Valentine’s Day in Japan

Valentine’s Day in Japan is very different from anywhere else in the world. Valentine’s Day is on February 14th but it is all about the chocolates in Japan. The tradition in Japan is for the girls to give chocolates to the boys. It is totally up to the girls to show who they like by presenting them with chocolate. The favour is returned to the girls on a special day called White Day, which is celebrated on March 14th.

Types of chocolate giving on Valentine’s Day


Giri-choco (義理チョコ) obligation chocolate given to male friends, work mates, family and bosses. Giri means ("obligation") in Japanese and choko, ("chocolate"). There is no romantic association with giri-choco and it is just chocolate that you have to give to people. These are usually brought from a store and can range in price from 500 yen to 1000 yen.

Honmei-choco (本命チョコ) – chocolates for that special one who you want to express your love to such as boyfriend, lover or husband. This type of chocolate is special, so it is usually handmade by the girls themselves or is a really expensive chocolate from a store, often presented together with a gift. You are very lucky if you can get honmei-choco on Valentine’s Day!

Chocolate is the most popular gift for Valentine’s Day in Japan and stores will be fully stocked with all sorts of chocolate days and weeks before the actual day. If you usually leave it to the last minute like me then you will have to join the long queues at the store and it is almost like the Boxing Day sales back home.

I hope you have a great Valentine’s Day in 2012 and receive lots of honmei-choco :)

This is my submission to the February 2012 J-Festa Valentine's Day in Japan

Events in Japan - Obon

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Obon (お盆) or just Bon (盆) is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the departed (deceased) spirits of one's ancestors. This Buddhist custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their ancestors' graves, and when the spirits of ancestors are supposed to revisit the household altars. It has been celebrated in Japan for more than 500 years and traditionally includes a dance, known as Bon-Odori.



The festival of Obon lasts for three days; however its starting date varies within different regions of Japan. "Shichigatsu Bon" (Bon in July) is based on the solar calendar and is celebrated around 15 July in areas such as Tokyo, Yokohama and the Tohoku region. "Hachigatsu Bon" (Bon in August) is based on the solar calendar, is celebrated around the 15th of August and is the most commonly celebrated time. Bon Odori (盆踊り, meaning simply Bon dance is an event held during Obon. It is celebrated as a reminder of the gratitude one should feel toward one's ancestors.

The way in which the dance is performed is also different in each region, though the typical Bon dance involves people lining up in a circle around a high wooden scaffold made especially for the festival called a 'yagura'. The yagura is usually also the bandstand for the musicians and singers of the Obon music. Some dances proceed clockwise, and some dances proceed counter-clockwise around the yagura. Some dances reverse during the dance, though most do not. At times, people face the yagura and move towards and away from it. Still some dances, such as the Kagoshima Ohara dance, and the Tokushima Awa Odori, simply proceed in a straight line through the streets of the town.

This is my submission to the September 2011 J-Festa Events in Japan