A Guide to Buying the Best Gifts for Your Japanese Boyfriend and 10 Gifts You Can Buy Online (2018)

Japan is a country with a vibrant civilization. Everything from their cuisine to sports to religious practices is steeped in culture and history. If your boyfriend is from the ‘land of the rising sun’, then the first thing that you need to do is get yourself informed about the culture of the place.

The Japanese are proud of their culture and customs which are now widely celebrated all over the world. Your boyfriend may be a part of the modern youth but don’t assume that he is not sensitive about his culture and traditions. Get to know about the religious practices, the society and everything else that you can find out about Japan. Don’t depend the internet alone, visit libraries, read books on Japanese history and culture.

One book that we would recommend is The Cambridge Companion to Modern Japanese Culture. This book will tell you all you need to know about the country, the lifestyle and practices. The Kindle version is priced at Rs.1,094.

Traditions in Japan are related with ceremonies, rituals, holidays, celebrations, business and life in general. Some add that element of uniqueness to everyday life while others are associated with customs, courtesy, religion or old superstitions. Japan has some distinctive practices and celebrations which you will seldom find anywhere else.

Japanese festivals include Yamayaki Mountain Burning which literally means mountain roast is a visually stunning display of fireworks and vegetation being burned on the mountains before the onset of spring. It takes place every year on the 4th Saturday of January, if the weather permits.

Mochi making is another unique custom which is practiced in Japan. Mochi are traditional rice cakes made by pounding a variety of rice known as mochigome with a large wooden mallet. It’s produced in large quantities in factories but making them at home the traditional way for special occasions like New Year’s is a popular custom.

Before you set out to buy a gift for your Japanese boyfriend, do your research. Study up on Japanese art and handicrafts. Look online for things which may resonate with him. Japanese people are very particular about etiquette as well, so you need to keep that in mind while giving him the gift. Wrapping your gift well is almost as important as giving it. No need to go for embellishments and frills. Choose a good quality wrapping paper, preferably green, white or purple as these colours signify luck, holiness and decadence respectively. Wrap your package neatly.

One thing that you must absolutely avoid while dealing with your Japanese boyfriend is giving in to clichés and cultural appropriations. Avoid gifts which may hurt his sentiments like sumo dolls or gifts adorned with Hello kitty motives. Popular culture may heavily represent these stereotypes as part of the Japanese society, but the reality is quite different. Your boyfriend is an adult with distinctive taste, so instead of going by trends and popular culture reflect on his personality in order to choose the perfect gift for him.

Picking out a gift for your Japanese boyfriend is simple enough if you follow a few easy suggestions.

First and foremost you need to be innovative. Find gifts which are artistic and creative. DIY gifts are an option as well, if you have the time and the patience. Look for the newest stuff online. Gadgets are a great option and Japan is the pioneer in making new and interesting ones. Look for things which will make his daily life easier or more exciting.

Observe his lifestyle, his habits and base your gift choices on them. You know what his favourite food is or what he likes doing in his free time, pick your gifts based on those aspects. His hobbies, interests, choices in literature are things which speak volumes about him. These will tell you all you need to know to pick the perfect gift for him.

Here are some of the best gifts that you can find for a Japanese guy.

If he’s a true blue Japanese then he probably uses chopsticks for all his meals. Get him a chopstick rest; it’s a useful thing to have by your side during meals. A chopstick rest provides a place for him to rest his sticks or spoons between courses or when he gets too embroiled in dinner table conversations. Get him the Bestonzon Wooden Japanese Chopsticks Rest. This square pillow shape dual-purpose chopsticks holder is useful and a stylish dinner table accessory as well. This elegant table accessory is hand polished and can be used for resting chopsticks, spoons and forks. Buy this beautiful gift for him for ₹274.60 from amazon.com.

Japanese artistry is world famous. Japan has a number of indigenous art styles and crafts. One of the most popular artistic techniques used in the country is lacquer work. Buy your boyfriend some beautiful lacquer ware artifacts. The Nizona Japanese Lacquerware two-toned soup bowls are perfect gifts for any occasion. This pack of two red and black bowls is made in Japan. The material used is ABS urethane. These bowls are beautiful enough to serve as showpieces and table décor. But you can use to it to serve food on special occasions as well. Its dishwasher safe, weighs just 62 gm and is perfect for serving curries, rice, noodles and soup. Buy this set for ₹699 on amazon.in.

If your boyfriend is an artist and likes scribbling and doodling on his smart phone then encourage him with the perfect gift. The Elecom Quill Stylus Pen is a beautiful stylus shaped like a traditional feather quill. It works with most smart phones and tablet models. It glides across the screen in the smoothest manner and ensures the most comfortable operation. The 6mm conductive fiber pen tip is perfect for writing or sketching. It comes with its own stand as well. The body as well the stand is made of ABS. You can buy it for $48 which is around ₹3,527 from amazon.com.

