When I experienced my first Valentine’s Day in Japan,
I was taken aback.
In the UK, Valentine’s Day is a time for couples to exchange gifts, and occasionally, family members or close friends might send each other cards.
However, in Japan, I learned that the day is primarily for women to give chocolates to men, which struck me as rather peculiar.
Even more baffling was the concept of giri choco—literally, “obligatory chocolate.”
Giri implies duty or obligation, but why should a day meant for expressing affection and gratitude involve gifts given out of a sense of duty?
That morning in the office, I witnessed female employees handing out chocolates to their male colleagues.
A few small packages were placed on my desk as well.
The women who gave them to me did so with a smile, saying it was a token of appreciation.
Yet, I couldn’t help but sense an underlying pressure—the unspoken rule that not giving chocolates might be seen as rude.
One of my colleagues chuckled and remarked, “The giri choco culture is fading, but it’s not completely gone yet.”
Amidst this, I encountered an interesting phenomenon—gyaku choco, or “reverse chocolate.”
