Valentine’s Day Chocolate
Valentine’s Day in Japan is an interesting experience. In the picture my friend made chocolate for all her friends and called it Giri Choco. I was entertained by it, but didn’t know what that meant. I asked what the difference was and she explained it to me. There are two types of chocolate a person can receive, which is Giri Choco or Honmei Choco. Giri Choco is referred to as obligatory chocolate where not so expensive chocolate is given to guys you have no romantic feelings towards them. Some people in Japan even call it “sympathy chocolate.” Honmei Choco is the chocolate you give to someone you have romantic feelings for. Usually expensive or homemade chocolate is given to the person you like. My friend then said that my chocolate was Honmei Choco and that she expected an expensive gift on White Day. I’ll save that explanation for another day.