National Tide 1980.

In ancient Japan, the year was divided into two parts: January to June and July to December.

July is also the first month of the year.

The festival, which runs from January to June, is repeated again from July to December.

Although the influence of this custom no longer exists today, July is still regarded as the "Chugoku" by the Japanese.

It can be said that this is a festival that has been neglected by our people and is almost forgotten, but it is still quite prosperous in Japan.

For the Japanese, Chugen was a religious activity in the past, and food such as rice, rice cakes and fish were given to close people as offerings to gods or Buddhas.

But now it has evolved into a habit of giving gifts to express gratitude to those who care about you on a daily basis.

It goes without saying that gift-giving is popular among individuals and between companies, and is as important as the end of the year.

The gifts given are usually food or daily necessities, which are really varied.

To this end, every year at this time, department stores and other stores in Japan as well as large supermarkets will open special counters, display a variety of festive products, and hire temporary workers to carry out large-scale promotional activities.

People don't even have to send gifts directly to each other's homes; most of them are delivered directly to the door by department stores or other places.

Needless to say, as Japanese wallets grow fatter, spending on gifts during this year's Ghost Festival is naturally more extravagant than in previous years.

Not only are there an endless stream of high-end products, but even the packaging is unique.

Merchants do not hesitate to use precious materials such as gold foil, and put small gifts such as gold and silver utensils, crystal products, etc. in the gift box packaging to increase the value of the gift.

In Ning Weimin's opinion, this kind of business atmosphere of the Japanese is quite similar to the Mid-Autumn Festival in China in the past, when "bathed crabs" and sky-high priced mooncakes were once popular. This is simply a business conspiracy that precisely targets the Japanese who have just received their mid-year bonuses.

From this point of view, the Japanese people who were treated like leeks by Japanese retailers and the Chinese people who bought high-priced mooncakes and "bathed crabs" in the future are somewhat in the same boat.

However, although there are calls among the Japanese people to "abolish this custom" and many people are suffering from the high cost of gifts, there is no sign of this in reality.

After all, Ghost Festival gifts are given to superiors, elders or people who have cared for you to express gratitude.

This gift-giving custom has a considerable social effect, and it is especially necessary for people with social phobia.

From a certain perspective, if this custom did not exist, many Japanese who are not good at socializing would be at a loss as to how to ease conflicts among colleagues and smooth out interpersonal relationships.

Because of this, some department stores even actively lobby foreign companies, hoping that they will "adapt to local customs" and comply with Japanese Oshiomaru customs, saying that doing so will help them consolidate their business foundation and build good customer relationships more smoothly.

  (Tokyo, Japan, 1987)

Needless to say, after returning to Tokyo, the first problem that both Ning Weimin and Matsumoto Keiko needed to solve was not anything else but the problem of receiving gifts, returning gifts, and giving gifts.

The higher a person's social status, the more they understand that exchanging gifts is a science, a gamble of taste, and a reflection of the ability to please people's hearts.

Especially for a nation like the Japanese who often and love giving gifts, there are numerous taboos and rules in gift communication, making it even more difficult to be impeccable, appropriate, and touching.

Let’s not talk about anything else, let’s just talk about returning the gift.

The principle of returning gifts is to give the same gift to subordinates or juniors, and half the value to superiors and peers.

This standard is determined by habit, and if it is wrong, it may lead to gossip behind your back.

This is the same as tipping in Europe and the United States. It is very confusing to know what level of tipping is appropriate.

Especially for people like Ning Weimin and Matsumoto Keiko who have extensive social connections and complex social relationships, not only did they receive a large number of gifts, they could have opened a store with them.

Moreover, they are not familiar with the preferences of many gift givers, and it is difficult for them to guess and estimate the value of many gifts delivered to their doorsteps, which makes this matter even more difficult.

For example, regardless of their value, practical daily necessities like those received by Ning Weimin and Matsumoto Keiko.

Such as: mobile phones, PC laptops, Sharp X-68000 entertainment professional computers, PC-98 replacers, computer communication modems, portable LCD TVs, G-Force vacuum cleaners, Famicoms, disposable cameras, CD players, home karaoke, microwave ovens, ovens, electronic watches that can store phone numbers, Yamazaki whiskey, Suntory whiskey, Winchester, Remy Martin brandy, Moët & Chandon champagne, French red wine, pink beer, oolong tea, Gyokuro tea, Western-style snacks, ham, roast beef, dried herring roe, jelly, fruit, loose-leaf notebooks, mouthwash... and so on.

These things all have standard market prices, so it’s relatively easy to measure the prices. Even though many of them are new products that have just been launched on the market, it doesn’t matter; you just need to take the trouble to ask around.

