Image from Dark City Productions.

In Japan, only men get chocolate on Valentine's Day. Women get their candy a month later, on White Day. Now that post-season Christmas decorations and New Year's foods have been sold off for a pittance or boxed up for next year, stores have begun stocking Valentine's Day wares. My neighborhood mall started stocking theirs today.

Valentine's Day candy in Japan is elaborate in ways I'd never seen. Last year, I spent literal hours admiring the offerings at the local department store, half a floor's worth of space set aside for the occasion. Boxes of chocolates were displayed more like art than mere bits of candy, with artistically arranged display tables and beneficial lighting, and painstakingly-made up women wrapping purchases exquisitely and without humor. If one didn't look closely into the glass display cases, one might expect to have wandered into a chichi 5th Avenue shop that sold parfum, and not perfume.

Valentine chocolates come in squares and circles of course, but also shaped like turtles, grizzly bears, pigs, and creatures of the sea. My favorite was a kit containing a shallow box, a tiny rake, and some edible dusty substance through which one had to excavate for chocolate "dinosaur bones" or "troglodytes." Chocolate may be hollow, solid, or filled with nuts, liqueur, champagne, even beer. A miniature chocolate drumset held an airplane-bottle serving of whiskey, and a small chocolate "golf bag" held another. I've seen more than a few art exhibits far less interesting than that particular candy aisle.

Traditionally a holiday for men, children have now started raking in the chocolate spoils too. A smaller row of candy on the end featured a few treats for kids -- chocolate Hello Kittys and Sanrio Shinkansens. Today I saw plastic candy-filled containers shaped like another popular character I am only recently familiar with, Unchikun. Once I saw Unchikun though, he had my full attention.

In Japanese, "unchi" means, well, "poop." It's a kids' word, and also, apparently, a popular kids' character. "-Kun" is an affectionate term often attached to children's names, especially boys', like the respectful "-san" for adults. So, "Unchikun" is pretty much "Mr. Poo." South Park fan, anyone? A modern if ageless sort of fella, Unchikun even has his own website.

For Valentine's Day, Unchikun lovers can choose from a hollow plastic model of the character in blue, pink, or yellow, and fill it to their satisfaction with Unchi-themed chocolates, lollipops, and other treats. I'm not sure how giving a potential Valentine's sweetheart a candy-filled smiling poo might come across in America, but in Japan, Unchikun seems to mean "Please be mine."

Want even more Unchikun? Go here.

Comments

[Karla]

Thank you, Audrey!

[Audrey]

While Valentine's day was brought to Japan by Hallmark, White Day is something Japan invented. Well, it was more the marshmallow industry, but the deal was to give women marshmallow candies in return for all those giri-choco's (obligation choclates). The type of gifts have expanded greatly, but I think white still remains the theme colour of this totally fake and consumerist holiday.

[Karla]

Valentine's and White Day are more department store holidays than major ones with lots of public ceremony, so they're harder for me to make observations about, plus this will only be my second of each in Japan. Here's my guess, but I could be totally wrong. Valentine's seems to be for women to give a small box of chocolates to every male they know -- co-workers, friends, English conversation school teachers --, or assemble (not bake, keep in mind the lack of ovens) tiny Valentine's cakes from pre-made department store ingredients -- heart-shaped sponge forms as big as your hand, miniature pink paper boxes, etc. White Day is more just for wives and girlfriends, who receive somewhat more expensive gifts -- roses and larger boxes of chocolates and whatnot, although I haven't yet seen the onslaught of "Buy her a diamond or she'll think you hate her" sorts of ads like in the States.

Again, I could be totally wrong. Anyone else know?

[Jason]

Wow, thanks for the interesting post! Is White Day much different than Valentine's Day? Do they have the same types of candy or do they celebrate differently?