Registered: Jul 2000
Location: zanzibar
Posts: 10413

Valentines Day in Japan!

Japan Today's Sachie Kanda dropped into Ginza to ask:

What do you think about the custom of "giri" chocolate on Valentine's Day?

Japanese have adapted Valentine's Day, taking all the romance out of it. The custom is for many women to give "giri-choco" (obligation chocolate) to male co-workers and friends. Guys don't have to give anything back until White Day on March 14. The custom dates back to the 1980s when confectionery makers thought it would be a good way to drum up sales.

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"Oh, "giri" chocolate is too complicated. I think women should quit giving them. When women give me chocolates on Valentine's Day, they make me feel like a lucky star and I think they like me indeed. It is such big trouble after that because I cannot stop thinking of the women who gave me chocolates. From now on, I do not want any chocolate if it is just 'giri.'"
- Yoshihisa Ashida, 30

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"I give "giri" chocolate because it is kind of a custom in my office. All women at my office pay a few hundred yen each, and someone collects it and goes out to get a big box of chocolates for the men at our office. It is just a small amount of money. I don't mind because it's just fun, although, I don't give chocolates to anyone as an obligation unless I feel that I really owe him something."
- Yoko Yazawa, 29

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"I like to receive chocolates even though I know it is only "giri." I get about three chocolates every year. In return, rather than buying candy for women on March 14, I take them out for dinner or a drink. I think that way it costs me more but that's how I promote myself as a generous man. It's also a kind of "giri," but I don't want to miss the chance."
- Tomohiko Inaba, 25

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"I don't like to get too many chocolates but it is very nice to receive them anyway. If I complain about it, I may go home empty-handed. "Giri" chocolate is better than nothing."
- Takashi Matsumoto, 20

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"It is always nice to get chocolates on Valentine's Day but "giri" chocolates do not satisfy me 100%. I need more than "giri," I need love."
- Makoto Takeda, 24


"I don't get chocolates on Valentine's Day, not even from my wife. Until a few years ago, there were some possibilities for me to get chocolates. There is a woman at my office and just a few years ago she got married to a guy in the same office. She seems uncomfortable with the idea of giving "giri" chocolates at the office now. When my daughter was in high school, she made a chocolate for her boyfriend and gave me the leftovers, but they have since broken up. Anyway, an insurance saleswoman drops a chocolate on my desk."
- Hayato Hashiguchi, 52


"Yes, I get about six or seven "giri" chocolates each year. It is very nice of women to show me their kindness. However, it's a little hard for me to consume the chocolate with my health, and even harder to digest the feeling, considering those chocolates mean nothing."
- Teruyoshi Ihara, 56


"I have never given any chocolates to anyone. If some women wish to give chocolates, fine. I understand their thinking but I am not that kind of person. I don't want to get manipulated by the marketing campaigns. That is ridiculous since I don't believe in anything. I don't even celebrate Christmas either."
- Hanako Yagi, 22

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Registered: May 2001
Location:
Posts: 2701

Fuck chocolates.
Give BJ and sammiches.

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Registered: Sep 2000
Location: Playa d'en London
Posts: 9788

quote:

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Originally posted by DevilMoon
The custom dates back to the 1980s when confectionery makers thought it would be a good way to drum up sales.

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Beatrice, Nebraska
Posts: 18490

And they all look like Michael Jackson!

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