お歳暮 (Oseibo) is the end of the year gift that you send to people you do business with, family, and those who you want to thank for the help and support they provided throughout the year.
We send 御中元(ochugen) during summer and Oseibo during winter.
Fun fact:
Oseibo means “toward the end of the year” and it also means December in the world of haiku. Traditionally, people went around for “Seibomawari” to their boss and people with who they did business throughout the year. They usually brought gifts during seibomawari and now, the gifts are sent around the end of the year are called oseibo.
These days, oseibo is not only sent to business relations but also to friends and family.
In eastern Japan, oseibo is sent towards the end of November through to December 20th, and in western Japan oseibo is sent between December 13th to 20th.
This week, my grandma and aunty sent us black pork shabu shabu set with soba set from Kagoshima.
We gifted them these beautiful wafers where they boxed it for me to send as oseibo for my aunty and grandma.
They had so much variety in the store and can’t wait for them to open up their oseibo from me.
Azabujyuban Hana Ichie
Address: 2 Chome-1-1 Azabujuban, Minato City, Tokyo 106-0045
https://www.hanaichie.com/
It’s not Christmas quite yet but we’re opening gifts already in Japan 🎁.
1 more week of work and it’ll be the Christmas break!
Hope you have a safe weekend.👋🏻
Native Expat 