Wrapping Culture.....
If you come to Japan, you know exactly what I'm talking about.
When you think of Japan, outside of Anime, Godzilla, and School Girls many people think of cleanliness and recycling. And this makes sense seeing that there are about 12 different ways to separate your garbage and no trash cans on the streets and people will scold you if you throw trash on the ground.
My actual sorting poster.. it's huge, there is also a back side....
I mean just the other day I was walking by Lawsons when an elementary schooler walked out with his friend and thought no one was looking when he threw his からあげ (Japanese fried chicken) wrapper to the ground... That is until he turned and saw me staring at him. He ran back and picked it up then apologized to me!
But we are not here to talk about chicken!
Instead, we are going to talk about this insanity of wrapping culture. A complaint that foreigners have when they come to Japan is the amount of bags and boxes and paper used on their products that they buy. And it is a lot trust me!
But I've gotten over that, like my second day in Japan I was over it.
But its the gift wrapping culture that kills me.
When giving or sending gifts in Japan, it is customary to show special care not only when picking out and buying the gift, but to the way a gift is wrapped and the wrapping itself means SO MUCH AND IS SUPER IMPORTANT!!!! a lot...
Most stores, malls, shops, etc. offer gift wrapping where the people are special trained to do so. There are even professional gift wrappers that charge like 10,000円 to wrap something!
Bu of course, no, I didn't do that... I had to do it myself. Which involved an hour long trip in Diaso trying to pick out wrapping!
I mean the wrapping is considered as part of the gift itself and thus reflects both the gift being given and the emotions behind the gift.
So yes your subpar wrapping skills are not welcome here!
The end result of my wrapping, I'm not happy with it!