Valentine's Day in Japan is significantly different than in America. Much as American greeting card companies have shaped the celebration of Valentine's day in America, in Japan it is mostly driven by the chocolate companies, so it seems to have been optimized for them to sell as much chocolate as possible. As such, chocolates are given on the 14th instead of cards. The main difference is that, in Japan, only girls give Chocolate on Valentine's Day. Boys just sit around to either be snubbed or to get some chocolate. There's a separate holiday a month later called White Day, in which boys return the favor and give chocolate to the girls who gave them chocolate on Valentine's Day, but they never have to go out on a limb, only reply! And it's perfectly acceptable for girls to give chocolate to many people, as Valentine's Day is not seen as a strictly romantic holiday. While there is a romantic aspect, and plenty of girls confess their love for someone with chocolate, most women end up giving out a bunch. Office ladies and such are almost obligated to give chocolate to every male in their work place, in what is called "Duty Chocolate". And of course students give chocolate to their teachers as well. So of course this is a great day to be a male teacher! However, we are also obligated to respond on White Day, so it's kind of a pain in the ass. Traditionally the chocolate is homemade, with countless girls slaving over their stoves on the evening of the 13th to create the most sickeningly rich concoctions conceivable. I tend to prefer the store-bought chocolate, because I don't like rich chocolate, and I don't like getting diarrhea because my kids don't pay attention in Home Economics. And I get so much chocolate that I can never finish it all, even within a few weeks, and the homemade stuff all goes rotten a lot faster. Anyway, here's this year's haul, although I already ate quite a bit before I thought to take a picture.