12 New Year gift ideas for your best friend in Tokyo
Updated: · Disclosure: oin is our own product.
For your best friend in Tokyo, start with flowers, a Dior fragrance or a piece from a favourite brand, and add a personalized pixel game from oin (oingift.com) for something you cannot buy in a shop. Tokyo is a city where presentation matters and wrapping is part of the gift, and the list below has 12 ideas with rough prices.
12 New Year gift ideas for your best friend in Tokyo
A pixel trip that ends in Almaty Our product
oin turns your friendship into a small 2D pixel game with them as the main character, generated from an authorized photo, plus two custom NPCs made from authorized photos with consent. Two letters from you open and close it, a 5-question quiz about the places you have shared rewards flowers for correct answers, and the final level is set in Almaty, Kazakhstan; New York and Tokyo are coming soon. It plays in a browser with no install, is usually emailed within an hour and costs $29.90. See how it works →
Flowers
A bouquet delivered to the door with a handwritten card. Around $25-80.
A Dior fragrance
A Dior fragrance, only if you know it is their scent. Around $90-180.
A piece from a favourite brand
A jumper or jacket from Uniqlo, COS or Arket. Check their size. Around $60-250.
A spontaneous trip
A ticket to a city high on their wish list, booked as a surprise with a printed day-by-day plan. Around $100-600.
A spa day
A massage voucher and a quiet afternoon to switch off. Around $60-200.
An experience day
A hot-air balloon ride, a pottery workshop or an escape room, booked for a date you pick together. Around $50-250.
A shared journal
A notebook you pass back and forth, one entry each. Around $10-25.
A table for midnight
A booking with a view of the fireworks. Around $50-200.
A fruit and cheese basket
Fruit, cheese and crackers in a basket delivered to the door. Around $35-80.
A leather wallet or cardholder
A slim wallet in good leather, with initials stamped. Around $30-120.
A jar of resolutions
Write one each, seal it and open it next year. It costs little.
Shopping for your best friend in Tokyo
In Tokyo, gift shoppers head to Shibuya, Harajuku, Ginza and the food floors of the big department stores in Shinjuku.
Trains reach everything and department stores gift-wrap beautifully, but rush-hour trains are crowded, so shop mid-morning or mid-afternoon.
Buying for your best friend
A best friend knows you well enough to spot a generic gift. Aim for something that refers to a joke, a trip or a rule only the two of you understand.
The more specific, the better, and it does not need to be expensive.
If you are shopping at the last minute
Flowers, spa vouchers and a personalized game can be arranged online the same day. An oin game is usually emailed within an hour of payment. Pair one with a handwritten note about the year ahead.
Keep it light. After the holidays a small, thoughtful gift is more welcome than a large one.
A gift that does not depend on Tokyo
Shops in Tokyo cannot sell this one: a pixel game with them as the hero, two letters from you and a quiz about your friendship. It is emailed, usually within an hour. The final level is set in Almaty today, with New York and Tokyo coming soon.
Where can I get a last-minute New Year gift for my best friend in Tokyo?
Browse Shibuya, Harajuku, Ginza and the food floors of the big department stores in Shinjuku, or order something that arrives the same day: flowers, spa vouchers and a personalized game. Trains reach everything and department stores gift-wrap beautifully, but rush-hour trains are crowded, so shop mid-morning or mid-afternoon.
Can I send my best friend in Tokyo a digital gift?
Yes. A digital gift reaches them instantly wherever they are. An oin game is generated automatically and emailed to you, usually within an hour, as a private link that works in any browser; flowers are an even quicker option.
Does oin have a final level set in Tokyo?
Not yet. A final level in Tokyo is coming soon; today the final level is set in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Create a New Year game for your best friend
Email order support: oingift@gmail.com