Around the world, many consider Valentine’s Day to be a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the many loves you have in your life. If you’re more the kind of person who wants to avoid the day entirely though, we support your celebration of the day after—a 24-hour marathon of discount chocolate.
Japan has its own take on the traditions of Valentine’s Day, formally known as “White Day.” For reasons we’ll get into below (hint: marshmallows are included), White Day has even been referred to as “Reverse Valentine’s Day”.
Learning Japanese can help you uncover even more info on unique holidays like this one! With Rosetta Stone, you can learn useful phrases for specific themes, develop a native accent, build your conversational skills, and more!
Is Valentine’s Day still celebrated in Japan?
Since “White Day” is sometimes described as “Reverse Valentine’s Day”, you may wonder if Valentine’s day is still celebrated in Japan. The answer is, absolutely!
In fact, White Day was created as a counterpart to Valentine’s Day rather than a replacement. But to understand how White Day is the “reverse” of Valentine’s Day, we first have to know how Valentine’s Day is celebrated in Japan. While people still give chocolate or other presents, the customs are quite different.
One deviation is that there are different “types” of chocolate one can give to express certain feelings and relationships.
The chocolate for someone the giver is romantically interested in is called honmei choko (本命チョコ). This can roughly be translated as “favored to win chocolate”, although the hon part of the word also connotes something “genuine.” Sometimes it’s given with the intention of confessing romantic feelings, rather than as a gift to a current partner.
Other types of chocolate include: “obligation chocolate” (giri choko, 義理チョコ) for classmates and co-workers, “friend chocolate” (tomo choko, 友チョコ), “family chocolate” (fami choko, ファミチョコ), and chocolate for oneself (mai choko, マイチョコ; or jibun choko, 自分チョコ).
However, probably the most notable difference in how Japanese people celebrate Valentine’s Day is this: only women give presents.
This is obviously not how most people in Western culture celebrate Valentine’s Day; it’s usually either a mutual exchange or one where men take the lead. So where did this tradition of only women giving presents on Valentine’s Day come from? It actually started in Japan itself.
In 1958, the Mary Chocolate Company sweets shop at the Isetan Department Store was the first to hold a Valentine’s campaign encouraging women to buy chocolates to give to men.
The logic behind Mary Chocolate’s Valentine’s Day campaign was two-fold. Firstly, the shoppers were primarily women, so it made sense to target them when advertising. Secondly, because of the influence of American culture and the Women’s Liberation Movement, Japanese women wanted to be more assertive in relationships.
Thus Valentine’s Day was solidified as a day where women give presents–especially chocolate– to men. However, this seemed to cause an imbalance, as men weren’t expected to give anything to women.
Japanese people certainly felt this was the case. In fact, Japan has an explicit culture of reciprocation called okaeshi (お返し). Considering that, perhaps it was inevitable that a parallel holiday, where men would give presents to women, would be created.
What is White Day in Japan?
In simple terms, White Day is the holiday where men give presents to women, specifically the women who originally gave them something on Valentine’s Day. This is why it’s the “reverse” of Valentine’s Day in Japan.
However, it’s one thing for people to be open to the idea of such a holiday. It’s another thing to actually establish a holiday with unique traditions. How exactly then did White Day start?
Just as the culture of Japanese Valentine’s Day was largely shaped by advertisers, the origins of White Day are also probably found in marketing. However, it’s still debated exactly which store(s) started White Day and when. But the three competing theories put the first White Day sometime between 1973-1980.
So why is it called White Day?
A popular theory on the origin of the name is that, since Valentine’s Day is known for chocolate, stores wanted to choose a different sweet for men to give women. And they decided on… marshmallows!
In fact, one of the stores which claim to have started White Day say the occasion was first dubbed “Marshmallow Day”. (By another account, it used to be “Return Valentine’s Day”.)
However, many felt this was limiting, and marshmallows are not a particularly popular gift with Japanese people. So they considered what other names would be fitting for the holiday. Since marshmallows are usually white, and the color white denotes innocence and “pure love”, they settled on the name “White Day”.
“Triple return”
Sometime after White Day started, a new custom developed: sanbai gaeshi (三倍返し) or “triple return”. (Gaeshi comes from the same character used in okaeshi–the culture of reciprocation.)
As the name implies, men were expected to give back something of triple value to the present(s) they were given on Valentine’s Day–even the “obligation chocolates”!
It’s unknown how exactly this practice started. Perhaps men wanted to show extra appreciation to the women who treated them well. Or maybe it was just because they had more disposable income due to the economic boom of the 80s.
