Valentine's Day

[bmwracer]

Japanese women bitter at Valentine chocolate duty
By Elaine Lies
Tue Feb 14, 1:51 AM ET

Japanese women are fed up with a longstanding Valentine's Day custom requiring them to give chocolates to men without getting any in return.

According to an Internet survey, 70 percent of working women said they would be happy if there was no tradition of giving "obligatory chocolates" to their boyfriends or colleagues.

Nearly 60 percent said they felt unhappy as Valentine's Day approached, citing the cost and time it takes to shop for the gifts, which are finely calculated to express just the right emotions toward a boss, a colleague or a true boyfriend.

The custom has grown into a sweet 50 billion yen ($424.6 million) market for Japan's chocolate makers, some of whom rake in 20 to 30 percent of annual profits in a few short weeks.

Confectionary maker Morozoff Ltd. is widely credited with having introduced Valentine's Day to Japan with a 1936 advertisement for chocolates, but it wasn't until two decades later that Mary Chocolate Co. Ltd. used the day to promote chocolate sales.

"Our then-president admired how American women could express their feelings to men, and thought it would be good if Japanese women could do the same," said Yoko Usami, a spokeswoman for Mary Chocolate.

A month later, on what is known as "White Day," men are supposed to return the favor, usually by giving sweets -- a task that they too are far from happy with, the survey found.

Fifty percent of men said shopping for a return present was bothersome, and they don't like to be compared with others.

"Certainly things have now changed so women can freely express their affection, so the Valentine's Day custom isn't essential," Usami said.

"But it allows people to acknowledge their own feelings, so I think it's still nice to have."

In a reflection of the changing times, perhaps, retailers say that women are now becoming much more likely to buy pricey chocolates costing up to $200 a box as a special treat -- for themselves.

($1=117.76 Yen)

[Tu_triky]

bmwracer wrote:

Japanese women bitter at Valentine chocolate duty By Elaine Lies Tue Feb 14, 1:51 AM ET

i read that article a couple of days ago....btw, i love the name of the journalist that wrote this article.

[bmwracer]

Tu_triky wrote:

i read that article a couple of days ago....btw, i love the name of the journalist that wrote this article.

Heh, wonder if she's won any awards or not...

[Enna]

Tu_triky wrote:

i read that article a couple of days ago....btw, i love the name of the journalist that wrote this article.

you don't miss 'nothin...do you???

[Tu_triky]

Enna wrote:

you don't miss 'nothin...do you???

it depends on the level of intoxication....sobriety is nice sometimes.

[Tu_triky]

bmwracer wrote:

Heh, wonder if she's won any awards or not...

haha. she works for the new york times....they don't mind her....since they hired a couple of plagarists...

[bmwracer]

Enna wrote:

I hate when double posts happen!

Taken care of.


That's one way of increasing your post count.

[Enna]

Enna wrote:

I hate when double posts happen! bmwracer wrote: Taken care of. That's one way of increasing your post count.

Thanks b-kun!!! My post count huh???? I never pay any attention to it!

[qilver]

Tu_triky wrote:

i read that article a couple of days ago....btw, i love the name of the journalist that wrote this article.

yeah, i saw that....

[MixxDreamer]

bmwracer wrote:

Why not? It is V-day after all...

i didnt say it was bad
_________________

[qilver]

MixxDreamer wrote:

i didnt say it was bad

hey what's up mixxdreamer? how have you been?

[sawadasmile]

ahh the valentine's day controversies.....

happy hallmark holiday, everyone
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love jin & kimutaku. <3

[Tu_triky]

sawadasmile wrote:

ahh the valentine's day controversies..... happy hallmark holiday, everyone

it's all about yamapi with your sig and ava these days..huh...you dumped jun like an old ass piece of rat fur.....

[bmwracer]

Tu_triky wrote:

it's all about yamapi with your sig and ava these days..huh...you dumped jun like an old ass piece of rat fur.....

New pretty boy of the moment... Jun is old news, I guess.

[Tu_triky]

bmwracer wrote:

New pretty boy of the moment... Jun is old news, I guess.

it's like baskin robbins, baby..31 flavors to satisfy different behaviors.

[bmwracer]

Tu_triky wrote:

it's like baskin robbins, baby..31 flavors to satisfy different behaviors.

LOL, or 31 different personalities.

[qilver]

people think of lovely dovey stuff on this day....
what about those people who break up on this day....that must royally suck for them....

[Tu_triky]

bmwracer wrote:

LOL, or 31 different personalities.

[Goldenoozaru]

feel pretty good about this years v-day. i got a call from a girl that i was going after for a long time now. i havent contacted her in 3 months conluding it was a waste of time trying to catch her heart. i was feeling kind of down today but that call really sparked my day. its too bad i didnt get her a rose or something

but im happy she called

sorry people, just wanted to share it with you.

Happy Valentines Day

[MixxDreamer]

qilver wrote:

hey what's up mixxdreamer? how have you been?

doing good thanks, how're you?
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