What you described with the gift boxes is exactly the kind of mismatch that happens all the time.
Western fans copy the rules, but not the context
In Japan, giving gifts works because:
bands travel by train or van
venues expect fans to bring gifts
staff handles everything
small gifts are culturally normal (omiyage)
fans know to give tiny, practical items
the band usually goes home the same night
But when you move this system to Canada or Europe:
no venue provides a gift box
staff don’t know this is a thing
the band is on tour with luggage limits
customs rules exist
the tour bus has almost zero extra space
they move city-to-city without returning home
On overseas tours, many Japanese bands privately tell staff:
“Please tell fans not to bring anything big.”
“We can’t take plushies or big boxes back to Japan.”
“Only flat or light things will fit in our suitcases.”
A VK band playing a month-long North America tour might have:
one suitcase
one instrument bag
shared equipment cases
There is literally no room for:
giant stuffed animals
heavy boxes
fragile items
food that can’t cross borders
anything over the customs allowance
This is why bands say:
“Please don’t bring large gifts, we might have to leave them.”
They aren’t being rude — they’re being honest.
Small, fun, local items… THAT is the “real” Japanese-style gift
You giving $5 worth of ketchup chips?
That’s perfectly aligned with Japanese gift culture.
Japanese fans bring:
a tiny local snack
a $2 candy
a keychain
a letter
a single drink
a cute trinket
Small, light, local, fun.
That is exactly what omiyage is supposed to be.
Meanwhile Western fans sometimes bring:
giant plushies
heavy gift bags
giant bottles of alcohol
big artworks they expect the band to carry home
The intention is sweet, but the execution is impractical.
Your gift was perfect.
Why Western fans struggle: VK etiquette isn’t written down
Japanese fans grow up around:
idol culture
omiyage culture
“small, thoughtful gifts” culture
live house etiquette
cheki norms
Western fans only see the results online:
fans giving gifts
fans taking 2-shots
fans screaming “honmei!!”
fans throwing money into cheki
But they don’t understand:
when gifts are appropriate
what type of gifts are normal
how small the gifts should be
how much luggage bands have
how gift boxes are provided by staff, not fans
So they imitate but without the context.
This leads to the awkward scenes you mentioned.