Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Obligation Chocolate

The Japanese Valentine's Day practice of giving chocolate to boys was confected (pun intended) by chocolatiers in this country. Not only have Japanese women been conned into spending lots of yen on chocolate for their honeys, but also they're expected to give giri choco (obligation choolate) to guys in the office, etc. According to Kaori Shoji's article in today's newspaper, sales of giri-choco amount to 30 billion yen each year. My husband heard on the radio that 70 percent of Japanese women hate Valentine's Day. It must be a drag having to buy chocolate for men you don't really like. My advice: stop buying the chocolate, ladies!

This whole thing gave me an idea for another commercial holiday. How about if we have a day when we give books to the people on our lists?

3 Comments:

Blogger kate said...

Here there is a holiday, St. George day, (which I believe also corresponds with the birth of Shakespeare and the death of Cervantes, or vice versa)where women give a book to their man, and he reciprocates with a rose. Personally I'd rather have the book.

10:38 PM  
Blogger Gaijin Mama said...

That's cool. I'd prefer the book, too.

11:27 PM  
Blogger Stacey Greenberg said...

wow that is so interesting!

i like the book idea too.

7:52 AM  

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