October 04, 2026

What 30 American Sake Drinkers Drink From at Home, and What They Wish They Had

30 Americans told us what became of a Japanese gift they received at least a year ago.
Only 40% still use it often or sometimes.
Of the rest, most were put away rather than thrown out.

A YouGov survey of unwanted gifts found that many end up in a closet.
Research reported by Washington University finds that recipients value useful gifts more than givers expect.
Neither tracked what happens to a Japanese gift a year after it is opened.
This page does.

Most stored gifts were put away out of care, not dislike

Current use of the gift, the reason given by those who keep it stored, and storage by age (30 U.S. respondents)
Step	Group	Answer	Respondents	Out of
All 30 respondents, by age	Under 35 (12)	Stored away	2	12
All 30 respondents, by age	Under 35 (12)	Used often	7	12
All 30 respondents, by age	Under 35 (12)	On display	1	12
All 30 respondents, by age	Under 35 (12)	Used sometimes	1	12
All 30 respondents, by age	Under 35 (12)	Given away or thrown out	1	12
All 30 respondents, by age	35 and older (18)	Stored away	8	18
All 30 respondents, by age	35 and older (18)	Used often	1	18
All 30 respondents, by age	35 and older (18)	On display	4	18
All 30 respondents, by age	35 and older (18)	Used sometimes	3	18
All 30 respondents, by age	35 and older (18)	Given away or thrown out	2	18
All 30 respondents, by age	All (30)	Stored away	10	30
All 30 respondents, by age	All (30)	Used often	8	30
All 30 respondents, by age	All (30)	On display	5	30
All 30 respondents, by age	All (30)	Used sometimes	4	30
All 30 respondents, by age	All (30)	Given away or thrown out	3	30
The 10 who keep it stored, by reason	—	Fear of damage	7	10
The 10 who keep it stored, by reason	—	Care effort	3	10

7 of the 10 who keep theirs stored said they fear damaging it.
8 of the 18 respondents 35 and older stored theirs, against 2 of the 12 under 35.

These gifts are not unwanted.
They are treated as too good for everyday use.
It mirrors the good china kept in a cabinet for guests who rarely come.
And like the good china, it is the older recipients who put it away.
So which gifts escape the cupboard?

Gifts that join a daily meal stayed in use

Current use of the gift, tableware and chopsticks vs. textiles and stationery
Step	Group	Answer	Respondents	Out of
The 21 who received tableware, chopsticks, textiles or stationery, by category	Tableware, chopsticks (14)	Used often	5	14
The 21 who received tableware, chopsticks, textiles or stationery, by category	Tableware, chopsticks (14)	Used sometimes	3	14
The 21 who received tableware, chopsticks, textiles or stationery, by category	Tableware, chopsticks (14)	Stored away	4	14
The 21 who received tableware, chopsticks, textiles or stationery, by category	Tableware, chopsticks (14)	Given away or thrown out	2	14
The 21 who received tableware, chopsticks, textiles or stationery, by category	Textiles, stationery (7)	Used often	2	7
The 21 who received tableware, chopsticks, textiles or stationery, by category	Textiles, stationery (7)	Stored away	2	7
The 21 who received tableware, chopsticks, textiles or stationery, by category	Textiles, stationery (7)	Given away or thrown out	1	7
The 21 who received tableware, chopsticks, textiles or stationery, by category	Textiles, stationery (7)	On display	2	7

Of the 14 who received tableware or chopsticks, 57% still use them.
Of the 7 who received a textile or stationery, 29% do.

A meal comes every day, so a bowl or a pair of chopsticks gets a daily chance to be used.
A wrapping cloth or a notebook waits for an occasion that may never come.
Among these gifts, use followed how often the moment comes.
And a gift that gets used does one more thing.

Most who use their gift would give the same kind of item

Whether respondents would give the same kind of item, by how they use their gift
Step	Group	Answer	Respondents	Out of
The 22 who use or stored their gift, by current use	Still use it (12)	Yes	9	12
The 22 who use or stored their gift, by current use	Still use it (12)	Maybe	3	12
The 22 who use or stored their gift, by current use	Stored away (10)	Yes	3	10
The 22 who use or stored their gift, by current use	Stored away (10)	Maybe	3	10
The 22 who use or stored their gift, by current use	Stored away (10)	No	4	10

9 of the 12 who use theirs would give the same kind of item.
Among the 10 who stored it, 3 would.
Across all 30, 13 said they would give the same kind of item.

The intent to give the same item again sits with those who use it.
A gift kept in the cupboard is rarely the one its owner passes on.
The gift that keeps being given is the one that keeps being used.

