Valentine's Day for Men

Like so many other western holidays, Valentine's Day has been a big event in Japan. It retains the the special hearts, the red and pink, the chocolate and the flower associations, but has changed in other dramatic ways. In Japan, it is more of a holiday for men. Women give presents, sometimes many or simply one elaborate present to the men in their lives.

Coworkers, children and significant others can all expect presents on this day. At my office, our female staffers offered chocolates to the teachers. (They did not specify whether this was for only men or not so I gladly took part in eating the presents). In some buildings women offer giri-choko or Obligation Chocolate to office workers which can be very delicous and expensive chocolates. Luckily, this year I bought only one box of chocolate from my local train station. It was beautifully wrapped, as all Japanese presents are, and was delivered to my staff who happened to be leaving my branch that day. It was not expensive, but certianly delicious I hope.

However, there is an upside to Valentine's being a holiday for men. A clever company decided to invent a holiday for couples that focuses all attention on women: White Day. Lucky men who were given chocolate can now return the favor by presenting their loved ones with marshmellows. Yes, that's right: marshmellows.

The holiday was marketed by a marshmellow company back in the 1960's. Since then other companies have been as taken with the holiday as women are and have branched out in their offerings. It is not just as popular to give white chocolate, and increasingly lingerie. Today, while shopping I saw hand towels (incredibly useful in public bathrooms where hand-driers or paper-towels are absent) molded into flower shapes and delicately wrapped on sale under a large banner reading White Day. It appears I should have given out more chocolate, because I really could use a hand towel...