Joseph Mallozzi's Weblog

September 22, 2013: Wedding Gifts for the Japanese Bride!

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As many of you know, I’ll be heading to Tokyo this November to attend my very first Japanese wedding.  Akemi’s sister is getting married and, to mark the special occasion, I want to make sure I get her the PERFECT wedding gift.

Apparently, cash is traditionally considered the PERFECT wedding gift, but I’d like my particular wedding present to stand out so I was thinking of going a little…of book.

Here are some of my ideas for a really unique wedding gift.  Let me know what you think…

via www.dailymail.co.uk
via http://www.dailymail.co.uk

A DOG

1ALL THREE STARGATE SERIES ON DVD – THE COMPLETE COLLECTION

x
http://www.world-visits.blogspot.ca

AN ALASKAN CRUISE

1DANE COOK CONCERT TICKETS

www.russianviolinschool.ca
http://www.russianviolinschool.ca

VIOLIN LESSONS

www.dorkly.com
http://www.dorkly.com

HIS AND HERS TATTOOS

x
http://www.getintravel.com

GIFT CERTIFICATE FOR A COUPLE’S SPA CUPPING TREATMENT

What do you think?

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45 responses

  1. digitalhegemon Avatar
    digitalhegemon

    Definitely the dog.

    Reply
  2. sylvia Avatar
    sylvia

    weeeelllll, the dog does add to the specialness of the occasion/event.
    But, perhaps a cruise to Hawaii WITH the Star Gate collection as a bonus.

    coooool

    Reply
  3. DP Avatar
    DP

    For the things on your list that are available in Japan, there are certificates you can get that are redeemable for them.

    Reply
  4. Marsha_R Avatar
    Marsha_R

    I think the Stargate DVDs would be best, but you need to add these for the perfect viewing experience:

    http://www.pajamacity.com/JH1235-SP-Retro-Space-Hooded-Fleece-Adult-Footed-Pajamas-with-Drop-Seat.aspx#.Uj-oy1O3X3s

    Reply
  5. Alexis Avatar
    Alexis

    His and her tattoos to leave a lasting memory.

    Reply
  6. Jason Mercer Avatar
    Jason Mercer

    Yep the dog is a good choice 😉

    Reply
  7. baterista9 Avatar
    baterista9

    The cruise. That will give them a chance to also visit with you, barring unforseen circumstances.

    Reply
  8. Randomness Avatar
    Randomness

    What about something Canadian that you wouldn’t normally get in Japan? The Culture route is a risky route though lol

    Just an idea..

    Reply
  9. sparced Avatar
    sparced

    mutant dog is the way to go

    Reply
  10. Ponytail Avatar
    Ponytail

    The Stargate series plus the tatoos. Who is Dane Cook?

    Reply
  11. Ben Green Avatar
    Ben Green

    Stargate

    Reply
  12. dasndanger Avatar
    dasndanger

    I thought cupping meant something completely different… 😕

    @ JeffW – I’ve loved old cars and muscle cars since like…forever. As a kid when all the girls were playing with Barbies, I was in the dirt with the kid next door, playing with Matchbox and Hot Wheels. I much rather play ‘cars’ with the boys, then play ‘dolls’ with the girls. I can remember begging my mom or grandmom to buy me a new car every time we went to the store, and even today I will pick up a car every now and then (the last was a Duesenberg). I still have some of my old cars, but they’re pretty beat up since I really played with them. One of my favorites was a Matchbox horse trailer, complete with horses! And I also had a Matchbox pickup that came with four (I think) hunting dogs, but they were all lost…in the dirt. (I just checked the net – the pick-up was called the Matchbox Lesney Kennel Truck – still have the truck, just lost the dogs.)

    I think between the toy cars and being taken to car museums as a kid, I just really got into cars. A couple museums I was taken to as a kid include this one at Luray Caverns: http://www.luraycaverns.com/Attractions/CarandCarriageCaravanMuseum/tabid/535/Default.aspx

    And the car museum at Pioneer Village in Nebraska: http://www.pioneervillage.org/

    Haven’t really pursued my interest in cars for a while. Just too busy to run around to shows and such, but my husband really loved this, so now with him on board it looks like we may try to hit more of the local car shows. Now…to brush up on the lingo. That’s the only problem with anything like this – be it car shows or dog shows or art shows – you can run into a few ‘snobs’ who think you’re a moron if you don’t talk their language.

    @ Joe – Why don’t you buy them a share in a gold mine? Not kidding. My sister did that for my parents on their 50th anniversary. It comes complete with a certificate and everything. Of course, my sister sort of did it as a novelty/gag gift, but still! It can make you look like a big spender when you’re really being a cheapskate!

    😀

    das

    Reply
  13. archersangel Avatar
    archersangel

    give cash, but fold the money into rose shapes, put them on plastic stems & make a bouquet . there’s a bunch of stuff on google about how to do it.

    or just get a nice card from halmark to put it in.

    Reply
  14. bluewatercop Avatar
    bluewatercop

    The spa treatment, definitely. Zero risk.

