Japan History and Culture

Japanese New Year Money Gift (Otoshidama)

Otoshidama is the lucky preserve of Japanese children. On January 1st, Japanese people have a custom of giving pocket money to children. The money comes from parents, grandparents and relatives this is known as Otoshidama, small gifts with money, colourful envelopes and a typical gift for a junior or senior high school student would be 5000 to 10000 yen ($50 – $100) per relative. That means that the money can add up pretty fast.

Accroding to Kumon Children’s Research Institute (1999), Otoshidama is usually given in decorative envelopes. It is estimated that the average child receives around 40,000 yen each year. Most save the money. Others spend it on relatively expensive computer games, clothes, and CDs.

In the Edo period, large stores and wealthy families gave out a small bag of mochi and a Mandarin orange to spread happiness all around. The amount of money given depends on the age of the child but is usually the same if there is more than one child so that no one feels slighted.