What's worth getting for around 5000 yen?

November 16, 2018 11:39 AM

My birthday is coming up and my in-laws are asking what I want. I don't really want anything but they have to send something. What would you want to get in the 5000 yen range?

I used to be able to say socks and underclothes from Uniqlo but we have that here now. Last year was a puzzle box and the year before a wallet. If I can't think of anything I'll likely ask for a puzzle box again.

posted by any portmanteau in a storm to Shopping (8 answers total)

Maybe this is an ask vs. guess thing but isn't the point of gift giving that the giver has thought about something the recipient would like? Making the recipient choose their gift is making them do the mental work.

That said, and assuming from the context of your question that you mean they will send you something from Japan, Do you have a type of candy or other food item that you can't easily obtain that is not a problem to ship internationally? That'd be my go-to.
posted by Wretch729 at 11:54 AM on November 16, 2018 [2 favorites]

Do you wear ties or belts? ¥ 5000 will buy a nice (though not lavish) one of either.
posted by ubiquity at 11:57 AM on November 16, 2018 [1 favorite]

Novelty kitkats? (Regiftable, in case that's not your thing.)
posted by trig at 12:30 PM on November 16, 2018 [8 favorites]

Hang on, are you bonkers? This is an amazing opportunity. I see you like pickles. Japan is pickles heaven. I see you made an impressive dolls' house for your kids. Japan is crafting heaven. They have the best, coolest, most skillfully-made stuff ever. 5,000 yen can buy some excellent stuff. Think of an activity you enjoy, and there'll be something great in the required price range in Japan. I am now suffering severe pangs of envy at your sheer good luck.
posted by Grunyon at 12:57 PM on November 16, 2018 [9 favorites]

Do you like pens? Japanese office supplies are THE BEST and I don't know how much 5,000 yen is without googling, but I bet it's enough that you could have the best desk tray in your whole office!
posted by mccxxiii at 4:07 PM on November 16, 2018 [6 favorites]

A couple of bottles of nice namazake that maybe don't get imported by any importers because they're nama and hard to keep. Go for some muroka-nama-genshu if you want to get fancy.
posted by Umami Dearest at 9:55 PM on November 16, 2018 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Part of the problem is that we get packages from Japan fairly regularly for birthdays and holidays. My in-laws will send snacks, spices, pickles and other things as "filler" for whatever the main present is. I'm also pretty comfortable ordering stuff online from Japanese retailers and asking friends to bring them back when they travel to Japan, which happens fairly regularly. So I'm kind of covered for the things I'd think to look for myself but I am almost certain that there's a whole lot of great stuff that's totally off my radar but because they're unknown unknowns I need some help in figuring out what they might be.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 12:50 PM on November 19, 2018

Japan-only character goods from the LINE Friends Store in Harajuku, featuring Brown, Cony and Sally would seem like an obvious choice.

Japan-only items include Brown and Cony cosplaying as maneki-neko; Kutani-yaki porcelain chopstick rests, plates and other tableware; and plush toys of Brown and Cony dressed in yukata and other seasonal traditional Japanese clothes.
posted by Umami Dearest at 4:33 AM on November 20, 2018