But it is more difficult to find out the specific prices for different products of imported luxury brands such as Rolex, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Hermès, Chanel, Tiffany, Bulgari, Gucci, as well as various jewelry of different styles sent by local or imported jewelry stores such as Mikoto and Van Cleef & Arpels.

Because the prices of these things vary greatly, the prices of products of the same brand and type can vary greatly due to differences in materials, craftsmanship, and styles.

Moreover, some special products are available in one store but not in another, and you may not even be able to find out the price.

Even those who regularly consume these luxury goods are unable to accurately judge the value of most gifts.

Therefore, it is even more difficult to make an accurate judgment.

This is nothing. Things like the "health-preserving Chinese medicine" that has become popular in Japan recently, as well as the calligraphy and paintings, tea cups, and Chinese antiques that someone sent to Ning Weimin specifically for his taste, are the things that are most difficult to estimate in value.

No matter what the actual value of some things is, if these people can buy them and give them to Ning Weimin, then the value of them will not be too cheap.

God knows how much money they spent on these things in Japan, but the probability of losing a lot of money is relatively high.

How should Ning Weimin respond?

If an average person faced such a thorny problem, it would probably be like taking the college entrance examination again. If he wasn't careful, he would think about it day and night and even lose a lot of hair.

But then again, the good thing is that Ning Weimin is not an ordinary person.

First of all, he is an expert in gift-giving. In addition to knowing some Japanese customs and taboos regarding gifts, he also knows that the best gifts should have the following characteristics.

First, the best gift is to cater to the recipient's preferences and choose something that the recipient wants or likes.

Second, the best gifts are unexpected and surprising.

Third, the best gifts reflect sincerity and kindness.

Fourth, the best gift should be something that is not vulgar in style.

5. The best gift will not exceed your financial ability and corresponding budget planning.

Secondly, in addition to the task of opening branches of Dangong Restaurant in Kyoto and Osaka as soon as possible, Ning Weimin also had the task of further promoting "Dream of Red Mansions" in Japan.

Therefore, this time he not only brought back thirty carefully selected employees as the vanguard, but also asked these employees to transport a large number of handicrafts related to the theme of "Dream of Red Mansions" in trolley suitcases, as well as a suitcase of panda miniature sheets and panda stamps that Yin Yue bought at 30% of the price.

In addition, Ning Weimin also obtained domestic authorization. Before leaving Japan, he had asked a printing factory in Japan to print 20,000 sets of Japanese version of "Dream of Red Mansions" comic books, and also asked a Japanese audio-visual product factory to record 10,000 sets of "Dream of Red Mansions" videotapes.

So in this way, he has enough gifts of different grades, full of exoticism and cultural atmosphere to solve this problem.

You know, not only do Japanese people generally like gifts of crafts, but in Japan, both videotapes and books are very expensive. A videotape costs 15,000 yen, and the total price of recording 18 videotapes with the length of 36 episodes of the TV series "Dream of Red Mansions" is 270,000 yen.

As for comic books, Ning Weimin took into account the reading habits of the Japanese and re-typeset the 80-volume "Dream of the Red Chamber" of the edition of "Shangmei" in the name of Huiwentang Bookstore. He had it printed in two large volumes by a small printing factory in Tokyo, and the total price of the hardcover edition was yen.

These two things alone are enough for him to deal with most of his gift-giving and gift-returning needs.

(Cover of the Japanese version of the comic book Dream of the Red Chamber)

(Inside page of the Japanese version of the comic book Dream of the Red Chamber)

As a Chinese businessman, Ning Weimin's choice of such a gift that is full of strong Chinese cultural atmosphere and appeals to both the elite and the masses is definitely a good way to please and a best of both worlds option.

Whether it is used to give gifts to subordinates under your command, to exchange gifts with partners, or to make a deep impression on those bigwigs who are high up in the world, it can play a just right role without being clichéd.

Not to mention silk dolls, porcelain, glass lamps, various toys, round fans, scented fans, paper umbrellas, and purses as effective supplements, which allow him to make appropriate adjustments based on the other party's status and the value of the gift.

It doesn’t matter even if it’s a little lacking in practicality, because don’t forget that Ning Weimin still has the Tan Palace Restaurant.

He also brought a lot of manpower from the capital. Since the branch has not yet opened, they can all be used to assist with gifts.

Make some pastry gift boxes, some tea, snacks and candy gift boxes, and some palace cake gift boxes, and pair them with self-packaged sour plum soup and rose juice, as well as jasmine tea, chrysanthemum tea, and Chinese liquor in the names of "Dream of Red Mansions" and "Twelve Beauties of Jinling", which effectively makes up for the shortcomings in this area.

Not only that, by doing so, he actually highlighted the cultural heritage of the big IP of Red Mansions, making the gifts seem even more dazzling and dignified.

