Ochugen and oseibo: Japan's seasonal gift-giving
When to send summer and year-end gifts, what to choose, how much to spend, and how to say thank you. JLPT N3 reading with translation.
Passage (Japanese)
日本には、お世話になっている人に感謝の気持ちを品物で伝える「お中元」と「お歳暮」という習慣があります。会社の取引先や、親せき、子どものころの先生など、贈る相手はさまざまです。お中元は夏、おもに七月の初めから十五日ごろに、お歳暮は年末、十二月の初めから二十五日ごろに贈られることが多いです。ただし、贈る時期は地域によって少し違うので、相手の住んでいる場所に合わせると安心です。
お中元は一年の前半の感謝を、お歳暮はその一年全体の感謝を表すと言われています。そのため、両方を贈る場合は、お歳暮のほうを少しだけ高い品物にする人もいるようです。中身としては、ジュースやお菓子、ハムなど、もらった人が使いやすい食べ物や飲み物がよく選ばれます。値段が高すぎると相手に気をつかわせてしまうので、ふつうは三千円から五千円ほどのものが選ばれます。
こうした贈り物が届いたら、できるだけ早くお礼を伝えるのがよいとされています。電話やメールで「ありがとうございました」と知らせたうえで、後日あらためてお礼の手紙を出すと、より丁寧な印象になります。最近では、形式にこだわらず、本当に親しい人にだけ贈るという家庭も増えてきました。
Translation
In Japan there are customs called "お中元" (Ochūgen) and "お歳暮" (Oseibo), in which you express your gratitude to people who have helped you by giving gifts. The recipients vary widely: business partners of one's company, relatives, teachers from childhood, and so on. Ochūgen is often given in summer, mainly from the beginning to around the 15th of July, and Oseibo at the end of the year, from the beginning to around the 25th of December. However, since the timing of giving differs slightly by region, it is safer to match it to the place where the recipient lives.
Ochūgen is said to express gratitude for the first half of the year, and Oseibo gratitude for that whole year. For this reason, when giving both, some people make the Oseibo gift just a little more expensive. As for the contents, foods and drinks that are easy for the recipient to use, such as juice, sweets, or ham, are often chosen. If the price is too high it makes the recipient feel uncomfortable, so usually items costing around 3,000 to 5,000 yen are chosen.
When such a gift arrives, it is considered good to express your thanks as soon as possible. After letting them know "Thank you very much" by phone or email, sending a thank-you letter again later gives a more polite impression. Recently, the number of households that do not stick to formality and give only to people they are truly close to has been increasing.
Comprehension questions
Choose an answer for each question, then check.
Q1お中元とお歳暮を贈る時期について、本文の内容と合っているものはどれですか。
Regarding the timing of giving Ochūgen and Oseibo, which of the following matches the content of the passage?
Q2本文によると、お歳暮のほうを少し高い品物にする人がいるのはなぜですか。
According to the passage, why are there people who make the Oseibo gift a little more expensive?
Q3贈り物が届いたときのお礼の仕方として、本文に書かれているのはどれですか。
Which is described in the passage as the way to give thanks when a gift arrives?
Q4最近の変化として、本文に書かれているのはどれですか。
Which is described in the passage as a recent change?
