them for help with this stuff, they’d probably appreciate something small simply as a “thank you”. Something edible is usually the best bet. Plus they’ll be more likely to help you out in the future. And you’ll need help.
Probably $15 worth. I brought dum dums and smarties (teacher related treats 😂). I was told I didn’t need to bring any and I think I would have been fine if I didn’t. I didn’t get anything special for my superiors except for my supervisor who had been above and beyond in communication and help. She also let me stay the night at her house while I waited for my apartment. She mentioned she missed a certain kind of candy so I brought it for her. I put the others out in the teachers room and they were gone in 2-3 day, but I did had some to a few people (principal, VP, and office staff(they sometimes go I noticed so I think they appreciated it)). I also kept some back just to hand to people in the community (landlord, super nice realtor, people who helped with my apartment, etc.) I think these people were most excited because they don’t get to interact with foreigners much. In all I think it was maybe 1-2lbs of my luggage weight but I was already paying for overweight luggage, so it wasn’t a burden. I almost regret not bringing more, I enjoy handing them out.
$20
And I used a fraction of it
So like half day not to bring anything as it probably doesn’t matter. That’s a load off my back…
Two things;
Omiyage is not necessary from the JET ALT, most likely a waste of luggage space and money. When new alts would arrive the #1 issue was the timing of giving the omiyage. A lot ended up intimidated or weren’t sure who to actually give the omiyage in the end and most held onto it. You’re most likely coming mid school year so you don’t need it.
A lot of people said that omiyage is only for when you leave a job or go on vacation, but it also is for when new teachers or employees arrive to a school. This usually happens in April with the teacher changes. Maybe this is where JETs think omiyage is necessary. However it is the most nominal thing/snack they pass out so you should not overthink omiyage. Best omiyage is something edible, small, and easy to forget. You also don’t want to give something of huge value because it may put the receiver in an awkward position. For example, if you give them a great bottle of wine from your hometown or an artisanal leather wallet (you’d be surprised what I’ve heard gifted), these gifts are a little to personal or if considered expensive, may cause the receiver to feel obligated to reciprocate. To be honest, buying some omiyage at the local department shop once you arrive like a senbei or other snack will be sufficient and probably appreciated at the same level as whatever other snack you spend your money and luggage space to bring.
$0 didn’t bring anything
$20-30 and it somehow vanished from my luggage on the way so I wasn’t able to give it to anyone. From what I’ve gathered, it is way overhyped/overstressed and not worth wasting your packing space over.
Related my coworker tells me the few times when he first arrived and would go on vacation and bring something back no one in the office seemed to be thankful or care either way so he stopped doing it, so I have never bothered to either. No one seems to feel offended and for him never treated him any nicer for doing it.
Maybe this is a YMMV/ESID kinda situation since those terms get bandied about so often in relation to JET, but I’d personally advise others not to lose much sleep over it. After you figure out who you like in the office you can always bring something to just them instead of to the random people in your office who seemingly ignore you regardless of anything you do.
I didn’t bring anything with me. And I don’t think I needed to. But my first day my supervisor seemed to think I needed something and so he ended up buying a bunch of donuts them out and saying they were from me. So I say you could just buy something here. 😅
I didn’t bring anything because I honestly had NO clue how many people I was going to be buying for, who I should give them to, and also I just did not have the space for them in my luggage. Since I work at multiple schools each week, with numerous different teachers… Was impossible to plan, and would have been very expensive. I have brought in snacks / omiyage for some of the schools I work at (usually the smaller schools, lol) when I’ve travelled somewhere, but please, don’t worry about it when you first arrive. You’ve got enough on your plate as it is, and I found people were generally quite understanding of that when I first arrived as well. 🙂