Dateline: 02/19/00
In Japan, there exists a unique sense of the artistic in the use of decorative paper and cloth such as origami, noshibukuro (an envelope for a gift of money), and the furoshiki (a wrapping cloth), although people using the furoshiki have now become fewer in number. The Japanese feel a certain resistance in roughly ripping off the wrapping from a present in front of the giver who took special care in bringing the present especially for the occasion.
People from other countries who shop at department stores in Japan are impressed by how carefully their purchases are wrapped in beautiful paper, which is an indication of how highly the Japanese regard wrapping to be.
However, the main reason seems to lie with the inability of Japanese to outwardly show their feelings. Although they are genuinely glad, they are embarrassed to show their feelings in front of others. This makes them unable to open present in the presence of the giver.
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