I'm NOT dreaming of a white White Day
Mar. 14th, 2006 09:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
spacealien_vamp...But since when has the weather ever listened to me?
Today is what is known as White Day. In Japan, Valentine's Day is a holiday specifically for girls to give chocolate to boys. White day, exactly one month later, is the day for boys to give back some kind of present in return for the chocolate.
Theoretically, all this gift-giving is taking place to express Love. In reality, however, a lot of the chocolate-giving is what is known as giri, or "duty." That is, on Valentine's Day, women will take in boxes of chocolate and pass it out to the men at work because it's expected, and then on White Day the men will reciprocate. At my school in Niigata, I recall discovering a sack full of chocolate on my desk and not having a clue why it was there. I kept expecting someone to show up and claim it.
At this school, it seems chocolate-giving isn't a custom among the faculty. On the other hand, we did get...snow.
All right, now. Whoever's in charge of the weather...you have one more week to have your fun. After that, it's officially spring. And everyone knows that Japan has four seasons that all start on schedule.
I saw on the news that there's a guy in Osaka campaigning to make pie the official gift food of White Day. (...Because it's 3.14, and people in Kansai just love puns.) The fact that pi goes on forever makes it a symbol of eternal love, he says.
Today is what is known as White Day. In Japan, Valentine's Day is a holiday specifically for girls to give chocolate to boys. White day, exactly one month later, is the day for boys to give back some kind of present in return for the chocolate.
Theoretically, all this gift-giving is taking place to express Love. In reality, however, a lot of the chocolate-giving is what is known as giri, or "duty." That is, on Valentine's Day, women will take in boxes of chocolate and pass it out to the men at work because it's expected, and then on White Day the men will reciprocate. At my school in Niigata, I recall discovering a sack full of chocolate on my desk and not having a clue why it was there. I kept expecting someone to show up and claim it.
At this school, it seems chocolate-giving isn't a custom among the faculty. On the other hand, we did get...snow.
All right, now. Whoever's in charge of the weather...you have one more week to have your fun. After that, it's officially spring. And everyone knows that Japan has four seasons that all start on schedule.
I saw on the news that there's a guy in Osaka campaigning to make pie the official gift food of White Day. (...Because it's 3.14, and people in Kansai just love puns.) The fact that pi goes on forever makes it a symbol of eternal love, he says.
