In Japan, offering gifts is not only tradition, it is also etiquette. And if you’re in Japan at the end of the year, you can receive gifts several times: on December 24 from… Santa and on the New Years night from… Hotei, who comes alone or with all the Seven Gods of Luck (Shichifukujin). For those who believe in them, they have a ship ready, packed with gifts: the Takarabune (it means “treasure ship")… (^_^)

Here’s a very popular image of the Seven Gods of Luck, their drawings or miniatures being some of the most wanted and important lucky charms…

The Seven Gods of Luck on their ship, Takarabune

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Yesterday’s Japan Photo: The Ten Million Dollar Night View, Nagasaki