Choco-Labu

(Note... "Labu" is the Japanese pronunciation of- you got it- LOVE! There is nothing like the sound of Japanese girls shrieking "ooooh.... labu labu!" to their friends regarding someone's love interest)

Valentine's Day, like Christmas, has a bit of a different meaning in Japan. Forget cards. Forget flowers. Valentine's Day here is all about CHOCOLATE. Chocolate for boys, that is.

Yep, V-day in Japan (and Korea as well) is all about girls giving chocolate to boys. Boyfriends, husbands, co-workers, classmates, teachers... if you're a male, you're guaranteed a sugar high by the end of the day. (By the way, isn't this Hello Kitty chocolate above hilarious? In the background there are girls shopping for "choco" to give to the guys they work with.) So when do the girls get THEIR chocolate? Well, that would be on White Day, exactly a month later, on March 14th. (Interestingly enough, in Korea, they also have "Black Day" a month after that- April 14th- when those who did not get their chocolate from a loved one on either Valentine's Day or White Day dress in all black and eat black Chinese noodles to unite in solidarity.)

I think this whole system kind of sucks. If you're a girl, you're obligated to buy for all the males you are in contact with (particularly on the work front. With high school girls, it's a bit different... they really just give to their boyfriends and teachers, or if they're single, they might give it to the boy they have a crush on to show their interest... and then see if he reciprocates on White Day.) This whole chocolate-giving can get pretty expensive. And the obligation of the situation is also kind of stressful. The Japanese actually have a name, "giri," for gifts given out of obligation. They will even say that "this is giri chocolate." The guys really are only obligated to buy chocolate on White Day for the girls who gave them chocolate on Valentine's Day (which, by the way, they call "Valentine" Day, without the "`s").

Every year, I try to explain to my students that Valentines's Day in America is quite different. They are first shocked to hear that we don't have White Day, so everyone gives to everyone else on this day. I told them it IS a romantic holiday ("You mean like Christmas?" "Umm, yes. Like Christmas in JAPAN, anyway") but also a day of celebrating love because "there are many different kinds of love." They didn't quite get the philosophical aspect of that, but it was worth a shot. In past years, I've given out tiny chocolates to ALL the students in the class, even the girls, just to demonstrate that Valentine's Day is really for everyone.

The kind of cool thing I will say in defense of the Japanese version of Valentine's Day is that often girls (at least girls at my high school) will make the chocolate themselves. They have chocolate-making kits that are sold in stores. (But do the boys actually make HOMEMADE chocolate for the girls in return? No way...) Maybe this is a chance for girls to show off their cooking skills to boys. You know, show that they'll make a good wife.

Anyway, these are packages of homemade chocolate and cookies given to me by the girls in my English club. Since it's Japan, things are always individually wrapped.. and very CUTE, of course! (By the way, the homemade chocolate was surprisingly delicious!)
I was actually at my "special needs" school on Valentine's Day, so in one class (mostly adults who are severely handicapped) we had them (with the help of their teachers) write Valentine cards, American style, to give to a loved one of their choice (parent, teacher, friend, etc.)

In Japan, they joke that Valentine's Day is a holiday for the chocolate companies, so they found it interesting that we often refer to Valentine's Day in the U.S. as a "Hallmark holiday" with the card companies raking in the bucks.

HAPPY BELATED "LABU LABU" DAY!