White Day

Back in Feburary I blogged about Japanese style Valentine's Day, and now here we are a month later (so fast! I can't believe it) and it was just White Day on March 14th. White day was invented as a day for the man to return the favor to the women and give her some chocolate. Really it should be white chocolate, or perhaps marshmallows, because it's White Day and thats why the National Confectionery Industry Association made White day - to sell white candy!


Well Shouma sent me an e-card for White Day. The card was from a Japanese website, and whenever I tried to open the link I got sent to a "forbidden server" page. It was/is really quite annoying because it's the first time I ever got something for white day. Even if it is a super cheap e-card. I wonder if he thought about sanbai gaeshi, meaning a White day gift should have a value of about 3 times more then the Valentine's gift.

So I say to him last night "I sent you real stuff, real chocolate in the mail on Valentine's day, why did you just send me an e-card?"Answer: "Because you're on a diet." I know that White day was invented to sell marshmallows and white chocolate, but that doesn't mean you have to buy those things. At this point it could be anything white. I would've been fine with a gashapon, or some character good that featured the color white predominately. Oh well, there's always next year.

Giri-choco and Vday

I think anyone who has interest in Japan probably know a bit about Japan's version of Valentines, but I will give a quick summary of it before I talk more heavly about it.

Basically Valentine's Day in Japan is celebrated by girls and women giving chocolate to men. There is no boys giving to girls, and no classmates passing around paper greetings.

There are levels of chocolate too. Honmei-choco (prospective winner chocolate) is for your romantic interest, giri-choco (obligation chocolate) is for your male co-workers, boss, etc. and tomo-choco (friend chocolate) is for your friends. In addition to chocolate, a woman may also give a necktie or other other type of nice present to her partner for Valentines. It seems a tad commericial and un-fair, but there is a complimentary holiday, called White Day on which the men must return the favor and give a present to the women whom gave them chocolate. The candy companies invented this holiday as a way to market white chocolate and marshmellows, but now man give a wide variety of gifts.

The Japanese have a wide array of opinions on these holiday traditions, but the most common seems to be that they feel it helps aid communication (in the case of giri-choco). It seems a bit absurd to western views that chocolate can help office communications run smoother, but in a reserved society like Japan, it might just do the trick.

I asked Shouma if he had gotten any chocolate today and he said no and was glad for it. When I asked him why he felt that way he explained: "It's better to not get chocolate, because then I don't have to spend any money later (White Day)"- He should count himself lucky that he is not an american man, and expected to give chocolate, flowers, a card, buy dinner and perhaps even jewelry.

What is the best gift to recieve on Valentines in my opinion? I'd have to say it's the chocolate okonomiyaki made by Tora-ya. It looks as good as real okonomiyaki and tastes even better.

Happy Valentine's Day!