Therefore, as long as you have made friends with the local community, you are very likely to receive chocolates from your female friends on Valentine’s Day. Japanese people value relationships and often take the initiative to nurture them. Giri Choco (Obligation Chocolates)Ĭhocolates that are of lesser priority to Japanese ladies are known as “giri choco” (義理チョコ), which are essentially obligation chocolates. Regardless of whether these chocolates are store-bought or homemade, one thing’s for sure: you are the chosen one, so congratulations are in order! 2. Some ladies may not be able to spare the time to make chocolates by hand, but will nonetheless want to confess their feelings for a special someone. Hence, if you receive a box of fancy handmade chocolates, count yourself blessed, for your giver has obviously invested a lot of time and effort into customizing chocolates to your preference.Īnother way to know that you have been bestowed with honmei choco is when the chocolates look exquisite and sophisticated, not unlike precious jewels. This is because many Japanese ladies – not wanting to settle for store-bought chocolates – are fervent about making honmei chocolates from scratch by themselves. When Valentine’s Day is around the corner, many supermarkets, specialty baking stores, and even 100 yen shops will display a wide array of baking tools and equipment. So, only one lucky person will get the privilege of feasting on a box of honmei choco. The word “honmei” means “true feelings,” so these chocolates are a demonstration of her love and affection for the man she most desires. However, the one gift that is closest to her heart will be “honmei choco” (本命チョコ). Not wanting to leave anyone out, a Japanese lady will usually give out chocolates to all her friends and associates. The Types of Chocolate Given on Valentine’s Day in Japan 1. One last fun fact about White Day: some guys, who go all out to impress the lady they love, will practice “sanbai gaeshi” (三倍返し, meaning three times the return) and prepare a gift that is three times the monetary value of the chocolates they received on February 14. However, do not worry too much about the potential meaning of your gift if you know it is something the recipient will enjoy and you make your feelings clear! Cookies offer the meaning of friendship, and macarons are for special people. Candies mean you like the person, and the flavor of the candy can even denote the level of the relationship. For instance, marshmallows, although the original White Day gift, can now be assumed to mean you dislike the receiver and were unhappy about receiving their Valentine’s chocolate. What’s noteworthy is that different gifts can be perceived as having certain meanings. On White Day, although many gentlemen choose to give ladies white chocolates and other white gifts, they do not specifically have to choose white gifts. This initiative soon caught on in Japan and is now anticipated with much fervor by Valentine’s Day gift-givers. March 14 is known as “White Day,” and the origin of this day dates back to 1978, when a department store called Iwataya launched the celebration as “Marshmallow Day.” It then changed it to “White Day” so as to afford people more possibilities due to its open-ended nature. In an interesting display of the reciprocal nature of relationships in Japan, Japanese men are expected to return the favor and offer their lady friends gifts one month later, on March 14. Lest that you think that Japanese guys are let off the hook when it comes to Valentine’s Day, read on. Not only that, ladies who wish to handmake their own chocolates can have a whale of a time buying ingredients and baking tools that will enable them to flaunt their baking skills. Ladies are indeed spoilt for choice as the limitless availability of flavors, designs, shapes, and sizes empower them to choose the ideal gift that will satisfy their romantic interest’s palate and convey their feelings. The rest is history, as come every Valentine’s Day, leading department stores and confectioneries in Japan dazzle their customers with a wide array of chocolate treats. Since some of the first advertisements for Valentine’s Day misconstrued it as a day whereby ladies gave men chocolates, Japanese women – who were normally too shy to confess their feelings for a special someone – quickly adopted this tradition so that they could make their emotions known. Momentum picked up, with other chocolate companies following suit. Word has it that in the 1950s, a Japanese confectioner called Mary Chocolate sold heart-shaped chocolates at its flagship store in Shinjuku, Tokyo. So how did this curious turn of affairs come about? Why was it that Japanese ladies felt compelled to give men chocolates on Valentine’s Day?
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