Okurimono Japan
Ukiyo-e style illustration: a person in kimono holds an empty drawstring coin purse beside a large knitted stocking hanging from a hook, with a single small red gift box peeking out of the top.
Illustration: Okurimono Japan

Gift Truths No.18

Set a $40 limit for stocking stuffers. Spent $40 on the first one.

The trick is to choose the small things first, not last. Small, useful and from Japan is a good place to start.

Where this came from

The article behind it.

Buying guideSep 16, 2026

Japanese Stocking Stuffers Under $40, and How to Make Shipping from Japan Worth It

Four small Japanese gifts under $40 — two plain Casios, a maki-e ballpoint and a Shimano fishing knife — and the honest catch: on a $20 gift, shipping from Japan can cost as much as the gift. How to get around it.

The gift

The ones I’d actually send.