バレンタインディでびっくりの連続! Surprising Valentines Day in Japan!

2017年1月31日

WRITER

Jess Gerrity

この記事を書いている人 - WRITER -

Jess Gerrity

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日本在住KIWIから見た日本とNZの違い

もう２月に入りました!　早すぎません？
実は日本ではじめて過ごした2月、驚きな事がたくさんありました！2月14日が日本でバレンタインデーなのです!
日本のバレンタインデーですが、世界のバレンタインデーと全く同じと思い込んたなのです(笑)。　日にち確かに同じ! ですが、男性のみがチョコレート頂くことが一つの驚き!
ニュージーランドではバレンタインデーは基本的に男性でも女性でも、お友達に、親に、恋人にチョコレート、お花やカードを交換したり、あげたりします。
なぜ日本同じ感じにしないの？とお友だちに聞いたところで、次の驚きが！
3月に女性だけがいただくホワイトデーもありますから、２月にチョコレートもらった男性が翌月、その方に返すっというのシステムがあって。。私しばらく言葉失った(笑)
じゃあ、例えば大変モテる男性がバレンタイン何十個もらったら、その翌月に同じ女性の方に返さないといけないの?! 。。っとビックリしたのです！
人材紹介の外資系で勤めたとき、その会社が銀座にありました。皆さんご存じ通り、デパートが有名な場所なのです。
バレンタインデーが近くと毎日デパートでチョコレート売り場前の大行列ができてしまい、買うために何時間もならびにいく方がいまだ! とっても印象的でした。
ニュージーランドに住んでたころですが、まだそな真面目にバレンタインディーやってる感じがなかったのですが、ニュージーランドのお友だち聞くと
大分アメリカに似てっきてしまってそのため、チョコレートやカードの商品種類が増えてます。
日本でDIY派の方が張り切って、チョコレート自分で作れる方が多そう! バレンタインデーが近く前から100均で一気にコッキング用チョコや、チョコ型、ギフトボックスやラッピングの販売始めます。年に商品の種類が増え、今年はどうになるかな?!と以外に楽しみになってくる。
最後にその買ったチョコか、作ったチョコの行き先ですが、驚きありました！
義理チョコと本命チョコの種類もありました!義理チョコがあげないといけないっという方へ、本命チョコが本当に大好きな方にあげる、気持ち込めたチョコレートだそう。
日本のバレンタインデーはびっくりした、学んた、少しずつなれた事がたくさんありました！
皆さん、今年チョコレート買いますか？作りますか？
私はもしかして、買って、自分で食べちゃうかもしれない(笑)

Some really surprising things about Valentines Day in Japan.

Wow! I can’t believe it’s already Feburary! The time since the last column has passed so quickly!
The first February I spent in Japan was just one surprise after the other!! What’s so surprising about February you may ask? Well its Valentines Day around the world including Japan.
Valentines Day is on February 14th, this is the same for Japan. I was under the impression the way Valentines Day was celebrated was the same in Japan as it was in new Zealand. No way! In Japan only men receive chocolates on the 14th. This fact alone made my jaw drop!
In New Zealand depending on the person of course, men and women, young and old give chocolate, cards and sometimes flowers to friends, loved ones and family.
Why doesn’t Japan do Valentines Day like New Zealand? I asked my friend. I was so surprised by the answer!
Japan has White Day. Held on the 14th of March exactly one month after Valentines Day, this is the day where the men who received chocolate will give biscuits or cookies to the females they received them from! I was a bit lost for words after hearing this. The system was totally different!
Enthused, I asked my friend what would happen if the guy was particularly popular and got a large quantity of chocolates from many different women? They, my friend explained, would be expected to give cookies back to each woman the following month..wow!
When I used to work for a recruitment company in Ginza I would walk by huge department stores that that area is famous for. In the lead up to Valentines Day each department store would make a special area for selling preboxed chocolates. I’ll never forget the images of customers that came to purchase chocolates and the extraordinarily long queues they made, sometimes waiting hours for certain chocolates just for that special day.
As I remember it, when I was living in New Zealand, Valentines Day still hadn’t gotten that commercial and sales oriented. I asked a Kiwi friend recently about Valentines as it in now in NZ and she mentioned that in some ways it had become more similar to America with a large variety of chocolates, cards and flowers for sale.
Back in Japan I was surprised once again by the Valentines DIY‘ers who would put alot of effort into making their chocolates.
The 100 yen shop prepares itself early for these types; stocking cooking chocolate, chocolate shapes, trays, foil cups, wrapping and giftboxes. Everything you would ever need if you wanted to attempt a go at making chocolates yourself! I look forward to their growing variety of products year upon year now too.
After the chocolate has been bought or made, I had yet another surprise which I had never heard of!
Chocolates for Valentines in Japan are roughly divided into two catergories. One category is giving to those to who you feel obligated to give to (giri chocolate) and the other is giving to those you want to give to (honmei chocolate)!
From the get go Valentines day in Japan has given me many surprises and chances to learn about Japanese culture. I think I’m finally getting used to it!
What do you like to do for Valentines Day? Do you make chocolate? Buy chocolate? Who do you give it to?
In the past I’ve made it but lately I’ve been buying it. I tend to give it to friends both male and female and more often than not just end up eating it myself!

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ジェシカ･ゲリティー:

ニュージーランド、オークランド生まれ育ち。オークランド大学、都市計画大学院卒業後、2003年(当時23歳)日本語話せないままで来日。

英会話教師として働きました。最近10年日本国内テレビ、ラジオ、インターネットなどでタレントのニュージーランド代表として活躍。最近一年テレビ朝日の番組「世界が驚いたニッポン！スゴイデスネ!!視察団」でセミレギュラー出演。

人材ヘッドハンティング、人事ビジネス、レクルートメント、英会話や、ソーシャルメディアマネジメントのビジネス経験があります。

8,5,2.5の子供がいます。空いてる時間にジョギングを楽しめて、来年から弓道始めることになりました。趣味や興味が幅広く、日本車から和食も。

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【英語Ver.】

Jessica Gerrity Was born in Auckland, graduated with a Masters of Planning from Auckland University. She came to Japan in 2003 as a 23 year old English teacher with no Japanese language ability. For the past 10 years she has worked on tv and radio as a TV personality representing New Zealand. Most recently she has appeared regularly in a show on TV Asahi called Sugoidesune Shisatsudan.She has professional experience in HR, recruitment, teaching English as a second language, and management of social media.Jessica has 3 children: 8, 5 and 2.5 years old In her spare time she loves to run, and hopes to join a Japanese archery class in the new year. She has a broad range of interests from Japanese cars to cooking.