Valentine’s Day in Japan
Although in most western countries it is more traditional for men to give chocolate or flowers to women on Valentine’s Day, here in Japan it’s the opposite.
Apparently Valentine’s Day was introduced in Japan in 1958, by a Japanese confectionery company. On that day, women are supposed to give chocolate to the man they like, in order to declare their affection without having to put it into words. If they agree, men are supposed to reciprocate a month later, on White Day (March 14th), by giving cookies as a favorable reply.
What I’ve heard but can’t confirm from any reliable source, is that the company who introduced Valentine’s Day in 1958 first tried to market it as it is in western countries, but apparently failed in their effort, as men wouldn’t buy chocolate for the object of their love. As it is more traditional for men to declare their love to women in Japan, the company thought it would be a great way for women to express their feelings without the “embarrassment” of actually saying it, and switched their marketing campaign towards women. The new strategy worked well, and in 1965, a marshmallow company invented “Marshmallow Day” (which became “White Day” later on), a scheme to boost their sales by encouraging men into buying their product as a reply to the chocolate they had received on Valentine’s day.
Urban legend? Who knows? The whole custom snowballed since then, and now Japanese women give chocolate not only to potential boyfriends, but also to friends, family members, and co-workers they like. They even sell kits for women to “make” chocolate, by giving them shapes they like.
Giving chocolate from one’s own will is one thing, but the custom also extended to the work place, where women have to give chocolate to all their male co-workers, and especially their boss. This is called giri-choco (giri meaning “duty” and choco being short for “chocolate”). I presume this part of the custom came into being in order not to make unpopular or married men at the work place sad or jealous, as only the more eligible bachelors would get all the chocolate from female employees.
Sylvain,
According to a news story today on the international wires, today Japanese women often buy chocolates just for themselves. More here:
http://ca.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=oddlyEnoughNews&storyID=2006-02-13T130940Z_01_T200795_RTRIDST_0_LIFESTYLE-LIFE-JAPAN-VALENTINES-COL.XML
Japanese women treat *themselves* on Valentine’s Day
Mon Feb 13, 2006
By Miho Yoshikawa
TOKYO (Reuters) - It used to be Japanese women gave men a gift of chocolates on Valentine’s Day.
These days, they’re more likely to buy pricey chocolates costing up to $200 a box as a treat for themselves.
“It’s a small luxury that I allow myself,” said 39-year-old Reiko Nozawa, who usually buys champagne truffles for herself and a few other chocolates to share with her husband.
Nozawa is not alone.
Makers of 60 premium chocolate brands have set up special booths at Takashimaya Co., a department store in central Tokyo, where boxes of chocolates costing as much as 10,000-20,000 yen ($84-$168) are selling briskly, helped by Japan’s economic recovery.
“There’s been a trend the past two or three years for women to buy chocolates for themselves, as a sort of pat on the back for having worked hard,” said Takashimaya spokeswoman Yoko Yanagisawa.
That can be on top of what they spend on others.
“I think I’ll buy some premium chocolates for myself,” said Yoshiko Okajima, a fashionably attired working mother, as she checked out chocolates for herself after spending 7,000 yen on her husband and 8-year-old son.
Tokyo is filled with Valentine Day chocolate ads in the days leading up to February 14, and some manufacturers rake in about 20-30 percent of their annual sales in a few short weeks.
Until recently, most Japanese women bought cellophane-wrapped sweets in bulk from drugstores to give to colleagues or school friends as an “obligatory chocolate” on Valentine’s Day.
A month later on “White Day” men return the favor by giving women gifts — usually sweets but sometimes lingerie. Continued …
© Reuters 2006. All Rights Reserved.
February 14th, 2006 at 12:09 amMy Japanese wife is always saying “here is Japan, you have to do!”. But then of course, on Valentine’s day she insists on following the western custom of men giving chocolates. Bloody women.
February 14th, 2006 at 10:26 amhttp://www.latimes.com/business/la-021306love_lat,0,383892.story?coll=la-hom
It Turns Out Money Can Buy Love, After All
February 14, 2006
Men are from Mars, women are from Deloitte & Touche.
That seems to be the conclusion of a new survey ‹ just in time for
Valentine’s Day ‹ that found that American men want a woman with a good sense of
humor, while US women prefer a guy who has a steady job and pays his bills on
time.
“And they say money can’t buy you love,” quipped Judy Martindale, a
financial planner in San Luis Obispo. “It’s sort of a sad commentary.”
The survey of 1,022 adults was commissioned by the Fair Isaac Corp., the
firm that generates the FICO scores used to rate personal creditworthiness.
The findings indicated that good credit wasn’t important just for getting a
loan, the company said, but for finding a mate as well. For example, men and
women said being financially responsible was more important than sexual
compatibility when it came to sustaining a relationship.
At the same time, the survey found that spending a few frivolous dollars can
advance the cause of romance. Buying four dozen roses “just because” was
considered “wonderfully romantic” by 69% of respondents, as was being taken
out to a nice meal by 94%.
Among other findings:
.Whether your significant other has credit problems ranked fifth among the
list of “must know” facts before making a commitment. The other facts, in
order, were whether the person was divorced or already married, had spent
time in jail, had trouble making romantic commitments or likes to gamble.
.For men, the most important qualities in a spouse were, in order: a good
sense of humor, an ability to get along with his family, a steady job/good
credit history (a tie for third place), desire for children and a good
kisser.
.Among women, the top qualities were a steady job, paying bills on time, a
February 14th, 2006 at 1:55 pmgood sense of humor, an ability to get along with her family, desire for
children and a clean driving record.
Saying it in Japanese
Let’s face it — Japan can be a bit odd at times, never more so than when rituals are involved. Today, of course, is the perfect opportunity for the rules-and-regulations crowd to lay down the law. Click on to…
February 14th, 2006 at 2:27 pmDon’t forget about lezzie choco when girls give to their female friends. Not making it up.
February 14th, 2006 at 2:32 pm[...]
Happy fabricated holiday!
Japundit has a nice post on Valentine’s day in Japan, the possible origin, and where it’s at today. What I’ve hea [...]
February 15th, 2006 at 12:34 am[...] unazukin - something cute from japan - new ds light - teddy bear mp3 player - uber cute - valentine’s day - japanese style - become a chowderhead DPZ training - ff x - [...]
February 15th, 2006 at 4:49 am”For men, the most important qualities in a spouse were, in order: a good
sense of humor, an ability to get along with his family, a steady job/good
credit history (a tie for third place), desire for children and a good
kisser.
.Among women, the top qualities were a steady job, paying bills on time, a
good sense of humor, an ability to get along with her family, desire for
children and a clean driving record.”
Ok thats so depressing O.o; the main thing women are looking for is money…. of course the survey isn’t totally accurate but its still a good indication. Im sure that it was messed up somehow such as the people doing the survey were thinking about if they already got on with their partner what could mess it up so put money first.
February 16th, 2006 at 4:39 am[...] y to all of their male co-workers. There’s even a hilarious, ridiculous word for it: giri-choco (meaning “chocolate duty”). (I should confess my weakness for the unbelievab [...]
February 17th, 2006 at 4:59 am[...] February 14, 2006 at 8:49 am · Filed under quick http://japundit.com/archives/2006/02/14/1992/ [...]
March 2nd, 2007 at 2:45 pm[...] Read entire post at Japundit [...]
December 22nd, 2007 at 1:31 pm