    Reply
  15. Dave Clark Avatar
    Dave Clark

    How about you send Dane Cook over to play the reception and you leave him there?

    Reply
  16. Dave Clark Avatar
    Dave Clark

    Granted, not so good for Japan, but a big win for North America!

    Reply
  17. paloosa Avatar
    paloosa

    I vote for the dog. A gift of love that loves back. Although the tattoos come in a close second.

    Sorry to hear about your back. It sounds age related, or not 🙂 But stretching and building muscle strength in your back and legs will really help as you get older. I wish I had. My discs are disintegrating and I’m in physical therapy now to try and avoid back surgery, although I don’t have a lot of back pain. My problem is in my legs where I have burning, pins and needles, and some numbness. Dang discs are crunching into my spine.

    Any particular reason that someone wanted the Atlantis blueprints? Great episode too! I still miss that show. I haven’t really found another to get as excited about, except for Game of Thrones, which knocks off characters at warp speed, and the reason I’m afraid to actually like anyone in it.

    I still can’t believe that you’re waiting for a go ahead on your projects. What the heck is wrong with those people? Any news? Will you be coming back down to LA anytime soon?

    Well, I celebrated my birthday today with calls from friends or to friends inbetween washing my truck, cleaning the bathroom and bedroom, three loads of laundry, paperwork from work, a phone call from my upstairs neighbors at a rest stop in New Mexico coming back from Wisconsin, brownies from my other neighbor, and football all day long. Pretty good day 🙂

    And thanks for remembering Kelly. I still miss her wit.

    Wednesday I get to visit Cal Tech, kind of, after work. I have a collection of California Geology magazines that I subscribed to from the 1970‘s to 2001. They’re not valuable enough to sell, but I couldn’t just toss them. So I contacted Cal State Northridge where I took some geology classes decades ago, nope. My local community college and libraries, nope, nope and nope. One library said they’d sell them for fundraising, but not what I wanted. I left a message at JPL, but didn’t hear back. Of all the institutions, I never thought Cal Tech would want them. They actually have a complete set dating back to 1949, but the wonderful librarian said he’d set them out for the professors and students to take. So cool they’re going to folks that can really use them!

    Reply
  18. Montrealer Avatar
    Montrealer

    I think bunch of big denomination Yen notes should do. But you could give them the deed to a mountain cabin near Vancouver as a vacation getaway.

    Reply
  19. Skua Avatar
    Skua

    None of the above 😉

    Money is safe bet. if you want a personal gift ,a souvenir of canada one for the groom and one for the bride 😳
    Give it to them before the wedding.

    Petrhaps a RCMP Bear 🙄

    http://www.thegreatcanadiangiftcompany.com/RCMP-Stuffed-Animal-Beaver_p_3256.html

    or Moose

    http://www.thegreatcanadiangiftcompany.com/RCMP-Stuffed-Animal-Moose–3-Sizes_p_541.html

    Reply
  20. gforce Avatar
    gforce

    Heck, I always say if you’re going to go, go big! How about one of these:

    http://starregistry.com/

    Also, as Dave Clark said, only give them Dane Cook if it actually means sending him over there. Permanently. Perhaps they can keep him in a small box under the stairs, or maybe in the crawl space. Just throw in a couple of raw fish heads once a week and be done with it.

    Reply
  21. ZeusLT Avatar
    ZeusLT

    Dog is a bad gift, it forces them to take responsibility of him..

    Reply
  22. Maggiemayday Avatar
    Maggiemayday

    You’ll have to share with us what the guest bag is like. I hear they can be quite interesting. You may be expected to give cash, but the guests all bring home a gift. My houseowner would give me the things she didn’t want when she’d been to a wedding. Every month I’d go pay rent, she give me a gift, usually fresh fruit or cakes, but sometimes it was fancy scarves, or little soaps, or a nice bowl. One month, she wasn’t home, her husband gave me a huge bag of powdered corn soup mix. Er, thanks?

    Tattoos? They aren’t Yakuza, are they? Eeek!

    Which leads me to another story about my unsavory house agent the first time I was stationed in Yokosuka … yikes. Missing pinky finger and all. Another time, perhaps……

    Reply
  23. IggyMing Avatar
    IggyMing

    Stargate box sets always make a nice gift (I have them myself).

    Whatever you do, do *not* give them gift certificates for this:
    http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/arrest-warrant-issued-for-restaurant-co-owner-in-alleged-hidden-camera-case-1.1466268

    I hope you haven’t eaten at any of their locations!

    Reply
  24. TeesterX Avatar
    TeesterX

    The DVD collection of course.

    Coincidentally, just finished watching SGA season 5 on Blue-Ray, Dammit, I lament that show’s passing!

    Reply
  25. Deb Avatar
    Deb

    I vote for the dog too, but I think he is going to need his own seat on the plane – and he looks like the kind that will insist on a first class seat (one of those opens up into a bed). I bet you can teach him to do back massages and “scratches” with those big paws so you kind of say you are giving them an ongoing spa gift too.

