Originally Posted by
abmj-jr
Many of the guidebooks and such tend to mention the need to bring gifts of appreciation but they can be a bit vague as to when it is appropriate. Certainly if you happen to be invited as a guest into a private home a gift is appropriate. Often snacks or a bottle of nice booze are appreciated. But for employees doing their job, I would never consider it. Unlike in the US, service people are paid a living wage in Japan and take pride in doing their job well without the need for a "bribe."
Yes, this ambiguity is probably what caused my concern. As we aren't anticipating any sort of real business interaction I'd kind of figured we wouldn't need to worry about most of those rules. It seemed to me the closest that might apply would be with the concierge if we were asking for assistance. We will follow the recommendations to mention any particularly helpful individual by name in any thank you note we leave with the hotel.
I knew FT was exactly the place for this question! Really appreciate everyone's input! Thank you!