Especially For You - From Japan

Finally the Love Day is here, February 14th ....   Are you ready with your special gifts for your loved ones or prepare a "giri choco" for your colleague like the Japanese?  Here are my special gifts for readers, only available here in Japan and only during Valentine season.  

In Japan other than ordinary chocolates, you can choose a chocolate pendant or a chocolate strap for your mobile phone....  hm, tough choice for chocolate lovers, like me. The price is quite reasonable, starting from 2950 Yen, you can give a nice surprise to your loved ones.   These accessories are really made of chocolates.   They not only look sweet but also taste sweet.  

Alternatively, you can try Chocolate Ramen (ramen = noodles) at Menya Musashi, a ramen shop located in Ueno.    For recipes of these noodles, check out http://cook4health.blogspot.com/

on Valentine Day!

For those who loves noodles, i present you:

Chocolate Ramen - Dry Type  

Chocolate Ramen - Soup Type

Feeling thirsty on Valentine's Day, why not try: 

Chocolate Beer - Contains chocolate and even has chocolate flavor

Popular Gifts For Valentine Day

In Japan - The Women Buy

Other than the main gift of chocolate, Japanese women who spend extra for their loved ones, usually purchase one of these items for Valentine's Day:

Necktie, wallet, wristwatch, shawl, wine, home-made cooking,

 accessories, personal wear (underwear), romantic dinner together, travels.

In the US - The Men Buy

More than half of men -- 57.8 percent – say they'll buy flowers and almost one-in-five plans to purchase jewelry for Valentine's Day (ref. CBS News). 

Traditional gifts for Valentine day in the US are: Flower, chocolates, perfumes, lingerie, jewelry, accessories, romantic dinner & travels for some.

In Australia - Mostly Men's Task

Flowers are somewhat considered as a last minute gift to some people. Popular gift items on Australia's Valentine day are:

Chocolates, hampers & gift baskets, wine/spirits/champagne, jewelry, lingerie, romantic dinner together, travels (cruises, adventures) and marriage registration (mainly in NSW).

Valentine Day

It is about three weeks before Valentine Day but in Japan you can feel the atmosphere of this day coming, just as you walk in the city, department stores, grocery stores, you will find these beautifully wrapped boxes of chocolates on display.    Unlike in other countries, where Valentine Day is considered to be a day for expressing love, giving gifts to your loved ones, from man to woman or vice versa, in Japan Valentine Day is the day for women to give a box of chocolates to their loved ones.....  well, not only that! actually in Japan we have what we call "giri chocolates" (= obligation chocolates) on Valentine Day.    

On Japanese Valentine Day women are obligated to the custom of giving chocolates to male colleaques, subordinates or seniors.   Some women do not like the custom, but if they do not give, they may be considered unfriendly, or even worse they could get discriminated by their male colleaques or seniors for being considered stingy or cold.

A few weeks after Valentine Day, Japanese have the White Day (March 14th), where the men are obliged to return the Valentine gesture, by giving the ladies a gift.    The gift can be anything but normally the value should be equivalent to what he received.   At work it is also a custom for these men to pool the money together and buy one gift that represents their gratitude.

For couples Valentine day sometimes involves more than just the gift giving.   They spend time together dining, staying in a hotel, watching a movie....  nevertheles this is the day when woman is the one in charge of giving gifts to the man, not the other way around.