White day

It was Valentine's Day not so long ago, so I've brought you a little something interesting for today. A couple of weeks ago I saw a very good video on the Let's ask Shogo YouTube channel. Shogo is a Kyoto-born artist who spent extended periods of time in Michigan as a child, so he speaks mostly in English on a variety of topics related to Japan. I highly recommend his videos for those who want to learn about Japan from easy to understand but interesting videos.

I guess many of you know that like Halloween and Christmas, Valentine's Day is also celebrated in Japan. Shortly before 14 February, shops fill up with all kinds of sweets and other Valentine's Day gifts. In Japan, however, Valentine's Day is celebrated in a slightly different way to ours. One major difference is that it is typically the ladies who give gifts to the men. Not just for their partner or sweetheart, but also for their friends. This gift in Japan is usually chocolate, which can be store-bought or some people make their own.

White Day is a holiday that originated in Japan but has now spread to many Asian countries. It is celebrated exactly one month after Valentine's Day, on 14 March. On this day, men return the chocolate they received on Valentine's Day. What surprised me most was that in Japan, it is not really customary to give flowers on this day. There are huge signs in shops marking the White Day gift corner, so you can't miss it.

I wonder why White Day has become white? One theory is that it was originally a campaign to sell marshmallows. Another links the origins of the name to the Japanese meaning of the colour white, since in Japan white is the colour of purity and love. Red and white is a traditional colour combination often used for holidays.

What do you think about this holiday? If you have any questions or thoughts about it, feel free to share them with us in the comment section.

Thanks for stopping by! (o^ ^o)/

Some Japanese expressions related to Valentine's Day and White Day:

バレンタインデー	barentain dē	Valentine's
ホワイトデー	​howaito dē	White day
義理チョコ	girichoko	"obligation chocolate"; Valentine's Day obligation chocolate
​手作りちょこ	tezukuri choko	handmade chocolate
​友チョコ	tomo choko	chocolate given to friends on Valentine's Day
本命チョコ​	honmei choko	chocolate given from sincere emotion
​バラ	bara	rose
愛する	aisuru	to love someone
チョコをあげる	choko wo ageru	to give chocolate to someone
チョコをもらう	choko wo morau	to get chocolate from someone
彼女、彼氏	​kanojo, kareshi	girlfriend, boyfriend

Finally, I have two cute songs to go with the topic:

Let's ask Shogo's channel can be found on the link below: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn7DCb9ttrcw9h3vh9dfnVw