Sushi is fast gaining popularity all over the world and the best thing about this food is that it’s low in calories and high on nutrition. On your next date night why not try your hand at making sushi at home? Gift your boyfriend this Generic White Sushi Maker Kit. It comes with a bamboo rice roll mat and a rice paddle set which can be used to make delicious Sushi right at the comfort of your home. This one is priced at ₹492 on amazon.in.

Japan’s crowded streets are well known for their traffic congestions. If your boyfriend has to spend lengthy periods in the car as part of his daily commute then make his daily travel a bit more comfortable by gifting him the Ocamo USB Cooler Seat Cushion.

This seat cover cum cushion is made of bamboo with a leather border. It has attached hi- speed fans, comes with an USB interface and is perfect for keeping one cool when stuck inside the car for a long time. It has an anti-slip rubber base and is easily cleanable. The material used is super breathable and eco-friendly. The mat measures around 40 x 40 x 4cm and weighs just around 650 gm making it light and portable.

This unique device is perfect for the hot summer months when keeping oneself cool and comfortable becomes the number one priority. Buy it for ₹6,020 from amazon.in.

Karaoke is one of the most popular entertainments in modern Japanese culture. Most clubs in Japan have daily karaoke nights and it sure is a lot of fun! If you and your boyfriend want to turn your next house party into a fun affair then we would suggest that you gift him a karaoke machine.

The Zoook Rocker Thunder is a 20 watts Bluetooth speaker with karaoke mic. With this fun machine, you can say goodbye to boring weekends. It comes with FM, USB, TF and flashing lights to give you the best party ambience. It has built in lithium ion batteries which are rechargeable. The Rocker Thunder features an on-board USB reader, a TF card slot and can play MP3 music files. You can also plug-in any other device such as a smart phone via auxiliary cable. Buy it for ₹2,274 from amazon.in.

If your boyfriend practices photography as a hobby then there is no better gift for him than a camera. But carrying around a DSLR everywhere is not really a good idea as they are bulky and need sensitive handling. But with a mobile camera telephoto lens you can get similar results to a DSLR.

Get you photography loving boyfriend the Movo Movo Universal Clip on Telephoto Lens. This clip on lens turns your mobile phone into a powerful telephoto camera with optical 12X zoom. This lens will let him take crisp high resolution pictures of objects which are far away. Your social media pages will start looking a lot better if you invest in this gift which costs around ₹1,105. Buy it from Flipkart.

A watch is one of those classic gifts that you can always fall back on. The benefit of sports watches is that they stay put even while performing rigorous activities, are shock and mud resistant and are fitted with a timer. The Sonata Ocean Series III Analog Digital Multi Color Dial Unisex Watch NK77030PP03 is the perfect gift for your Japanese boyfriend.

It’s a multi-colour sports watch with a round case Shape, blue rubber wrist band, and quartz movement. The special feature of this watch is that it has both analog and digital display and dual time zone. The dual time feature is especially useful if you two stay in different countries. It has a 1 year domestic warranty and is water resistant up to 5 meters. This watch is sporty, stylish and unbelievably pocket friendly at the same time with a price tag of just ₹2,055 on Amazon.

Whether your boyfriend is a student or a working professional a multi-functional backpack is something which is always a welcome gift. This travel laptop from the brand Matien is much more than just a bag. It has multiple interesting features which makes it the perfect travel accessory for people on the go. This bag can hold a 15.6 inch laptop and has a spacious compartment for other daily necessities.

The front compartment has many pockets, pen pockets and a key fob hook as well. It even has an anti-theft pocket at the back for keeping valuables. It has a built in USB charger outside and built in charging cable inside, therefore providing a more convenient way to charge your phone while walking. It’s comfortable to carry and made of a durable material. Buy this super functional travel backpack from amazon.com for $29.99 which is around ₹2,203.52.

Rice is the staple food in many Asian countries. It’s consumed by the Japanese for multiple meals throughout the day. Japanese cuisine has a lot of dishes where rice play a prominent part like sushi, fried rice etc. Rice is also served with Japanese broths and curries like donburi and katsu curry. Buy a mini rice cooker for your boyfriend like the Thanko for Single Use Handy Rice Cooker. It measures around 225 × 135 × 155 mm with two small rice cooking containers big enough to cook a rice for a single person. It can be used to cook rice and heat curries. The bowls are perfect for serving a person as well. Buy it for $46.83 which is around ₹3,441 from Amazon.

The Japanese have a sweet tradition of putting up love locks in the name of their special one. Enoshima Island is a romantic spot where couples paste or write down romantic messages on padlocks and lock them facing the sea. It’s a tradition which started from an ancient myth about a romantic a goddess and a dragon and their love story.