Happy Valentine's TokyoTreat Fam ♥

If you’ve seen any Japanese anime or dramas lately, you know Valentine's in Japan is no joke. It’s a great day for showing love and appreciation to the people in your life! This month we decided to create a selection of Japanese snacks to help you #ShareTheLove (or treat yourself). But why is there such a sugar rush at this time of year? Grab a snack, we’re going to explore Valentine’s chocolate culture in Japan!

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Valentine’s originally became popular in Japan in the 1950’s, after department stores in Tokyo started stocking heart shaped chocolates and making huge romantic sales displays. Women were encouraged to give chocolates to the men in their lives on February 14th. Men return this gift to the women in their lives on March 14th (White Day). This spread all over over Japan quickly and became a February staple!

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Nowadays, high quality chocolate gifts can be bought everywhere, even in convenience stores and supermarkets! But making your own chocolates is a sign of true dedication! And you can’t miss it in Japanese pop culture (our recommendation is listening to Chocolate Disco by Perfume)!  While the day is still more focused on women giving to others, they are not just given to romantic partners. Valentines chocolate is categorized into 3 distinct groups:

Honmei-Choco (本命チョコ)

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Homei-choco is given to someone you have romantic feelings for. Share some love (and sweets) with that special someone! This especially has an impact if it is homemade!

Tomo-Choco (友チョコ)

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Tomo-choco is given to friends and people close to you. Given to both male and female friends, they are filled with just as much love… just a different kind! Giving Tomo-choco is especially popular for students.

Giri-Choco (義理チョコ)

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Given out of obligation. Some women feel like they have to give chocolate to people so they aren’t left out, but it can make valentines very expensive! This often happens in companies, however some companies have started to ban it so women don’t have to feel this pressure.

This Month's Box

Here at TokyoTreat, we’re all about love (and chocolate). And so we created a box not just with snacks for you and that that special one, but a box to #ShareTheLove with everyone! Who are you planning to #sharethelove with this year? Now is the perfect time to sign up to Febraury's TokyoTreat Box!

Want your photo to be featured in our monthly booklet or on social media? Tag us on social media at #tokyotreat and maybe you'll see your photo in our next booklet! As usual we will also have an awesome photo contest with unique Japanese prizes and a FREE snack box so stay tuned for that!

As a big thank you to our subscribers we always give away a big Lucky Treat prize which is filled with over $500 worth of goodies! If you want a chance to win, make sure to join the fam!

And be sure to follow us on Facebook ,Instagram, and Twitter to keep up with hints, reveals, and other news about this upcoming box!