Gift certificate for Japan

I don't know how to feel when I receive a gift card, because gift cards say, 'Here, go buy something, but only at this one place.'

Sure, the gift card's thoughtful because the person who gave it to you knew that you liked shopping at a particular store, but really the gift card is just limiting where you can spend your money. Had they just given you cash, you could have spent that at a million more places. Now you can only spend it at that one place.

Next Christmas if someone gives me a gift card, I'm getting them some yen. They'll look at me like, 'Yen?' and I'll say, 'Yen. That's a gift certificate for Japan. Hope it's not too out of the way for you.'

(work.)