Valentine chocolates on sale in a Japanese store

It’s the one time of the year where the city and stores are covered in pink and hearts with huge stocks of chocolates everywhere you go in Japan.
Valentines was a custom brought into and practiced by foreigners living in Japan. It became customary in Japan only in the late 1970s after chocolate companies used it as a commercial tool for promotion.
What is unique about Japanese valentines is that only women give gifts to men. It is the one day all Japanese women can express their feelings by giving chocolates or a gifts. Little children make collaborated chocolates with their mothers to tell their fathers that they are loved and appreciated.

In Japan the chocolate given on valentines can be categorized in 3 major kinds.
There are chocolates given out to co-workers but because they feel obliged too so that no man feels left out and ends up with no chocolate. This is the so-called “Giri-Choco”, meaning obligatory chocolate (giri 義理 means obligation in Japanese) as it is with a sense of obligation that the chocolate given. “Honmei-Choco” (honmei 本命　is roughly translated as ‘one heart’s desire’ or ‘favourite’) is given on the other hand to a special person.

Recently it is very popular for girls to make and exchange chocolates with each other, this is called “Tomo-Choco”, friendship chocolate (tomo 友 is the character for friendship).
Another uniqueness of Japanese Valentine’s is White day, an event held on March 14th. This too originally was made for commerical reasons, to sell marsh-mellows and was named White day. On this day　Japanese men give gifts in return, usually something a little more expensive than the one received.