12 New Year gift ideas for your friends in Tokyo
Updated: · Disclosure: oin is our own product.
For your friends in Tokyo, start with a spontaneous trip, an instant camera or a star map, 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 friends in Tokyo
A pixel game with an appreciation letter 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, and one can say what you appreciate, a 5-question quiz about what you value in them 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 →
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.
An instant camera
A Fujifilm Instax Mini or Polaroid Now for photos they can hold. Around $70-110.
A star map
A framed sky from a night that matters to you, with a short line underneath. Order a week ahead. Around $25-60.
Flowers
A bouquet delivered to the door with a handwritten card. Around $25-80.
A piece from a favourite brand
Matching hoodies from Uniqlo or Nike. Around $60-250.
A lunch out
A casual lunch together, just the two of you. Around $20-60.
A soft scarf
A wool or cashmere scarf in a colour from their wardrobe. Around $30-120.
A good umbrella
A sturdy compact umbrella that will outlast the cheap ones. Around $25-70.
A planner for the year
A good paper planner with a first page filled in by you. Around $15-40.
A streaming subscription
Three months of Crunchyroll, Netflix or Spotify Premium. Around $25-60.
Open-when letters
A stack of envelopes, each labelled for a moment: open when you miss me, when you need a laugh, when you cannot sleep. It costs little.
Shopping for your friends in Tokyo
Good places to browse in Tokyo include 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 friends
Group gifts work best when everyone has a part in them. A shared card or a joint present from the whole circle means more than a single item.
Pick something that suits the mood of the group, not one person.
If you are shopping at the last minute
Flowers, streaming subscriptions 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.
New Year is about what comes next, so tie the gift to a plan: a trip, a class, a habit you will start together.
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 friends 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, streaming subscriptions 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 friends 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 friends
Email order support: oingift@gmail.com