In Japan, summertime is a big gift-giving season. People buy presents and give them to co-workers, doctors, neighbors and those who have helped them throughout the year. This mid-year gift giving is called Ochugen. It’s an interesting tradition that we should think about adopting here in the States. Who wants to wait until December to show someone they care? Do it in summer when they’re least expecting it!
Even more so, how cool would it be to be appreciated with a box of cats? While real-life cats would be amazing, food is usually the gift of choice during Ochugen, making boxes of Neko Atsume cat cookies somewhat more appropriate.
RocketNews24 reports that Lawson has a very special summer gift, a box of iced cookies and chocolates all in the shape of the beloved cat-collecting game characters of Neko Atsume. These cookies feature the faces of Snowball, Peaches, and Pepper. What? No Tubbs? He’d probably eat the rest of them. (Imagine opening a box of these cookies to find only a Tubbs cookie and a bunch of crumbs…)
This specialty summer gift item costs 3,240 yen which translates to about $30US but well worth it when you think about all the money you’d spend on sashimi and thrifty bitz. The cookies start shipping at the end of June so that they’ll be available for Ochugen in July, when the gratitude gifts are usually sent.
No, you’re obsessed with a cat collecting game! Oh, sorry, I may be on the defensive but to be fair my virtual cats are consuming my life. Who do you appreciate enough to send a box of Neko Atsume cookies? Let us know in the comments!
