Valentine’s Day is a popular day in Japan, but probably not for reasons that you might expect. Sure, as is common in the United States, people give chocolates and other gifts to their significant others. In Japan, only women give these gifts on Valentine’s Day! Seems a bit unfair, right?
It doesn’t stop there, however. Women will also give a sort of gratitude chocolate set or other gift to men in their lives who have made an impact, whether personal or professionally. As these two gifts are for completely different purposes, a clear distinction must be made to prevent misunderstanding.
So when all is said and done, confectionery stores (okashiyasan) and supermarkets (supa-) make a hefty profit and everyone is happy; or at least, everyone is happy when one month passes and it becomes White Day, a Japan specific holiday where the method is flipped and men are expected to return the favor to the women who thought of them on Valentine’s Day.
Most of the students that I was studying with thought these two days were wonderful. Some of the girls in the class took it a step farther and passed out one piece of candy to each male student in the classroom. Did I forget to mention that the average White Day gift is expected to be worth more than and sometimes three times as much as the average Valentine’s Day gift? I had to keep track of who gave what, and if you ever go to Japan, I suggest you do too!
Japanese society is filled with such formalities, and at first I found it very difficult to adjust to. Certain gifts are given on certain holidays and occasions, but it seemed to me that a 1200yen box of sweets was almost always appropriate. I ended up buying quite a few of these boxes, as it seemed as if I was expected to bring a gift with me to any new place that I went. It was frustrating, as I was not used to buying gifts for people I hardly know, but I found that this was an effective way of making a good first impression when I couldn’t speak the language very well.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Valentine's Day
Article 3 - Valentine's Day
Valentine’s Day is a popular day in Japan, but probably not for reasons that you might expect. Sure, as is common in the United States, people give chocolates and other gifts to their significant others. In Japan, only women give these gifts on Valentine’s Day! Seems a bit unfair, right?
It doesn’t stop there, however. Women will also give a sort of gratitude chocolate set or other gift to men in their lives who have made an impact, whether personal or professionally. As these two gifts are for completely different purposes, a clear distinction must be made to prevent misunderstanding.
So when all is said and done, confectionery stores (okashiyasan) and supermarkets (supa-) make a hefty profit and everyone is happy; or at least, everyone is happy when one month passes and it becomes White Day, a Japan specific holiday where the method is flipped and men are expected to return the favor to the women who thought of them on Valentine’s Day.
Most of the students that I was studying with thought these two days were wonderful. Some of the girls in the class took it a step farther and passed out one piece of candy to each male student in the classroom. Did I forget to mention that the average White Day gift is expected to be worth more than and sometimes three times as much as the average Valentine’s Day gift? I had to keep track of who gave what, and if you ever go to Japan, I suggest you do too!
Japanese society is filled with such formalities, and at first I found it very difficult to adjust to. Certain gifts are given on certain holidays and occasions, but it seemed to me that a 1200yen box of sweets was almost always appropriate. I ended up buying quite a few of these boxes, as it seemed as if I was expected to bring a gift with me to any new place that I went. It was frustrating, as I was not used to buying gifts for people I hardly know, but I found that this was an effective way of making a good first impression when I couldn’t speak the language very well.
Valentine’s Day is a popular day in Japan, but probably not for reasons that you might expect. Sure, as is common in the United States, people give chocolates and other gifts to their significant others. In Japan, only women give these gifts on Valentine’s Day! Seems a bit unfair, right?
It doesn’t stop there, however. Women will also give a sort of gratitude chocolate set or other gift to men in their lives who have made an impact, whether personal or professionally. As these two gifts are for completely different purposes, a clear distinction must be made to prevent misunderstanding.
So when all is said and done, confectionery stores (okashiyasan) and supermarkets (supa-) make a hefty profit and everyone is happy; or at least, everyone is happy when one month passes and it becomes White Day, a Japan specific holiday where the method is flipped and men are expected to return the favor to the women who thought of them on Valentine’s Day.
Most of the students that I was studying with thought these two days were wonderful. Some of the girls in the class took it a step farther and passed out one piece of candy to each male student in the classroom. Did I forget to mention that the average White Day gift is expected to be worth more than and sometimes three times as much as the average Valentine’s Day gift? I had to keep track of who gave what, and if you ever go to Japan, I suggest you do too!
Japanese society is filled with such formalities, and at first I found it very difficult to adjust to. Certain gifts are given on certain holidays and occasions, but it seemed to me that a 1200yen box of sweets was almost always appropriate. I ended up buying quite a few of these boxes, as it seemed as if I was expected to bring a gift with me to any new place that I went. It was frustrating, as I was not used to buying gifts for people I hardly know, but I found that this was an effective way of making a good first impression when I couldn’t speak the language very well.
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