Celebrating V-Day in Akita - 14 Feb 11

Finally took photos of the V-Day sweets I received :) Now that I have done that, I can start feasting on them. They are look sooooo yummy! According to my students, they normally spend a good 4-5 hours just preparing the V-Day sweets. Some of the candy were purchased but most (around 80%) were handmade. 

Close-ups on some of the sweets

Besides giving chocolates to the boys/men you admire or love, the Japanese girls also give friendship chocolates to their female friends as well as their male colleagues, especially the bosses. A female will also present chocolates to her dad and brothers. Chocolates for one's other half and potential other half are called "Honmei-choko" aka "True Love Chocolates". The ones for the males are considered "obligation chocolates" or "Giri-choko". I asked a Japanese friend and she explained that it's embarrassing for males not to receive any chocolates on V-Day, so the females in the company are "strongly encouraged" (read: have to) give their male counterparts chocolates. Even if you really don't like a particular male colleague, you still have to present him chocolates because you might need a favour from him in the future. What you can do in this situation is to present him with "lousy"/cheap chocolates.

Chocolates purchased
from the store

In one of my JHS, the female teachers got together and bought candy for all the male teachers. I wasn't ask to chip in because I'm a gaijin and it's not rude if I don't abide by these social rules. >.< (Lucky me! Chocolates are soooo expensive during the V-Day season.)

Unlike in Singapore or other parts of the world, the men don't have to do anything on V-Day. They just sit around waiting to be presented with gifts by their partners or admirers. No need to queue for expensive V-Day set dinners or purchase bonquets of roses. Think the Japanese men have it easy (^0^).They only need to return gifts to the women they are interested to on White Day and these gifts don't have to be handmade chocolates. Any little token is reportedly sufficient. Males also don't have to present their mothers with any candy or gifts. (*Sad*) Can't wait for White Day (14 March) to arrive. Am sure it will be pretty exciting too :)