Tomorrow (2014 May 11th) is 母の日 (Mothers Day ).
Did you buy your mother a gift?
At least say 「お母さん、ありがとう！」 (“Thank you, Mother!“)
What are the most popular gifts that people buy for their mothers on this day in Japan and in America?
As I’m sure you can imagine, the types of gifts that Japanese people buy for Mothers Day are quite different from what is commonly bought in America!
Here is a list of this year’s top ten Mothers Day gifts in America and then a list of this year’s top ten Mothers Day gifts in Japan:
Top Ten Mothers Day gifts in America |
| #10 – Flowers |
| #9 – Candles |
| #8 – Gift card (gift certificate) |
#7 – Gift basket |
| #6 – Home spa treatment |
| #5 – Home decor items |
#4 – Chocolate or other sweets |
| #3 – House plants |
| #2 – Perfume |
| #1 – Spa treatment |
Top Ten Mothers Day gifts in Japan |
| #10 – 「バスグッズ」 (Bath items) |
| #9 – 「花」 (Flowers) |
| #8 – 「ネックレス」 (Necklace) |
#7 – 「傘」 (Umbrella) |
#6 – 「名入れグッズ」 (Personalized items)
 (This wine bottle says “Mother, thanks for everything” and her name.) |
| #5 – 「家電」 (Home appliance) |
| #4 – 「財布」 (Wallet) |
| #3 – 「バッグ」 (Handbag / purse) |
| #2 – 「キッチングッズ」 (Kitchenware) |
#1 - 「マッサージ器」 (Massaging item (massage chair, etc)) |
What are popular Mothers Day gifts in your country?
Tokyo Five 
My mom gets a card and a call. She is impossible to please.
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I guess your mother will be happy to receive those from you!
Greeting cards! I had forgotten about those…they’re not on the list, but they’re very “American”! Americans send greeting cards for many occasions!
Did you buy her a Japanese Mother’s Day card?
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Nah, I did that last year.
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How long have you been in Japan now?
Have you gone back to visit America since you’ve been here?
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Interesting list. I gave rose to my mother and my children gave letters to my wife. Happy Mother’s Day.
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I bet your wife was very happy to receive those letters!
My wife and I still have all of the letters that ours wrote us when they were little!
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Coffee! That’s what I’m getting my mom this year. Gourmet coffees for her Keurig machine.
I’m curious…umbrella seems an odd gift. Are they popular?
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Gourmet coffee! It’s a good gift. My wife and I actually gave that to my mother-in-law one year for Mothers Day.
I guess an umbrella seems like an odd present outside of Japan. But a nice rain umbrella is appreciated by anyone in Japan. And many Japanese women like a 日傘 (parasol (sun umbrella)) for the summer.
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Ahh I understand! Here you don’t see parasols, it’s not in fashion I suppose. But things always go in and out of what is popular here, very quickly!
How did your mother in law enjoy the gift? We’re actually going out to pick the coffees in a couple hours!
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>Here you don’t see parasols
Do people walk a lot in Canada? Or drive?
Especially in large cities like Tokyo, people walk a lot…even in the extremely hot summer months. Parasols are useful to keep cool (for women).
>How did your mother in law enjoy the gift?
She appreciated a lot. It was very good coffee (my wife chose it…I’m not good at gift buying).
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