Main reason by current use

Stored away

Fear of damage

Used often

Fit with a daily routine

On display

Display appeal

Used sometimes

Reminder of the giver

Given away or thrown out

No occasion to use

Every answer, one respondent per row
#	State	Age, gender	Gift category	Occasion	Current use	Reason	Would give the same
R01	Utah	35–44 · Man	Textile (wrapping cloth, hand towel)	Wedding	Given away or thrown out	Lack of space	No
R02	Arizona	55+ · Man	Textile (wrapping cloth, hand towel)	Holiday	Stored away	Fear of damage	No
R03	Texas	25–34 · Woman	Chopsticks	Holiday	Used often	Fit with a daily routine	Yes
R04	New York	25–34 · Woman	Tableware	Travel souvenir	Used often	Fit with a daily routine	Yes
R05	Oregon	18–24 · Man	Tableware	Birthday	Used sometimes	Reminder of the giver	Yes
R06	Florida	25–34 · Woman	Decorative object	Holiday	Used often	Fit with a daily routine	Yes
R07	Pennsylvania	45–54 · Man	Textile (wrapping cloth, hand towel)	Birthday	On display	Display appeal	Yes
R08	Florida	45–54 · Woman	Sake set	Holiday	Stored away	Fear of damage	Yes
R09	Ohio	55+ · Woman	Decorative object	Holiday	On display	Display appeal	Maybe
R10	Oregon	35–44 · Man	Tableware	Holiday	Used sometimes	Comfort in use	Yes
R11	Washington	35–44 · Man	Tableware	Thank-you gift	Used sometimes	Reminder of the giver	Yes
R12	California	45–54 · Woman	Chopsticks	Wedding	Used often	Comfort in use	Yes
R13	Arizona	35–44 · Man	Tableware	Travel souvenir	Stored away	Fear of damage	Maybe
R14	Texas	55+ · Woman	Chopsticks	Travel souvenir	Given away or thrown out	No occasion to use	No
R15	Indiana	18–24 · Man	Decorative object	Travel souvenir	Stored away	Care effort	Maybe
R16	New York	18–24 · Man	Tableware	Holiday	Given away or thrown out	No occasion to use	No
R17	California	45–54 · Woman	Tableware	Wedding	Stored away	Fear of damage	Yes
R18	Maryland	25–34 · Woman	Chopsticks	Holiday	Used often	Comfort in use	Maybe
R19	California	18–24 · Man	Stationery	Thank-you gift	Used often	Fit with a daily routine	Yes
R20	California	25–34 · Man	Stationery	Travel souvenir	Used often	Fit with a daily routine	Maybe
R21	California	25–34 · Man	Decorative object	Holiday	On display	Display appeal	No
R22	Arizona	25–34 · Woman	Chopsticks	Travel souvenir	Used often	Fit with a daily routine	Yes
R23	Tennessee	55+ · Man	Sake set	Travel souvenir	On display	Display appeal	Maybe
R24	Michigan	45–54 · Woman	Sake set	Travel souvenir	Used sometimes	Fit with a daily routine	Maybe
R25	Georgia	55+ · Woman	Stationery	Travel souvenir	On display	Display appeal	Maybe
R26	New York	55+ · Woman	Tableware	Wedding	Stored away	Fear of damage	Maybe
R27	Texas	35–44 · Woman	Tableware	Travel souvenir	Stored away	Care effort	Yes
R28	Ohio	55+ · Man	Decorative object	Birthday	Stored away	Fear of damage	No
R29	Michigan	18–24 · Woman	Textile (wrapping cloth, hand towel)	Travel souvenir	Stored away	Fear of damage	No
R30	Indiana	35–44 · Woman	Sake set	Birthday	Stored away	Care effort	No

In their own words

Age 25–34 · Woman · Texas
Gift: chopsticks · used often

“I use the chopsticks almost every night.
They are the first pair I reach for.”

Age 45–54 · Woman · Florida
Gift: sake set · stored away

“I’m afraid of chipping it, so it stays in the cupboard.”

Age 55+ · Man · Tennessee
Gift: sake set · on display

“It sits on a shelf.
I would use it if I had people over more often.”

Choosing a Japanese gift that gets used

Pick something used at the table every day, such as a bowl or a pair of chopsticks.
Say it is meant for everyday use, so it does not join the good china in the cabinet.

About this survey

Survey

MJC Gift Afterlife Survey

Conducted by

Modern Japan Crafts

Respondents

30 adults living in the United States who received a Japanese-made item as a gift at least a year ago

Fielded

October 2026

Method

Online survey.
Respondents described the Japanese gift and the occasion in their own words.
They chose how they use it today from five options.
They explained why in their own words, without seeing options.
Two people coded the open answers independently.
Last, they said whether they would give the same kind of item themselves.

Questions

1. What Japanese item did you receive as a gift, and for what occasion? (open-ended)
2. How do you use it today? (use it often / use it sometimes / keep it on display / keep it stored away / gave it away or threw it out)
3. Why? (open-ended)
4. If you were the one giving, would you choose the same kind of item? (yes / maybe / no)

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