Japanese gift-giving culture

Gift-giving in Japan is a major social practice with codified occasions (お年玉 New Year cash, お中元 mid-year gifts, お歳暮 year-end gifts, 内祝い return gifts) and elaborate norms around wrapping, presentation, and reciprocity. The giver typically downplays the gift's value with formulaic humility (つまらないものですが, ささやかですが), and the recipient accepts with appropriate gratitude. The verbal humility is conventional and doesn't reflect the actual value of the gift.