I’m sure you all know what day it is today! February 14! Yes, it must be Valentine’s Day, also here in Japan.
But in Japan, Valentine’s Day is a unique, and a little diffferent from other countries.

The basic rules of Valentine’s Day is that women give presents (mainly chocolates) to men. You will see tons of chocolates in box everywhere in Japan from early February. Moreover, Valentine’s Day is not only for lovers in Japan. Most of the women give something to men on the day. To family, friends, collegues, etc.

You will see some kinds of chocolates, and it depends on whom you give chocolates to.
The chocolate a woman gives to her loved one is called “Honmei choco (a true-love chocolate),” and the chocolate given to a man just for friedship or gratitude is called “Giri Choco (literally a duty chocolate).” There are some other types of chocolates and you can see more about it here. You will learn more about this unique Valentine’s Day in Japan when you come here in this season.

February 14th News, from NILS Japanese language school — Yoshi Tanaka