5 Chocolate Gifts Perfect for Valentine's Day in Japan

Valentine’s Day in Japan

Valentine's Day and White Day's Origin

Imagine if the roles were reversed on Valentines Day. Where the ladies of the relationships were the ones who had to make the moves, and the men didn’t have to pretend they forgot or “aren’t good at this sort of thing.” Valentine's Day in Japan is exactly that. 

After the end of the second world war a western style chocolate company called Mary's in Japan introduced the idea of Valentine's Day. They started the association of February 14th as a day for women to give gifts to the men they like. The men got to see how popular they are by comparing how much chocolates they got from different people. And the women get to feel empowered because they get to take the reins and initiate something if their crush wouldn't get the hint. Or that was the idea back then.

The tradition further became popularized by other companies and it became a full fledged commercial holiday. The holiday later evolved into something where women gave chocolate to their love interest, their coworkers, family, friends––and if there was leftover themselves. 

The tradition really kicked off, but as time went on, it just became another expectation put onto the women with nothing in return. One can see the frustration, right? What was supposed to empower women then became just another burden. That is where “White Day” comes in. Exactly one month later on March 14 the men who received chocolate get to return the favor.  

On both days there are some different types of gifts that you can give depending on who you are giving to. Here they are,

本命チョコ- Honmei-chocolate
義理チョコ- Giri-chocolate
友チョコ- Tomo-chocolate

本命チョコ - Honmei Choco

Honmei-choco is the chocolate that is typically given to the actual love interest. The literal translation equates to “true feeling chocolate” or “romantic chocolate.” A lot of people buy the premium chocolates for their "true person." In a lot of different scenarios this chocolate is usually given to one person.

What constitutes honmei, does it have to be expensive? Here is the thing––it depends entirely on the target guy. If you are giving honmei choco then that can only mean two things. One––homeboy is your spouse or two––you are about to confess your love to someone who may or may not love you in return. If it is the second case then power to you! Get it! Way to put yourself out there. No matter the outcome, doing things like this is a great way to shatter any shackles of fear there might be, but let’s not digress. Stick around to the end to find the best options for this kind of chocolate. 

義理チョコ- Giri Choco

Giri choco is “obligation” chocolate in English. This is the chocolate you would give your coworkers, classmates, and bosses. Giri choco is given out of politeness and respect with no romantic feelings involved. Earlier we mentioned “White Day” on the following March 14, the men are supposed to remember who gave them Valentine’s Day obligation chocolate and return the gift. However, a lot of women in Japan will tell you this is seldom the case in practice.

For giri-choco, regular chocolate is good, something that does not say I love you. As an example, in the US in the 90s a lot of kids celebrated valentine's day at school by making boxes and writing each other notes and giving each other those heart shaped candies that look like they were breath mints and tasted like chalk. It is kind of like that.

The beautiful thing about giri-choco is that if you are not trying to make it obvious to other people that you are giving a honmei-choco to your beloved then you can camouflage it with the giri. And no one would be the wiser.

There is one thing to keep in mind in the case of workplace Valentine’s day: some companies have banned their employees from giving chocolate on either white day or valentine’s day. This is first to avoid any office drama or the feeling of being left out because not everyone gets chocolate. How do you know if you are allowed or not? These kinds of office policy updates are talked about in the morning or monthly meetings leading up to February.

This won’t stop some people from giving giri-choco though. They will just do it on the down low. The same ban is in place in most elementary and junior high schools.

友チョコ - Tomo-choco

Tomo-choco means “friend chocolate” or “chocolate for friends.” The entire tradition on Valentine’s day has the women giving their male coworkers, colleagues, friends, and that special someone. But, given this is a commercial holiday, who says your female friends can’t get the same kind of love? Which is asked by the chocolate companies, I imagine. Everyone gets chocolate! Yay!

Side note: I am remembering Oprah, “You get a car!” and then I am suddenly remembering Dane Cook, “You get a school! Everybody gets a school!” Okay I digress, but it is kind of like that.

5 Chocolate Gifts For Valentine’s Day

Let’s break it down with three giri types, then two honmei types. Stay with me to the end to see what you can do to catch your beloved’s heart, and at least guarantee a date.

1. Meiji’s Chocolate assortment bag

The main thing about giri-choco is getting enough chocolates for everyone. A lot of guys are not very bright, and any kind of gift could send the wrong signals. So getting enough for everyone in an office is important in the case of sending a clear message, saying “I am giving you this as a friend or colleague nothing more.” These small meiji chocolates are very simple, and would do the trick if you are trying to get something quick and on the go. Comes with 15 individually packed chocolates.

2. Crunky’s Pretzel and Salted Chocolates

These chocolates are a step up as they pack more flavor and have a crunchy texture. Think of these chocolates as the Nestle crunch of the west. They are delicious and are guaranteed to make the giri-choco receivers smile and appreciate your kindness. This level of chocolates may even score you the return gifts on White Day. Each bag comes with 15 individually packed chocolates.

3. Chocolate Sticks

One bag gets you 30 of these little delicacies from heaven. Not many people may know about these ones and frankly it might surprise some people that they have received this. They are chocolate covered corn puffs. For a lot of western people you might associate a corn puff with cheddar cheese, but trust me on this one. This style of corn puff is the best. These are especially addictive, so be careful not to accidentally eat an entire bag yourself. Remember these are giri-choco’s for Valentine’s Day.

2. Special Shelf Chocolates

In most grocery stores in Japan towards the end of January a small section pops up that is Valentine's day themed. Here are the more premium chocolates wrapped in gift wrap, and cleanly designed. These are for the love interest. The Mary's brand makes fancy chocolate. You can visit their website and you will see what I mean. Legend has it that they are the ones who brought the whole idea of Valentine’s day to Japan. Anything from them is enough to get the message across. Naturally, if you are giving someone honmei-chocolate give them some with a note; even then the guy might still be clueless. However there are a number of other chocolate brands in these gift wrapped areas. Any of them would do. 

1. Handmade Chocolate

Traditionally, as these things go, the best way to confess your love to someone on Valentine’s day is by making custom handmade chocolate. In Japan it is nothing crazy like buying cacao beans and working from scratch. The tradition stemmed from chocolate companies making customized chocolate. If you go to any grocery or 100 yen store, and explore the Valentine’s day section of the store there will almost always be an area where you can find the supplies for the creatively inclined.

Most of these handmade chocolate goods are molds. You would melt the chocolate and reform them into custom shapes or sizes depending on your preference. 

This is the best way to show your affection to your beloved or if you are about to confess. Taking time and putting it into something to show a person you care is saying I love you, without saying I love you.