Everything about Souvenir totally explained
A
souvenir (from
French, for
memory),
memento or
keepsake is an object a traveler brings home for the
memories associated with it. Souvenirs include
clothing such as
T-shirts or
hats, and household items such as
mugs and
bowls,
ashtrays,
egg timers,
spoons and
notepads. They may be marked to indicate their origin: "A Souvenir from
Clacton-on-Sea". Souvenirs frequently have a reputation for being tasteless.
In
Japan, souvenirs are known as
meibutsu (products associated with a particular region); and
omiyage, candies or other edibles to be shared with co-workers.
Omiyage sales are big business at Japanese
tourist sites.
Travelers may buy souvenirs as
gifts for those who didn't make the trip. In
Cameroon, the principle is that someone who can afford to travel can afford to bring something back (as a gift, or
cadeau) for those who cannot. French bread is a popular
cadeau.
Memorabilia
Similar to a souvenir,
memorabilia (from
Latin, for
memorable) is an object that's treasured for its memories; however, unlike souvenirs, memorabilia are valued for a connection to a historical event, culture or entertainment. Such items include
cigarette cards,
air sickness bags, publicity photographs,
posters, entertainment-related
merchandise,
movie memorabilia, and other, often-
licensed, items.
Souvenirs in Japan
In Japan, souvenirs are called
omiyage. These are customary gifts typically given by someone upon returning from a trip to be given to family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, business associates, teachers, classmates and any other person socially related to the returning vacationer. By age-old Japanese conventions, it's
shameful to arrive or return empty-handed and such acts as going on a vacation away from one's society could be perceived as selfish in a manner, anti-social at the very least. The
omiyage gift placates all concerned and smooths intricate social ties,
absolving the traveler of such shame.
Omiyage shows the traveler was thinking of his or her family and community members while away.
Because of the number of
omiyage often required following a vacation, travelers need to buy souvenirs in bulk (it isn't unusual to bring one empty suitcase solely for the
omiyage). Thoughtfulness is always an issue. It can't look too cheap, and it's preferred it be something universally practical like towels, dinnerware, tasteful decorative items, broadly-popular foods and the like. It isn't even necessary the choice of
omiyage be particularly relevant to the place visited. Key chains and unfamiliar foods are not well received.
Places that cater to Japanese travelers will offer selections of suitable
omiyage arranged by price, size and category. Several items of all-purpose
omiyage are often kept by wise housewives to give on a moment's notice to avoid embarrassments. Due to the expense and effort involved in collecting and distributing
omiyage, Japanese are often very close-lipped about their travel plans, hoping to minimize their
omiyage responsibilities.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Souvenir'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://souvenir.totallyexplained.com">Souvenir Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
