Obligatory chocolates

by Nicole Weston, Posted Feb 15th 2006 @ 9:00AM

Unlike in the US, where men spend more on Valentine's day than their female counterparts, in Japan it is the women who spend more. The tradition of giri-choco, meaning "obligatory chocolates", is making some women bitter. The tradition basically means that women are supposed to give a box of chocolate to most of the men they know, including teachers and coworkers, in addition to boyfriends or husbands. The tradition began in the 1950's when the Japanese president "admired how American women could express their feelings to men, and thought it would be good if Japanese women could do the same" and chose to endorse the celebration of Valentine's Day. Surveys revealed that women are none too happy with this custom, nor are their pocketbooks, since the holiday generates over $420 million dollars (50 billion yen) in sales. Men are supposed to return the favor by purchasing chocolate for women next month, on White Day, March 14th, though the same surveys reveal that men are not to keen on that day.

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