日本からのおみやげ
Visiting every corner of the world people always buy gifts and souvenirs to their friends and relatives. Having old, special cultural and historical roots Japan suggests the tourist not only colorful impressions but also great opportunities of choosing souvenirs. They will remind you the time spending in the Land of Rising Sun. It is traditional to bring green tea from Japan, samurai belt, kimono, sushi utensils and special glasses for sake. However, the list of shopping is not complete with these souvenirs. Accordingly, what can be brought from Japan?
First of all, it needs to bring things symbolizing Japanese traditional culture: such as gently designed food sticks, fan or canopy «vagas» from Kyoto, the masks of Kabuki circus and sushi like trinkets. In each region you can also buy eating gifts, for example, «ningyo-yaki» famous sweets from Tokyo. These sweets are made of pastry and sweet bean paste. You can also buy Japanese traditional candies and sweets.
The tourists can also buy Japanese traditional hand-made souvenirs and gifts famous in Japan. For instance:
• Glass bell «Furin»-with its gentle and slight voice this bell can bring coolness even in the hottest day of the summer. Moreover, you can hear these sounds throughout Japan.
•«Sarubobo» dolls are from Takayama city of Gifu region. These dolls protect people from evil spirits; they bring harmony to families and help pregnant women. The faces of these dolls are not painted.
•«Kokeshi» dolls are also wonderful gifts that can be a nice memory from Japan. They say that these wooden dolls have unusual sight and bring luck. Face expression of «Kokesi» dolls remind you the region where they have been made. In early times they were baby toys, however, nowadays, they are considered to be home decoration as well as wonderful souvenirs for tourists.
•«Maneki-neko» is a cat statue with raising paw. These statues are called «cats» and they can be found almost in any Japanese shops. It is supposed, that they bring luck in work and attract the customers. «Maneki-neko» is a wonderful gift for any businessman as well as for a person in trade.
•«Daruma» is a paper made doll having white eyes. The owner of this gift needs to paint the eyes himself/herself. If he/she has an aim so the left eye is painted, when the aim is achieved the right eye is painted. This souvenir is for the working team having one total objective to be achieved.
Finally technological innovations can also be wonderful gifts that the tourists cannot find in their homeland: for example, «miso» soup- making device in house conditions or fast and accurate green tea-making device. By the way, currently, Japanese people begin using instant photo cameras. Accordingly, you can find beautiful and compact photo camera that instantly shows you the picture.
Before visiting Japan, you can have the list of souvenirs symbolizing this or that region of the country; you can look through «Japan Brand» web-site. This internet page provides you with typical Japanese products, things and art creations (japan-brand.jnto.go.jp).
If you are not certain, yet; what to bring from Japan so there is another useful web-site (nihon-ichiban.com/100-gifts-from-japan).
