Love is in the air, and so is chocolate!

Valentine’s Day was introduced to Japan in 1936 via the luxury confectionery and cake company Morozoff, who sparked the tradition through advertisements aimed at foreigners living in the country. However the big day comes with it’s own set of traditions differing to those in the West.

Unlike England or America, where a couple may go on a lavish date and exchange gifts such as flowers or jewelry, in Japan Valentine’s Day is ruled by chocolate. You may also be surprised to find out that on this day the chocolate is only given to men and not to women.
In Japanese tradition Valentine’s Day is when women typically give handmade or decorated chocolates to their sweetheart, and may even use this as an opportunity to express admiration to their crush. However many women also partake in the giving of inexpensive 義理チョコ (Giri Choco / Obligation Chocolate) to their male co-workers and others they do not harbor romantic feelings towards.

Japanese food giant Glico are often at the forefront of Valentine’s Day with their popular chocolate snack Pocky taking centre stage in holiday campaigns.
This year in addition to boxes of Pocky with a special Valentine’s flair, is a campaign to encourage the sale of multiple purchases so that the boxes may be used to create several heart shapes. Participants are encouraged to share their hearts on social media using #ハートポッキー (#HeartPocky)

In recent years Glico have teamed up with beverage giant Kirin for special Valentine’s Day collaborations and in 2019 have continued this tradition to bring a set of products that when consumed together will create the taste of Tiramisu. This year is headlined with a mascarpone cheese milk tea edition of 午後の紅茶 (Gogo no koucha / Afternoon Tea) and special edition coffee chocolate Pocky.
This particular campaign is often celebrated via Japan’s LGBT+ community as the products offer various characters who can be combined to create pairs featuring same sex couples.

How does Valentine’s Day in Japan differ to your home country?