Miscellaneous

Valentine’s Day is an essential holiday throughout Japan, but it’s extra significant in Kobe. Here, a chocolate shop advertised Valentine’s Day chocolates for the first time in Japan back in 1932. The advertisement ran in an English-language newspaper and targeted foreign residents. It took another four or so decades for the holiday to become popular among Japanese nationals, but it’s now a major event. How Does Japan Celebrate Valentine’s Day? The customs for Valentine’s Day in Japan are slightly different than what you might be used to. Women typically give chocolate as a present to their love interest and to close male friends, family members, co-workers, and sometimes even their bosses. In Japan, there are multiple types of chocolate, each of which has a different meaning. Understanding the differences is important for figuring out what to purchase for someone and determining the message behind any gifts you receive. There are four important types of Valentine’s Day chocolate. 1. Honmei Choco Romantic chocolate is called honmei choco, which means “true feeling chocolate.” For chocolate to meet honmei choco criteria, it must be either expensive or homemade. Since making chocolate at home is laborious, many purchase mixes, shells, molds, and decoration kits.…