I am an international student, working part-time in a small office in Japan. The other day, a colleague who had just returned from a summer trip shared cakes as gifts for everyone. I also got a part. In a small bag labeled Hokkaido, there were two chocolates.
I had almost never talked to that person, so suddenly receiving a gift was very surprising. In my country, people only give gifts to close friends. But when I asked the person sitting next to me, he said: 「① That's normal.」 I heard that in Japan there is a custom: when going somewhere on summer vacation, you divide gifts among the whole office. To divide enough for everyone, they carefully count the quantity before choosing gifts.
Looking closely, sharing this small gift has many good effects. When we give gifts, we express our gratitude to those who have done our work for us during our breaks. In addition, sharing with everyone will create a feeling of being teammates in the office. Moreover, when giving gifts and people ② say things like 「Oh, are you going 〇〇?」, that also becomes an excuse to talk intimately with people who have never talked to them before. A small cake is contributing to the atmosphere of the workplace.
Next time I return home, I will also buy gifts to share with everyone. Who knows, maybe I'll have a chance to talk to ③ the person I've been paying attention to for a long time.