Perfume tops the list of unwanted Christmas gifts among Japanese, with candles in second place: research

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TOKYO – Perfume and candles rank first and second respectively as gifts people in Japan don’t want to receive at Christmas, according to a survey conducted by a U.S.-based operator of an online language learning service.

The survey was conducted online by Preply Inc. on November 29. and targeted men and women aged 20 to 39 living in Japan. 600 responses were collected.

‘Perfume or fragrance’ was the top Christmas gift respondents did not want to receive at 21.2%, with multiple responses allowed, followed by ‘candles’ at 20.3% and ‘socks and underwear’ at 16.2%.

Respondents believed that perfumes and fragrances are luxurious, but that “the smell is too strong” and “not my taste.” They also said that candles are fashionable, but I usually don’t use them, and that socks and underwear are practical, but too related to everyday life and not special.

A common feature of these items is that people have different tastes, and Preply said: “The items that appear to be a safe choice are actually riskier as gifts. Depending on the recipient’s lifestyle and preferences, these items can have the opposite effect .

What presents at Christmas make people happy? The most common response among men, at 31.3%, was a gift that is ‘something necessary for me’, while 29.3% of women said a gift is ‘something I wouldn’t buy for myself, but which makes me happy’ makes’. So if you can accurately identify the recipient’s tastes and preferences, even perfume and candles are likely to please them.

Yet it seems that the recipient is well aware of the donor’s desire to please him or her by choosing a special item. In the above question, “the thought behind the gift” was the second most pleasant factor among men at 19.3% and third among women at 23.0%.

On the other hand, when asked how they responded when they received a gift that didn’t make them happy, the most common response was “pretended to be happy” (26.5%). Preply said that many Japanese people tend to “hide their true feelings and worry about the giver and the atmosphere of the occasion,” and they tend to worry about the giver’s efforts and feelings.

(Japanese original by Yuko Shimada, Business News Department)