March 14th is White Day in Japan and other parts of Asia. This is a relatively new holiday created in the 1970s to be a response to Valentine’s day. In Japan, typically women give chocolate to men on Valentine’s day and then 1 month later, men can give a return gift to women. In 1977 a Japanese confectionery company started marketing marshmallows as gifts for men to give to women. From that point onwards, “white” gifts were given, usually some form of marshmallow or white chocolate. There is a famous movie called “Love is a many-splendored thing” and I truly believe this to be so. Love IS wonderful! Love has such power to heal the world and I love that in Japan there are not one, but two days per year in which to celebrate love. As well as the culture of giving gifts, White Day also inspires people to go out and enjoy romantic dates. There are so many great restaurants and special offers around this time of year and it’s so nice to see couples, young and old, enjoying loving time together. With a new baby at home and not much chance to get out, I opted this year for a different kind of gift- I went to Mujirushi and bought a selection of decaffeinated teas and snacks, all in white packaging which I then wrapped in white wrapping paper. I hope my wife will enjoy quiet time, sipping fancy tea and eating special snacks.
Edward, Smith’s School of English Otsu
Leave a Reply