Most anime fans have no doubt heard about the Japanese White Day, what is sometimes called a reverse-Valentine’s Day. It’s one of those occasions just made for social mishaps to occur.
A department store in Osaka decided to hand out how-to White Day (3.14) pamphlets for males in need of assistance choosing return gifts for the ladies who gave them chocolate a month before. Admittedly, the tongue-in-cheek pamphlet might also be a good way for women to subtly remind their male partners that such a gift is indeed necessary.
What women really think!
It’s much more exciting to get sweets from a shop with a long queue lined up. You would never line up for them yourself, it’s too cold…
Of course, there’s no hiding the fact that the more expensive the present the better.
A handkerchief or a hand towel are A-OK too! At least as long as the design is good.
It feels really weird if you get a return gift from somebody you didn’t give anything in the first place.
It’s no better if you get nothing in return!
I got exercise equipment as a gift. I’m not on a diet or anything…
You’re gravely mistaken if you think a teddy-bear will always do the trick.
My superior gave me a whole cake “for everyone”. How do I divide that?
Getting lingerie back for an obligatory chocolate is messed up. I get the creeps just by thinking about the guy fantasizing.
Quantity over quality is just a nuisance. Gets you fat, too.
The guy I gave department store chocolate just had to go and prepare handmade chocolate in return…
Heartfelt letters make things difficult!
I got a pair of S-size stockings. Was he trying to be considerate, or simply didn’t bother thinking at all?
From the moment he got me some lipstick, I feel him constantly staring at my lips.
No leaving presents secretly on the desk. How do you eat something if you don’t know who left it there?
Internet users have shown particular interest in the first point, with some asking for a survey of the worst-tasting sweets you have to line up for, and yet others suggesting using “anonymous powers” to simply line up in front of some horrible store…
That aside, there is probably only one lesson to keep in mind here – don’t forget about the person you’re giving the gift to. The presents we give might sometimes say too much about ourselves, our intentions and expectations. Keeping things simple and pleasant for the receiving side should remain the priority here, right?
…this coming from somebody who’s made the “wrong size” mistake once, among a fair share of other slip-ups.
I lol’d at those points. Guys can get creepy, but to me it also seems like women have no respect for the presents they get. What’s wrong with handmade chocolate or teddy bears? At least they’re not lingerie
I mean I understand how they can feel a bit intimidating since the guys put more effort on their gifts than just giving back chocolate. But I think that girls should appreciate their gifts more.
Btw, can you provide a source for those quotes? I’d like to know where they’re from.
Hello Cytrus
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[...] *For those of you who’d like to know more about some of the different sorts of Valentine’s chocolate given, check here; for one lady’s account of what Valentine’s/White Day in Japan is like for her (and the sorts of gifts that are given) check here; for some “do’s and don’ts” about gift-giving from a Japanese department store who polled some ladies check here. [...]