    Reply
  26. dasndanger Avatar
    dasndanger

    You know what hubby’s buddy gave him for a wedding gift? A Nintendo game system. He wanted to take it on our honeymoon, but I said NO! It was pure evil designed to suck up valuable time and isolate one from the rest of the world. And I was RIGHT!!! When we got back home it was all sitting up all alone late at night, playing game after game after game, totally ignoring everything and everyone around.

    Only it wasn’t hubby playing…it was me, determined to get to the next level of Tetris. 😛

    das

    Reply
  27. DP Avatar
    DP

    @paloosa – My boy is into geology. It’s his second interest after tornadoes and the list of interests is very short. He’d be a bit rough on magazines, though, as tornadoes get modeled often around here.

    Reply
  28. Joan001 Avatar
    Joan001

    If they are planning to come to Canada, how about a trip through the Rockies and a stay in Lake Louise Lodge, or Banff Springs Hotel or a stay in Jasper and do some golfing when they come. I know they would enjoy the wildlife that shares the golf course with humans… as long as they know not to feed them and to head the other way when bears are around.

    OR how about a book of your favourite recipes and some kitchen machinery to create them.

    If we’re being funny, how about the new craze in Japan where foreheads look like they have a Tim Horton’s doughnut inside them. I don’t know what the process is called or how it’s done but they could rest on each others’ foreheads while looking into each others’ eyes…. love, you know.

    Reply
  29. Joan001 Avatar
    Joan001

    Nah…. I think that a gift of money in a fancy card would save you many reminders of a cultural faux pas that you could potentially commit otherwise….

    Reply
  30. jojo Avatar
    jojo

    The Stargate Collection is the way to go. I give them as gifts. Lets the sis know what you do for a living.

    Reply
  31. Gary Ansorge Avatar
    Gary Ansorge

    Definitely, the Alaskan cruise…

    Reply
  32. Tam Dixon Avatar
    Tam Dixon

    I’d go with the dog…but you know what would be really cool? Do they still have those fish that eat dead skin cells off your feet? I bet no one will get them a gift card for the foot fish!

    Reply
  33. fsmn36 Avatar
    fsmn36

    Hah, I totally thought you were going to buy them a bear. Like sponsoring a child.

    Personally, I like the tattoos. 😉

    Reply
  34. Mike A. Avatar
    Mike A.

    Um…..how ’bout real Canadian 100% maple syrup? Obvioused!

    Well, that and cash.

    Would you give it to them in Yen? Or Loonies? Or American Dollars? Or….(something more creative)?

    I like the idea of giving them stuff they can’t get for themselves. Stuff that can only be had where someone is from(hence the syrup). So, I say, think along those lines and you’ll hit a home run….as long as you pair it with the moolah. There are no bad gifts when paired with money.

    -Mike A.

    Reply
  35. Debra From The South Avatar
    Debra From The South

    I think Tam Dixon topped you in ways to alienate Akemi’s family, lol.

    Or a collection of your most favorite (ie awful) weird food of the month gift basket.

    Or a life size stand up cardboard cutout of you and Akemi.

    Or… cash and a little special gift.

    Reply
  36. Airelle Avatar
    Airelle

    How about give them pictures of all of it and let them chose..,, ~~~or money in a nice card..++Send me the Stagate stuff,,ok..

    Reply
  37. shinyhula Avatar
    shinyhula

    The dog, for sure; you must make a pug lover out of them!

    Reply
  38. Patricia Avatar
    Patricia

    Hey Joe, Are you okay? I don’t see a post for yesterday Sept 22, 2013.
    Hope all is well.

    Pat

    Reply
  39. Patricia Avatar
    Patricia

    Never mind… I”ve must have lost my “MIND”! It been a tough month! Cheers

    Reply
  40. Ponytail Avatar
    Ponytail

    @ paloosa – Happy Birthday!!!!

    Reply
  41. dasndanger Avatar
    dasndanger

    I like Mike A.‘s suggestion. I’d go with either the little maple leaf-shaped bottle of syrup, or maybe a nice box of maple leaf-shaped maple candy that EVERY FREAKIN’ PERSON WHO EVER WENT TO CANADA BROUGHT BACK FOR ME!!!

    On a positive note, however, that stuff – along with cockroaches and lawyers – can survive the Apocalypse.

    das

    Reply
  42. Fred M. Avatar
    Fred M.

    Joe, Thanks for the Art Department plans. Most appreciated.

    Fred

    Reply
  43. Kamen Dokov Avatar
    Kamen Dokov

    Alaskan cruise, of course. 😉

    Reply
    1. Joan Clarke Avatar
      Joan Clarke

      …of course, you’ll have to let us all know what your (Akemi’s) final decision for the gift is. I’m sure it will be great, appreciated and culturally correct.

      On Tue, Sep 24, 2013 at 1:23 PM, Josephmallozzi’s Weblog wrote:

      > ** > Kamen Dokov commented: “Alaskan cruise, of course. ;)” >

      Reply
  44. BoltBait Avatar
    BoltBait

    Joe, now that you’ve gotten all the Worst Ideas Ever out of the way… I recommend leaving the gift selection process up to Akemi.

    Reply

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