Are there any cultures in which it is custom for foreigners to give gifts?

In Japan you didn’t give your realtor who helped you find an apartment a tip. That is considered an insult. At least it is what we were told. However you could give gifts like a nice bottle of scotch as a show of appreciation. Even if they didn’t drink, they could offer it to their boss as a token of appreciation and that would make them look awesome.

@Pandora Do we give realtors tips in America? I’ve never dealt with one before.

There are plenty of cultures where gift-giving is expected, but it isn’t limited to expecting it from a foreigners; it is just their custom. If you have ever heard the phrase, “When in Rome, do what the Romans do”, it is applicable in this case. Here is one web site that lists gift-giving habits ranked by high, medium and low importance and by country.

About 15 years ago, the US-based company I worked for started to expand into Latin America. The co-worker tasked for building relationships started buying gifts to give out during meetings with potential clients, as per their custom. When the receipts were submitted with his expense reports, he was terminated and might have even ended up in jail. ‘Tis a shame, as he is a good man, and I always felt he had the best interests for the company. He just understood that the gifts were part of building a rapport and not a bribe.

Ironically, today, the company is aggressively pursuing global business, and the people making the connections take many gifts with them according to the customs of the country.

@Pied_Pfeffer I know everyone’s different with their gifts, I’m just curious if anywhere actually has a “the foreigners give gifts but no one else does”.

@papayalily Ah, my apology and thank you for the clarification. I have no clue, so I’ll bow out now.

@papayalily Its already figured into your payment. We leave nothing to chance here.

@Pandora You are right. In Japan, it is customary for people, even mere acquaintances, to give gifts to show their appreciation. If you are a visitor to somebody’s home, for example, you are expected to bring a small gift, even if you don’t know the person very well. It is considered good manners to do so.

@MRSHINYSHOES That whole gift thing was very tricky in Japan. I made a cheese cake for a neighbor who helped me get kerosene and next, thing I know I have a ton of apples, then I had to use them and made a bunch of apple pies and shared with them, then, I get a bunch of sesame oil.
Then I called it quits and didn’t give them anything till I was leaving. I took the family out to dinner , but wouldn’t you know it, they had gifts. At least it wasn’t food.
Awesome people but I could’ve opened my own bakery.

I think gift giving customs and norms are somewhat codified, in terms of what is expected of foreigners is in international business relationships, in business dealings. But in terms of what the norms and customs regarding of “individual foreigners” in any given culture would probably be what was expected of “guests” in general in that culture.

I know many cultures where gift giving is normal and expected but not for “foreigners”. You don’t expect someone outside your culture to know your cultural norms. It would be nice and sometimes people insist but rarely in my experience does that happen, only in teaching moments.

@Pandora Lol——Yes, the Japanese over-do it sometimes when it comes to “standing on ceremony”. One feels so obligated it becomes rather crazy. I once visited the home of a distant relative in Japan, and while there I remarked how much I admired and liked a pomegranate bonsai in his garden. The next day, he met me for lunch and in his hands was that same small potted pomegranate bonsai, for me! I knew I would have trouble taking it back to North America, but I had to accept it. The customs people at the airport allowed me to have it, but they had to “fumigate” it first with a pesticide, even though the plant was perfectly healthy. I got it back after one week, but it didn’t survive the fumigation and the lack of care it received at the hands of the customs people. It only lived for about a week after I got it back, and the leaves were scorched by the pesticide they used on it. :(

So when you visit a Japanese home, or even go shopping with a Japanese person, be careful of what you say. The slightest interest in something might get them to buy or give it to you. Lol.

@MRSHINYSHOES Lol. At least you got a great story out of it. And there’s no way someone could not love a pomegranate bonsai. Although, I do wonder what those who are poor do – do they end up spending a significant amount of their income on gifts and not being able to pay their water bills or whatever?
Down at the bottom of this article, she mentions Keqi in China. I thought she did a really good job of explaining how things get out of hand.

In Japan, the gift you give someone to thank them for giving you a gift should be half the value of the original gift, but I haven’t experienced anyone adhering to this rule. Actually, in most cultures where gift-giving is big, I would assume foreigners would have a hard time keeping up, even on special foreigners-give-gifts holidays (though of course they don’t exist).

I know a family who happened to be in the same place at the same time as the Queen of Jordan, and they happened to be carrying some $2 koala toys with them, so they asked if they could present them to her. The next day they received cameras and iphones XD

@iphigeneia the Middle Eastern people I know are very generous. If you show interest they might just give you the item or buy it for you. A Lebonese woman I know is still annoyed her father gave away one of her favorite shawls, because a friend showed interest in it, and she was unable to replace it for herself. Having said that a friend of mine from NC is the same way, and my exboyfriend’s family from Ecuador was similar. I do it to some extent. A few months ago a girlfriend came over with her daughter, and I gave her daughter stuff to take home with her, I have a stash of stuff from when I worked in retail, and items from cosmetic gifts that I would not use. I also have a regift area in my house, gifts I was given, but don’t want or will never use; I give that stuff to people at whim, if they see something they like.

@papayalily LOL, loved the article.