3 Ways to Wrap a Gift Japanese Style

Co-authored by Hannah Madden

Wrapping presents can feel like a chore, especially if you have a lot to wrap all at once. If you’d like to make your gift wrapping look neater and go a little faster, you can pick between these 3 Japanese wrapping hacks. If you’d like to stick with wrapping paper, go for the department store or kimono style. If you want to experiment with fabric, pick the furoshiki style. No matter which one you choose, with a little practice and some patience, you can wrap all of your gifts in no time!

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Department Store Style

1
Cut out a piece of wrapping paper about 3 times the size of your present. The paper should be able to wrap and cover your entire present on all 4 sides. Do a rough estimation, then use sharp scissors to cut out your wrapping paper.^{[1]
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- If your box is square, use a square piece of paper. If it’s rectangular, cut out a rectangular piece of paper.
- You don’t have to be super precise with your measuring skills here. If there’s too much wrapping paper, you can always cut it off later.
- This method of wrapping works best if your gift is in a square or rectangular box.
2
Scoot the present close to one corner on the diagonal. Spread your piece of wrapping paper out flat on a table or countertop and put your present in the center of the paper, then tilt it so it’s sitting at a diagonal. Keeping the gift at a diagonal, push it toward the corner that’s closest to you. Try to leave about 2 inches (5.1 cm) of space between the edge of the gift and the corner of the wrapping paper.^{[2]
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- If you scoot your present too far, you won’t have any paper to work with. Make sure there’s still a little bit of wrapping paper on all sides of your gift box.
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3
Fold the corner up and over the present, then hold it in place. Grab the corner closest to you and push it up and over the present. Fold the creases down with your finger, then hold the corner in place with one hand for now.^{[3]
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4
Pull the left edge of the paper over the left side of the present. Keeping one hand on the top corner of the paper, use your free hand to crease the wrapping paper over the left side of the present. Press in with one finger to fold the paper along the edge of your gift.^{[4]
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- The harder you crease your folds, the better they will stay.
5
Tape the left side of the paper to the present. Use clear tape so that you can’t see it as much. Make sure the left side of the wrapping paper holds down the center piece, too, so that you can let go without letting your paper unfold.^{[5]
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- Classic Japanese gift wrapping often does not involve tape. If you want to stay true to that, skip the tape and instead make sure your folds are super creased so that they stay on their own.
6
Fold and tape the right side of the paper over the present. Grab the right side of the wrapping paper and fold it in over your gift, pressing in with your pointer finger to make the crease. Use another piece of tape to attach the paper to the gift and hold it in place.^{[6]
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- Your present should now look like a huge envelope that’s open at the top.
7
Pull the top part of the paper over the present, creasing each side. Press in on the corners to make your folds as you pull the paper downward. The more you press in, the better your paper will hold on its own.^{[7]
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- This fold can be a little tough to do neatly! You may have to try it a couple of times before it looks perfect.
8
Tape the top part of the paper to the present. If the flap is too large, trim off the excess first. Make sure your creases are holding in place, then add one more piece of tape to close up your gift.^{[8]
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- If you decided not to use tape for the other 2 sides of paper, you’ll need at least one piece here. If you really don’t want to use tape, wrap a ribbon around your gift to hold the folds in place.
9
Add bows, twine, or ribbon to finish off your gift. You can embellish your gift any way that you’d like! Add a to/from tag, stick a bow on it, or curl a few ribbons around it.^{[9]
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- Try picking out decorations that match the color of your wrapping paper.
- If you used plain wrapping paper, go for twine or silver ribbon.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Kimono Style

1
Cut out a piece of wrapping paper that’s about 3 times the size of your gift. Your measurements don’t have to be exact, but the wrapping paper should be able to cover your entire gift. Use sharp scissors to cut out a sheet of wrapping paper that’s slightly rectangular.^{[10]
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- This wrapping style works best on a gift that’s in a rectangular box.
2
Place your gift in the center of the paper, then tape down the top edge. Spread the wrapping paper out on a flat surface, then put your gift in the middle of it. Fold down the top edge until it’s about 2/3 of the way down your gift box, then tape down the wrapping paper with a piece of clear tape.^{[11]
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- You won’t be able to see this piece of tape when the wrapping is done, so don’t worry about making it look neat.
3
Push in the left side and make a deep crease. Keeping the gift centered, push the left side of the wrapping paper in toward the box. Press the paper against the left side of the box and use your hand to crease the edges where they naturally bend.^{[12]
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- This will make a large triangle on top of the gift in the center.
4
Do the same thing to the right side of the paper. Press the right side of the wrapping paper in toward the box and crease the edges where the paper naturally bends. You should see 2 triangles made of wrapping paper now.^{[13]
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5
Fold the 2 triangles on top of each other over the gift. You can put the left one down first or the right one down first. Make sure they sit directly on top of each other, then smooth them down.^{[14]
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- You don’t need to add tape to these triangles since the other folds will hold them down.
6
Fold the remaining wrapping paper over the gift and tape the sides down. Grab the left side of the wrapping paper (the part that isn’t on your gift), then fold it over the center of the box. Do the same thing with the right side, then stick them together with double sided tape.^{[15]
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- Using double sided tape ensures that you won’t be able to see it from the outside.
7
Push the remaining paper in and tape it down. Pick the box up and focus on the area that isn’t closed up yet. Crease the edges in with your fingers to fold them down, then put a small piece of tape in the center to hold them closed.^{[16]
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- Add a bow or a ribbon to the box for extra decoration!

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Furoshiki Style

1
Cut a piece of fabric into a square about 3 times the size of the gift. Your measurements don’t have to be exact, but it’s better to go too big rather than too small. You can use any kind of fabric that you’d like as long as it’s sturdy enough to support your gift.^{[17]
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- For a little extra flair, pick a colorful or printed fabric.
2
Place the gift in the center of the square and fold up the bottom corner. Spread your fabric out so it’s in a diamond shape in front of you, then put your gift directly in the center of the diamond. Pick up the bottom corner of the fabric and fold it over the gift, covering it completely.^{[18]
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- If there’s a lot of fabric hanging over the other side of the gift, fold the corner backwards on top of itself to tuck it in.
3
Fold the top corner of the fabric over the top of the gift. Keeping the gift in the center of the fabric, reach up and grab the topmost corner and pull it down. Tuck any excess fabric underneath the gift to make it look smooth and flat.^{[19]
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- You should now have a long, pointed rectangle shape.
4
Tie the 2 excess ends together on top of the gift. Grab the hanging ends of the fabric on the right and left side of the gift and pull them in toward the center. Tie them together in a double knot to make your fabric stay in place.^{[20]
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- If you want to make your gift look crisp and pristine, focus on creasing the edges of the fabric with your fingers before tying the knot.
5
Put a small decoration in the center of the knot as a final touch. You can use a small branch, a fake flower, or a bow. Slide one end of your decoration into the middle of the knot to make your present look perfect and cute!^{[21]
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- To unwrap the gift, just untie the knot and save the fabric to use again and again.