Paper short abstract:

This paper examines gift giving by Japanese women who are living temporarily in the UK as a result of their husband's job. It will show the importance gift giving has had in terms of creating good impressions of the Japanese wives who give them and subsequently of Japan.

Paper long abstract:

Gift giving has been a role considered of great importance and typically assigned to women in Japan. Within the ie family system for example, it was wives who saw to the giving of gifts during the seasons of mid-year (ochūgen) and year end (oseibo). This was particularly important within merchant family households in return for business and favours received. With the rise of the "professional housewife" (sengyō shufu) after the Second World War, wives still took care of this role, giving gifts to those who had helped their husband in his salary man career within the company. During the recent long term economic downturn however, some companies have actually forbidden the sending of such gifts. This paper examines the changing nature of gift giving not by women in Japan, but by Japanese women who are living temporarily in the UK as a result of their husband's job. It will explore when and how gifts are given and who to. It will show the importance gift giving has in terms of creating a good impression of the Japanese who give them women and subsequently of Japan.This was especially significant following negative attitudes after the Second World War. As well as giving to British people such as neighbours and teachers , women pay significant attention to the gifts they take back for friends and relatives when they visit Japan (omiyage). Such gifts are usually items representative of the UK, such as tea, short bread and most recently jute shopping bags, which can be purchased cheaply in the UK but are currently prized and expensive in Japan. This marks a change from thirty to forty years ago when Japanese expatriates went home infrequently during their overseas assignment and chose gifts to take back to Japan with care for fear of being accused of "showing off". The paper will suggest that while gift giving has changed over the years , it continues to play an important role in improving impressions of both countries and ultimately , to Anglo-Japanese relations.