Valentine's Day is a popular holiday worldwide. However, Japanese people have adopted new customs for this day. Unlike in the West where people mutually exchange gifts, Japanese women give mostly chocolate to men on this day. Men are not expected to give women any presents to women on this day. Men are expected to give presents to women on White Day which is on March 14th.
Here is an entry from Wikipedia discussing Valentine's Day in Japan.
This year, there is a new trend in chocolate buying and giving called 自分チョコ zibunchoco (myself choco) which is chocolate that you buy for yourself. Recently, Japanese news has reported that zibun choco has increased 40 percent.Japan
In Japan, Morozoff Ltd. introduced the holiday for the first time in 1936, when it ran an advertisement aimed at foreigners. Later in 1953 it began promoting the giving of heart-shaped chocolates; other Japanese confectionery companies followed suit thereafter. In 1958 the Isetan department store ran a "Valentine sale". Further campaigns during the 1960s popularized the custom.[76][77]
The custom that only women give chocolates to men appears to have originated from the translation error of a chocolate-company executive during the initial campaigns.[78][citation needed] In particular, office ladies give chocolate to their co-workers. Unlike western countries, gifts such as greeting cards,[78] candies, flowers, or dinner dates[74] are uncommon, and most of the activity about the gifts is about giving the right amount of chocolate to each person.[78] Japanese chocolate companies make half their annual sales during this time of the year.[78]
Many women feel obliged to give chocolates to all male co-workers, except when the day falls on a Sunday, a holiday. This is known as giri-choko (義理チョコ), from giri ("obligation") and choko, ("chocolate"), with unpopular co-workers receiving only "ultra-obligatory" chō-giri choko cheap chocolate. This contrasts with honmei-choko (本命チョコ, favorite chocolate), chocolate given to a loved one. Friends, especially girls, may exchange chocolate referred to as tomo-choko (友チョコ); from tomo meaning "friend".[79]
In the 1980s the Japanese National Confectionery Industry Association launched a successful campaign to make March 14 a "reply day", where men are expected to return the favour to those who gave them chocolates on Valentine's Day, calling it White Day for the color of the chocolates being offered. A previous failed attempt to popularize this celebration had been done by a marshmallow manufacturer who wanted men to return marshmallows to women.[76][77]
Men are expected to return gifts that are at least two or three times more valuable than the gifts received in Valentine's Day. Not returning the gift is perceived as the man placing himself in a position of superiority, even if excuses are given. Returning a present of equal value is considered as a way to say that you are cutting the relationship. Originally only chocolate was given, but now the gifts of jewelry, accessories, clothing and lingerie are usual. According to the official website of White Day, the color white was chosen because it's the color of purity, evoking "pure, sweet teen love", and because it's also the color of sugar. The initial name was "Ai ni Kotaeru White Day" (Answer Love on White Day).[76][77]
In Japan, the romantic "date night" associated to Valentine's Day is celebrated on Christmas Eve.[80]
In a 2006 survey of people between 10 and 49 years of age in Japan, Oricon Style found the 1986 Sayuri Kokushō single, Valentine Kiss, to be the most popular Valentine's Day song, even though it sold only 317,000 copies.[81] The singles it beat in the ranking were number one selling Love Love Love from Dreams Come True (2,488,630 copies) and Valentine's Radio from Yumi Matsutoya (1,606,780 copies). The final song in the top five was My Funny Valentine by Miles Davis.[81]
Also, there is another new and somewhat strange and sad trend that popped this year for Valentine's Day called chocolate insurance (チョコ保険). According the site valentine-hoken.com, a person can buy an insurance plan for 500 yen through PayPal, and you are guaranteed chocolate from a beautiful woman on Valentine's Day. What is even more strange, the further you look on the website, you will that the website claims that this site is for exclusively selling chocolate and not insurance.
Plus, there was a reported protest by small group of men protesting ValentIne's Day. They claim that they do not want chocolate from woman, and people should stop the practice of giving chocolate on Valentine's Day. This was a very small protest, about 20 to 30 people showed up.
If you are looking to buy some chocolate for a friend (tomochoco 友チョコ) or chocolate for yourself (zibunchoco 自分チョコ), you can go to any major department store to go chocolate shopping. Japanese department stores have special chocolate events selling various types of boutique chocolate. You will find some major brands such as Godiva or Laudree and some famous chocolate makers from across Japan and abroad. Takashimaya Department Store is holding their special chocolate event called "Amour du Chocolate" (Love of Chocolate).
Besides department stores holding special Valentine's Day events, you can find chocolate sales at most stores including Don Quixote.
Here is a collection of pics that I took that highlights the different chocolate events in Japan.
Also, local breweries are producing chocolate beer. Kinsachi from Nagoya released their Imperial Chocolate Stout and Chocolate Draft just in time for Valentine's Day. Dining Dojo will doing a review on both of these products.
From Dining Dojo to everyone out there: Happy Valentine's Day
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