omiyage お土産

Souvenirs – or more accurately the art of buying overpriced regional snacks to prove to your coworkers you actually went somewhere. A social obligation disguised as generosity.

Essential qualities:

• Local specialty
• Beautiful packaging
• Individual wrapping
• Usually edible

Popular choices:

• 東京ばな奈 Tōkyō Banana from Tokyo
• 八つ橋 Yatsuhashi from Kyoto (cinnamon mochi)
• 生八つ橋 Nama-yatsuhashi from Kyoto (the soft, fresh version)
• 551蓬莱 Gohyaku-goju-ichi Hōrai pork buns from Osaka
• グリコ Glico (anything) from Osaka (especially Pocky)
• キットカット Kit Kat flavors from anywhere

Quantity calculation:

Number of coworkers × (Guilt level + Days away) = How many boxes to buy