Centering on the analysis of the omiyage (gifts brought back from trips for
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ladies’ (OLs) practices of consumption in Hawaii. In contemporary Japan,
foreign goods, especially brand name ones, are not only bearers of intrinsic
aesthetic value but are forms negotiating OLs’ emancipatory social action.
Based on interviews with OLs visiting Hawaii’s shopping scene between 1994
and 2004, this article explores the nature and evolution of the Japanese
omiyage, analyzing its metamorphosis and trespasses, along with issues of
internationalization and consumption. These changes delineate an historical
transformation from a traditional culture characterized by a non-individualistic,
others-oriented omiyage practice, to a material one, self-oriented and
characterized by a form of Occidentalism, fetishized fads and style-status symbols.
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