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Finding the perfect gift for someone can be very difficult. Usually, if you spend enough time with someone and really listen to the things that they say, it should be easy enough to find a gift that they will appreciate, but maybe your special someone goes out and buys everything for herself, or you aren’t too sure about what she’s into lately.

So if you are having problems, we’ve got a handy DO NOT BUY guide for you. These are the gifts that women in Japan have received that didn’t make them happy at all, so avoiding anything on this list will certainly give you a good place to (not) start your shopping from.

Japanese women all over Japan answered a call for “What gifts have you received from your boyfriend that really disappointed you?” The responses were plenty and varied, but you can group a lot of the answers into some handy categories. What gifts do they say you should be avoiding?

A gift that doesn’t really suit the girl’s sense of style

Image: Rakuten

Examples include:
Kappa (water imp) earrings
Baby chick earrings
Ethnic necklaces and earrings

Gifts that are instantly going to be put into the closet

Image: Tomiya Kyodo Mingei

Examples include:
Wood carving of a bear
Wood carving that looks like the Masai
Small figures of the Seven Deities of Good Luck

Gifts that make the giver seem narcissistic or self-absorbed

Image: Flickr (Mariko)

Examples include:
Self-written poem (Note: When it’s bad.)
Self-composed song (Note: Again, when it’s bad.)
Locket with a selfie of the giver inside

Random souvenirs from a trip

Image: Rakuten

Examples include:
Pennant
Mask with a weird face
Fox key chain
Sakamoto Ryoma statue

Items that look like they would have been won playing bingo

Image: Rakuten

Examples include:
A one year supply of Umaibo
Five kilograms (11 pounds) of anko (red bean paste)
Vacuum pack of miso paste and fish
Monaka (wafer cake filled with bean jam)

Household items with no emotions attached

Examples include:
Oil heater
Smart phone charger

Gifts that are going to wither away quickly

Examples include:
Chrysanthemum bouquet
100 roses

Personalized time keeping devices

Image: Amazon Japan

Examples include:
An alarm clock with a recordig of the giver’s voice that whispers “Good morning” to wake you up
Clocks that have the boyfriend’s workplace logo on them

Pets or animal related gifts

Image: Amazon Japan

Examples include:
Crayfish
Hamster
Illustrated reference book of birds

Gifts with really misleading packaging

Examples include:
A box that looks like it might be a necklace, but turns out to be a pen
A small ring-shaped box with an ugly brooch inside

Clothing that is not fashionable…at all

Image: Amazon Japan

Examples include:
An orange T-shirt that has strange cat applique
Bohemian clothes
Underwear that has kanji of strange fish names
Hooded jacket for a punk rock fan

Gifts that have no excuse for being given

Examples include:
A tacky key chain that has “eternal love” written on it
A purse that looks like it’s for an elementary school student

Gifts that don’t seem to have any meaning

Image: Amazon Japan

Examples include:
Furby
Karuta card game

Items where there appears to be a hidden meaning

Examples include:
A garbage can
A giant pig stuffed animal

Finally, just…what?!? Who would want any of these gifts???

Image: Uniform Cap

Examples include:
Red/White elementary school caps
A wrist brace for bowling
Bus ticket

There you have it. The DO NOT guide for gift giving in Japan. When you give someone the perfect gift, it shows them that you truly understand them and that you’ve got a really special connection. Anniversaries, birthdays, Valentine’s Day, and Christmas are happy occasions that are made all that more awesome when you receive a gift that is perfect. Perhaps the men who gave these things had a really good reason for choosing their “amazing” gifts, but most likely, if you have to explain the meaning behind it, it probably wasn’t a great idea in the first place.

We hope this list will help you a little when you think about the next anniversary or birthday gift you need to buy. Don’t disappoint your significant other with these lame gifts! And if you are truly stuck for ideas, how about a sweet Sailor Moon umbrella?

Source: Naver Matome
Top Image: Flickr (Julian Wylegly)