The 8 Types of Valentine’s Day Chocolate in Japan
Happy Valentine’s Day from J-List! Today is the day when males in Japan look forward to receiving gifts of chocolate from wives, girlfriends, daughters or female co-workers to express their feelings of gratitude. Japan’s unique Valentine’s Day tradition began in the 1970s, when chocolate maker Morinaga made a big marketing push to begin the practice. Now the Valentine industry is huge, with companies competing to make the most interesting new chocolates every year.
Here are some kinds of chocolate in Japan you can receive:
- Chocolate given between friends is tomo-choco.
- There’s giri-choco or chocolate given out of obligation, for example when males at companies hope to receive chocolate from female co-workers. Some companies ban giving chocolate at work to remove the distraction from work. A more general term is sewa-choco meaning “chocolate given to say thanks to anyone who helps you out every day.”
- The one men really want to receive is honmei-choco or “true heart chocolate,” given by the person we love.
- Chocolate given between girls is yuri-choco because of course it is.
- You can give “virtual” chocolate to friends in online games, which is called netto choco.
- If you buy chocolate for yourself, it’s called mai-choco (my choco).
- When you prepare anime-themed chocolate and celebrate Valentine’s Day with your favorite 2D characters, it’s called ita-choco.
Although Valentine’s Day is here, our sale on chocolate and personal ecchi toys goes on through the end of February. Browse and buy now!
It’s our favorite time of the month, when we get to show everyone the new J-List Box snack boxes we’ve prepared. Each box is filled with delicious things to eat (and drink), hand picked by our staff, and you get a card explaining what everything is, too. This month’s snack box includes a bottle of Coca Cola Peach, too! Order your box now!