It has to be said that China's culture and art have a long history, and it is not undeserved that they are praised by the world.

Ning Weimin only uses one or two of the four great classics to make the gift unique, elegant, exquisite and unexpected.

It makes social problems that are originally difficult to deal with easier, and it is even possible that you will gain a lot of favor from others through it, which will have a positive effect on promoting your career.

After all, he was used to seeing the true moral character of many Japanese people.

Just like at the Tangong Restaurant, there are always Japanese customers who complain to the waiters because of preconceived notions.

"This mapo tofu tastes wrong? Why is it so spicy? Not sweet at all?"

The waiter replied, "This is the traditional Chinese way of cooking, which is quite different from the Japanese way."

The guest chewed and chewed, "It's not tasty..."

After chewing for a while, he still said in a disgusted tone, "It's really not delicious, too spicy..."

He took a sip of ice water, then chewed and chewed, then took another sip.

As a result, the next time he came, he ordered the same dish and ate it again.

What's more, China's labor is too cheap, but its arts and crafts technology is extremely mature. This advantage is reflected in handicrafts, which are a powerful weapon that can sweep away everything.

The Japanese consider things like lacquerware, silk figurines, sandalwood fans, and embroidered round fans to be valuable luxury items.

But the fact is that these gifts are very cheap, no matter how much they are priced.

For Ning Weimin, the average cost of each item he brought from China is really not high.

For example, the traditional Japanese handicraft "dolls" are dolls made of clay, paper, wood and other materials.

This doll is very similar to a silk doll, but it is very expensive.

The cheapest one costs about 10,000 or 20,000 yen, while the more expensive ones can cost hundreds of thousands or even millions of yen.

However, the silk dolls that Ning Weimin brought only cost 500 to 600 yen for a small one, and 1,000 to 2,000 yen for a large one.

Ten thousand yen is enough to cover the factory price of a set of silk figurines with twelve golden hairpins. How big is the difference?

He gave such a gift to the Japanese. Needless to say, how did the Japanese feel?

The standards for measuring value are completely reversed.

(Traditional Japanese dolls called "ningyo")

In fact, for Ning Weimin, the gifts that cost him the most money were probably the videotapes and books made in Japan, but their cost was only 20% to 30% of the selling price.

So even from the most mercenary perspective, Ning Weimin made a lot of money.

No one would have thought that this kid's gift-giving was even full of speculation.

Through the Ghost Festival, he actually earned a small shop and made a profit of no less than 10 million yen just by giving and receiving gifts. This is also an anomaly.

And this is just a small one.

Ning Weimin not only gives away gifts himself, he also sells them, just like he did during cultural festivals in Japan. He also put up a promotional banner of "Traditional Chinese Ghost Festival Gifts" in Huiwentang Bookstore in Azabu area, and specially displayed one or two long tables of samples in the store, including various Chinese handicrafts and Chinese pastries, candies and snack gift boxes.

Even though there was less than a week left before the Ghost Festival, they still took advantage of the right time and place and sold more than 20 million yen worth of goods, and finally did not miss this business opportunity.

What’s even more surprising is that without even any publicity, “Dream of the Red Chamber” also benefited from it.

The newly published comic book Dream of the Red Chamber also sold more than 600 copies due to the surge in customer traffic, which was quite surprising.

To be objective, Huiwentang Bookstore, which was located in one of the downtown commercial districts in Tokyo at that time, already had a certain status in the hearts of Japanese people in Tokyo who loved Chinese culture.

Moreover, since this is not just a place that sells Chinese books and handicrafts, you can also taste Chinese tea, cakes and candies that are rare in Japan.

In fact, the business model here has long since broken through the original plan of a literary coffee shop or teahouse designed by Ning Weimin, and has become a real window for promoting Chinese culture.

Not only are there more and more customers coming here, but the number of returning customers is also increasing day by day. There are also greedy customers who specifically want to buy the Chinese pastries and tea that they have seen in books.

There are also cultural scholars and college students who specialize in Chinese culture and hope that the bookstore can help them buy some books published in mainland China.

If we look at the store's prospects, the existence of Huiwentang Bookstore is no longer dispensable.

The profit has also made it the leader among most Japanese bookstores that are still losing money. The company even has the unique resource of importing books from mainland China, and has used this to restore part of its publishing business.

It should be said that the current effect is the result of Ning Weimin's unintentional brilliant move, but it is also due to the poor cultural exchanges of this era and the unique charm of Chinese culture accumulated over 5,000 years.

Unconsciously, Ning Weimin has already established a small bridgehead in Japan's cultural field. God knows how far he can go with the help of this bookstore in the future. (End of this chapter)