Valentine's Day in Japan

People in Japan love commercial holidays! If you remember our photos from our pre-visit trip in November - the city decorated for Christmas even though they don't actually celebrate it. Valentine's Day was pretty similar.... stores and restaurants decorated for the day of love.

But Valentine's day is actually different in Japan. It is a day to buy men chocolate. Women are expected to buy boxes of chocolate for all of the men in their lives - friends, family, and coworkers. Sounds simple to buy a box of chocolate - but it's actually not. It's important what type of chocolate you buy, how many pieces, and how you wrap it. It all depends on what the woman's relationship with the man is. Women literally waited in lines wrapped around the store to buy specific types of chocolate.

There is a day in March called "White Day" - where the men are supposed to return the gift and buy chocolate for all the woman in their lives. What the men buy is supposed to be at least 2-3 times more valuable than the gifts they received on Valentine's Day. Again, this little detail deeply matters in Japanese culture. The man's status and relationship with the woman depends on it. Apparently if this gift exchange is not done properly, it can cause the relationship between the man and the woman to change.

I followed the tradition and bought Joe a box of chocolate - but I have no clue as to whether it was the correct type! Joe bought me a plant for our new apartment. It may look like sticks in a pot - but it's actually a cherry blossom tree. The tree only blooms once a year, in late March or early April and lasts for about 2 weeks. I can't wait to see what it looks like when it blooms!! :)