The best gifts of the year

We asked all of our CNNGo City Editors to compile a list of the best gifts of the year -- from music, to tech to where your money can really make a difference.  Click on the links above for each individual list -- but below are the pick for those living or working in Asia or just passing through.

The good cause gift

Nike is the latest brand to go RED as part of the "The Global Fund" to fight AIDS/HIV, malaria and tuberculosis. With its “Lace Up, Save Lives” campaign, Nike will donate half of the profits from lace sales to The Global Fund, while the other half will go to programs that educate people about AIDS through football. (Purchase online).

For audiophiles

There are not many out there that can rival Singapore-founded Creative when it comes to a full-bodied audio experience. The Creative Inspire S2 Speakers are wireless -- seamlessly connecting with your laptops, desktops and other devices with Bluetooth capability. Perfect for house parties or just chilling in your room while watching "The Matrix" on Blu Ray. Price: S$219 (US$156 -- Purchase Onine.) Check out our Singapore gift guide HERE.

The big ticket

Shanghai is hosting the 2010 Expo, a get-together of the entire world beginning next May. Anyone who has come close to Shanghai can't have missed the Expo mascot Haibao frolicking all over town for the past year or so promoting the thing. It will be a no-holds-barred spectacular. So, for those wanting to attend, buy your friend a single day-pass (RMB 160, about US$23), but with 70 million expected visitors, buy another one for yourself as well and offer to fend off the crowds together. Buyer beware: Be sure to buy your ticket from an authorized ticketing agent. Shanghai 2010 Expo, May 1 to Oct 31, 2010. +86 21 962010, en.expo2010.cn. For more Shanghai gifts ideas click HERE.

The Japanese bestseller

Although still only available in Japanese, the first two volumes of Haruki Murakami's latest book Haruki Murakami's "1Q84" were 2009's best-selling in Japan. Hardcore Murakami fans generally do not consider it his finest work, but with so many fellow readers and the final volume out in Summer 2010, reading "1Q84" is a rare chance to get in touch with both the zeitgeist and your literary side. Price: ¥1,890 per volume. (Purchase Japanese Edition Here.) For more Japanese gifts click HERE.

Album of the decade

Wunderkind Shugo Tokumaru released his third album "Exit" at the very end of 2008, but the album still makes a great 2009 gift as possibly the best Japanese album of the entire decade. Regardless of your musical interests or language, it's worth owning. Mixing compositional genius, expert guitar work, and a toybox of digitally-processed children's instruments, Tokumaru has been able to create an entirely new pop form both pleasing to casual listeners and hardcore music geeks. Watch videos for "Parachute" and "Green Rain" for a sample. Price: ¥2,500 list price (converts to US$28). (Purchase Online) For more Japanese gifts click HERE.

The unisex gadget

The PSP Go, which debuted in Hong Kong ahead of the Japan launch date, is 50 percent smaller, lighter and easier to hold than it's predecessor and has a sleek streamlined look, making it a great unisex gadget. Price: US$249.99 (Purchase Online)

For the enviro-conscious

A truly selfless green gift is donating to an environmental philanthropy on a friend’s behalf. Roots & Shoots, the brainchild of Jane Goodall, is an international philanthropic organization with the aim to “educate youths about environmental issues and humanitarian values.” For RMB 25 (around US$3.60) each, you can buy a tree for Roots & Shoots' Million Tree Project to help stop desertification in China as well as offset the gift receiver’s carbon footprint (which you can approximate online). With a green gift as easy as this one, everyone can breath a bit easier.  Million Tree Project, Shanghai Roots & Shoots, +86 21 6352 3580, info@mtpchina.org, www.mtpchina.org. For more of Shanghai's best gifts click HERE.

 

Urban Foundtry's slick designs.

For the home

First conceived in 2002 by founder-designer Felix Low, Singapore's Urban Foundry has since taken the local market by storm with its contemporary and minimalistic designs. A design-centric furniture manufacturer and retailer, it follows the principle of "form and function as one collective unit," which is the secret behind Urban Foundry’s innovative and clever creations.

To further cement the company’s stellar reputation for aesthetics and quality, Low was also recently commissioned to design armchairs and side tables to showcase local creative talent at the APEC 2009 Summit. Check out more of Singapore's best gifts HERE.

For the gamer

Final Fantasy XIII for the PS3, the newest installment of Japan's favorite role playing game released on December 17. The game could be a bust, but with huge sales predicted, you'll at least have a topic of conversation with your gamer friends for the first half of the year. Price: ¥7,979 (US$89 for PlayStation 3). Available in North America in March, 2010. For more Japanese gifts ideas click HERE.

For the art lover

If it is art you are looking to purchase, among the year's highlights is in Mumbai where KK Raghava's show opened this month. At the preview he painted live, standing on wooden stool with a tin can of chalk. Someone bought that entire room. His grotesquely beautiful paintings earned the Bangalore-raised, now Brooklyn-based artist a ticket to the TED Conference in 2010 -- as a speaker. Showing at Art Musings till January 20. Check the artist's link above for details of other exhibitions and collections. In Mumbia: Art Musings, 1 Admiralty Building, Colaba Cross Lane, tel. +91 (0) 22 2216 3339, 2218 6071. For more of Mumbai's best gifts click HERE.

For hipsters

In Hong Kong, toy cameras are now the hipster accessory of choice and low-fi photography fans are re-emerging like mad. Pick either a Holga or the Qing Hua Diana F+ by Dorothy Tang. For Hong Kong gift suggestions click HERE.