| "White
Day", on March 14th, is celebrated as a second Valentine's Day in Japan.
On Valentine's day, only women give out presents to the men, usually chocolates.
There are two categories of gifts; those for men you know formally, such
as co-workers, and those you give the man you especially like, be he boyfriend,
husband, or crush. White Day is the opposite; men give out gifts to women,
including the same women who gave gifts to them. Since Japanese culture
is very concerned with keeping face, it's proper to give back the type
of gift you gave, maybe a tiny bit better; after all, it would be rude
to give less and show you didn't put thought into the gift, and if you
gave a much nicer one, you'd be showing up the person!
Please follow these links to learn more about White Day: Nichibei Times: an American-born Japanese girl returns to the land of her ancestors and writes on the cultural differences between the two homelands Valentine's
Day and White Day in Japan: another interesting article
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