Valentine chocolates
The valentine day brings cheer to me every year especially in Japan, as I get to recieve chocolates from near and dear female friends. This year too I was presented with plenty of them coming from various quarters -work place friends, well wishers, kid friends and the most cherishable - girlfriend.
The concept of valentine day celebration in Japan is different from the rest of the world in that the ladies present gifts (necessarily chocolates) to their guy friends. Recently, in my japanese language class, I happen to learn that this custom exists only in Japan and probably started as a promotion from chocolate making companies. Interestingly, on television I heard that this year some companies also branded their chocolates as '逆 (Gyaku or Reverse) choco'. As the name suggests this was to promote gifting from men to women. I am not sure how big a hit it was. But at least it might profit those companies to some extent.
