On the importance of gifts in Japan
Posted by Matt Dioguardi on October 4th, 2007
A 31-year-old man expressed remorse Tuesday for storming an office and smashing 22 computers with a truncheon in a rampage triggered by an unopened gift.
The former part-timer at an online clothing sales company in Osaka’s Kita Ward admitted at the Osaka District Court that he became enraged when he found out that the president of the company did not bother to open his chugen midsummer gift.
… the man started working in the shipping section of the company in January after hopping from one job to another, including construction work. In late July, he gave a box of assorted jellies to the president. However, the employer left the box under his desk. On July 29, the man stormed the office where about a dozen people were working and destroyed the computers, the prosecutors said.
No one was injured.
…
“I had no time to open the gift,” the president was quoted as saying.
And so .. uh … um … well … skip comments, go to links:
- Japan-Guide: Giving Gifts in Japan
- Everything2: Gift giving in Japan
- Kwintessential: Gift Giving in Japan
If you’re living in Japan, take no chances. Study this issue.