Nowadays, men aren’t particularly expected to spend more on their presents than women. It’s largely accepted for them to give the same value or slightly more expensive. However, Japanese people are still very familiar with the term sanbai gaeshi, and it may be important to honor depending on the relationship!
When is White Day in Japan?
Since it’s directly connected to Valentine’s Day, White Day’s date was decided relative to February 14. It’s exactly one month after, on March 14.
But there’s actually more to the story. And it goes back many years, back to the origin of Valentine’s Day.
Valentine’s Day’s namesake comes from Saint Valentine. According to the story, he’s associated with love because he officiated the weddings of young couples–in spite of a marriage ban. (The emperor thought marriage would distract soldiers.)
Since he defied the law, he was martyred on February 14, 269 AD. Valentine’s Day then became a commemoration of his sacrifice and dedication to love.Although it’s not a well-known addendum to the story, Japanese people also believe one month later that the couples renewed their vows of love. That became White Day.
A less romantic possibility is simply that the first candy in Japan was created sometime around March 14, and the date one month later from Valentine’s Day was convenient. While various details around White Day may be lost to history, we know it has had the same date of March 14 for decades.
What kinds of gifts are given on White Day?
Although many believe White Day was originally intended to be a day where men gave women marshmallows, that’s not the only kind of acceptable present. In fact, marshmallows are far from the most common gift.
There was previously a push for all the items given to be white as a reference to the name, but that is also not particularly followed.
Many of the most popular gifts given on White Day are other types of sweets, such as macarons, cookies, and even chocolate! There are also traditional Japanese sweets called wagashi (和菓子).
- Wagashi are often colorful and elaborately decorated. Some people think they look more like art than food!
- The main ingredients of wagashi are: sweet beans such as red beans or soy beans, grain such as rice or wheat, starch, and sugar.
Gifts that encourage relaxation are also popular, such as candles, bath additives (like salts and bath bombs), and fragrant teas. In addition to those categories, jewelry, cosmetics, hand lotion, and handkerchiefs are also common gifts. For the most part, the gifts that Western women and Japanese women appreciate have a lot of overlap!
Japanese phrases about White Day, Valentine’s Day, and more
Happi- barentain, ハッピーバレンタイン (happy Valentine’s Day) & Happi- howaito de-, ハッピーホワイトデー (happy White Day)
As you may already be able to tell, these phrases are directly adapted from English. However, try to say them with Japanese pronunciation.
Kokoro kara, 心から (from my heart)
This is the most flexible phrase and can be used together with other phrases to express a variety of feelings.
- This present is from my heart. = Kokoro kara no purezento desu (心からのプレゼントです).
- I’m grateful from the bottom of my heart. = Kokoro kara kansha shimasu (心から感謝します).
- I love you from the bottom of my heart. = Kokoro kara aishiteimasu (心から愛しています). This is a purely romantic and extremely strong phrase, so only use it to express that kind of love!
Okaeshi kitai shiteiru kara!, お返し期待しているから！ (because I’m expecting something in return!)
This is a more playful phrase a woman can say when giving a man a Valentine’s Day present; it’s saying she’s looking forward to White Day when he’ll be expected to give something to her!
If you want to use this phrase, make sure it’s suitable for your relationship with that person, or it could sound rude.
Anata ni muchuu desu, あなたに夢中です (I’m crazy about you)
This is a passionate phrase for someone you’re romantically interested in. The word muchuu is sometimes translated as “obsessed with”, but generally expresses that you are constantly focused on the subject of attention (which can include hobbies).
Iroiro arigatou gozaimasu, 色々ありがとうございます (thank you for everything)
This is a great phrase for expressing gratitude in general. Saying this is a nice way to share positivity around these holidays, even if the relationship isn’t romantic.
Explore Japanese with Rosetta Stone
White Day is a unique Japanese holiday, but it also takes inspiration from the familiar Western celebration of Valentine’s Day. Thus it can serve as a bridge between those cultures!
With this greater understanding of Valentine’s Day and White Day in Japan, hopefully you now feel prepared to participate in the festivities. These really are holidays that anyone can join in, regardless of the type of relationship. It can even be a good way to break the ice, as those in Japan will appreciate you making the effort to recognize their culture.
If you’d like to build relationships with Japanese locals, the best way to do so is by learning the language! Rosetta Stone is dedicated to giving quality language education using the Dynamic Immersion approach. By surrounding you with the language, this approach allows you to absorb knowledge in a more natural and efficient way, without the need for rote memorization!
Written by Lydia Thron
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