{"id":18330,"date":"2018-02-13T12:11:56","date_gmt":"2018-02-13T12:11:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/?p=18330"},"modified":"2018-02-15T10:41:33","modified_gmt":"2018-02-15T10:41:33","slug":"valentines-day-in-japan-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/2018\/02\/13\/valentines-day-in-japan-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Valentine&#8217;s Day in Japan"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4>Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/h4><ul class=\"wpfai-list\"><li class=\"wpfai-list-item facebook\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F18330&amp;t=\" title=\"Facebook\" class=\"wpfai-facebook wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-facebook fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item twitter\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F18330\" title=\"Twitter\" class=\"wpfai-twitter wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-twitter fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item pinterest\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F18330&amp;description=&amp;media=\" title=\"Pinterest\" class=\"wpfai-pinterest wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-pinterest fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item linkedin\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F18330&amp;title=\" title=\"Linked In\" class=\"wpfai-linkedin wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-linkedin fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item envelope\">\r\n      <a href=\"mailto:?subject=&amp;body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F18330%20-%20\" title=\"E-Mail\" class=\"wpfai-envelope wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-envelope fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item stumbleupon\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.stumbleupon.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F18330\" title=\"Stumble Upon\" class=\"wpfai-stumbleupon wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-stumbleupon fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><li class=\"wpfai-list-item reddit\">\r\n      <a href=\"http:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidejapantours.com%2Fblog%2Fwp-json%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fposts%2F18330\" title=\"Reddit\" class=\"wpfai-reddit wpfai-link wpfainw\">\r\n        <span class=\"fa-stack fa-lg\">\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-square fa-stack-2x\"><\/i>\r\n          <i class=\"fa fa-reddit fa-stack-1x fa-inverse\"><\/i>\r\n        <\/span>\r\n      <\/a>\r\n    <\/li><\/ul><p><strong>It&#8217;s that time of year again&#8230; tour leader and chocoholic, <a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/Charlea\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Charlea<\/a> gives us the surprising low-down on Valentine&#8217;s Day in Japan.<\/strong><br \/>\n<!--more--><br \/>\nIt\u2019s that time of year again when gentlemen in the West flood stores in search of a heart-shaped box of chocolates and a dozen roses for their loved ones.<\/p>\n<p>Most of us would assume that this Western holiday import to Japan would be just the same, with knights in shining armour &#8211; I mean, Samurai &#8211; heading out for chocolates and roses as well. But Japan is notorious for doing things differently to the West, with a Western flair. Valentine&#8217;s is no different.<\/p>\n<h2>What are those Samurai men up to on Valentine\u2019s Day?<\/h2>\n<p>The answer: Waiting for chocolates from the women, of course! Whether <em>tomo-choco<\/em> (friendship chocolate), <em>giri-choco\u00a0<\/em>(obligatory chocolate-for the boss), or <em>raburabu-choco<\/em> (the romantic kind), all men in Japan have to do is sit back and wait for the chocolate feast to begin.<\/p>\n<p>Ladies, if this makes you a little gloomy, I can\u2019t say I blame you. It\u2019s okay though, a month from now on &#8220;White Day&#8221; the men pay us back. At least you can still claim <em>jibun-choco<\/em> (chocolate for self!)<\/p>\n<h2>How did this switch up occur and when?<\/h2>\n<p>Well, Valentines Day made it to Japan in 1958 through Mary Chocolate, a Japanese confectioner. They marketed it as a day to \u201cgive chocolate &#8211; from women to men\u201d. It is rumoured that they sold three bars of chocolate and one card raking in 170 yen in sales total!<\/p>\n<p>The market today has exploded and sales are around 150 billion yen or 1.5 billion USD. A pretty remarkable number if you ask me.<\/p>\n<h2>Where to buy your Valentine&#8217;s Day chocolate<\/h2>\n<h2><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-18339 size-half-width\" src=\"https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/edited-720x540.jpg\" alt=\"Planet chocolates for Valentine's Day in Japan\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" srcset=\"https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/edited-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/edited-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/edited-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/edited-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/edited-564x423.jpg 564w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/edited-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/edited-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/edited-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/edited-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/edited-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/edited-510x383.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s shopping time; definitely a favourite past time for me. Where to find the crowds and how much <em>okane<\/em> (money) do I need to bring for my Valentine&#8217;s Day chocolates?<\/p>\n<p>A box of chocolates can cost anywhere from 1,500 yen up to 5,000 yen at a department store. I took the opportunity to head out to the Tokyo area of Ikebukuro to visit the Chocolate Paradise pop-up \u2018floor\u2019 \u2013 no I didn\u2019t mean \u2018store\u2019. The entire eighth floor of the Seibu Department store, has been turned into a dreamland for chocolate lovers.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-half-width wp-image-18336\" src=\"https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/3-720x540.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" srcset=\"https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/3-720x540.jpg 720w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/3-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/3-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/3-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/3-564x423.jpg 564w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/3-1200x900.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/3-900x675.jpg 900w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/3-1440x1080.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/3-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/3-780x585.jpg 780w, https:\/\/insidejapan.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/3-510x383.jpg 510w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>There was a swarm of eager women in search of the perfect chocolates. The crowds didn\u2019t keep me from exploring though &#8211; many stalls offered samples of divine delicacies they were eager to sell amongst steep competition. The assortment is astounding and truly unique; there is even wearable lipstick chocolate, edible planets and mini Volkswagen Beetles; they have it all!<\/p>\n<p>After a long exploration &#8211; and an extra kilo on the hips from giveaways &#8211; I bought the men in my life some chocolate. But, like all the other Japanese ladies here, I will have to hold out until 14th March to see if my feelings are reciprocated. Here\u2019s hoping.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/bit.ly\/contactusJapan\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Contact us<\/a> to plan your vacation to Japan, and join one of Charlea&#8217;s tours for insider tips and tricks for finding the best chocolates in Tokyo.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h4>Like this post? 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Help us by sharing it! It&#8217;s that time of year again&#8230; tour leader and chocoholic, Charlea gives us the surprising low-down on Valentine&#8217;s Day in Japan. Like this post? Help us by sharing it!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":65,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2365,2366],"tags":[2274,3610,3613],"class_list":["post-18330","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-festivals-events-in-japan","category-japanese-food-and-drink","tag-valentines-day-in-japan","tag-white-day-japan","tag-chocolate-in-japan"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18330","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/65"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18330"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18330\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18349,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18330\/revisions\/18349"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.insidejapantours.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}