New Year gift-giving trends in Japan

With the New Year holidays approaching, Cross Marketing conducted a nationwide survey examining plans for returning home and choosing souvenirs. The survey targeted 1,100 men and women aged 20 to 69 across all 47 prefectures. I personally find these kinds of surveys really interesting, maybe because I feel like they give me more insight into the culture here. 

Results from the survey showed that 21.1% of respondents plan to go home for the holidays this year, while more than half said they don't need to return because they live near their parents or have other arrangements. That feeling might feel a bit foreign to us as expats with family and friends scattered hours away on planes!

When it comes to souvenirs to pack as gifts, the most important factors were durability and ease of storage, chosen by 27.8% of respondents, slightly ahead of price range at 24.4%. Other considerations included selecting something the recipient would enjoy or something new and interesting to try.

Most respondents (75.9%) plan to keep their gift budget the same as last year, with slightly more people intending to increase spending than decrease it. Common concerns about gift-giving included not knowing what to buy, the challenge of avoiding repeating the same item each year, balancing taste and cost, and the physical burden of carrying gifts during travel.

If you're using the New Year's period to travel (domestically or internationally) to visit family or friends, will you be bringing gifts?