Like an increasing number of Japanese men, Ken Kato will not be shelling out for chocolates, a bottle of nice wine or a meal out with his wife for “White Day” on Thursday. Kato says he is tired of “manufactured” occasions designed to guilt people into buying gifts.
And he says none are more artificial than White Day, a sort of sequel to Valentine’s Day that has been an annual rite in Japan since its invention by confectionery makers four decades ago but is increasingly falling out of favour due to consumer disenchantment.
“I’m fed up with being told that I need to buy chocolates or something else for my wife for a made-up celebration that really is just a marketing campaign,” said Kato, a 54-year-old businessman from Tokyo.
“White Day was only dreamed up in the 1970s and it has absolutely no basis in tradition or a religious celebration,” he said. “It is solely designed to force people to spend more money.”
A backlash against White Day has been apparent for some years, according to the Japan Anniversary Association, with spending on gifts peaking at 73 billion yen (US$495 million) in 2014 but falling to a paltry 24 billion yen in 2021. Accurate figures are difficult to ascertain more recently because of the pandemic, but the association anticipates that spending will slip again this year.
March 14 was originally declared to be marshmallow day in 1977 as part of a promotional campaign by a confectionery company in southern Japan’s Fukuoka.
Impressed by the success of the campaign, the National Confectionery Industry Association the following year announced that every March 14 would now be known as White Day and would be the opportunity for men who receive sweets, cakes or other gifts from their wives, girlfriends or female staff at work on Valentine’s Day to reciprocate the gesture.
Since then, the workplace has become something of a social minefield on February 14, with women feeling obliged to give all the men in their department a gift out of concern they would otherwise be showing favouritism, leading to the concept of giri choco, or “obligation chocolates”.
Gradually, the accepted norm became that the man’s gift on White Day should be of a value of between two and three times the price of the gift he received on February 14.
The obligation element of both Valentine’s and White Day appears to be putting more people off, along with the rising cost of chocolates and other treats at a time of rising prices for staples in Japan. Others say it is an old-fashioned concept that is no longer relevant.
“I’ll cook dinner for my girlfriend on Thursday for when she gets home from work and I may get her a small box of chocolates that we can share, but I’m not going over the top with flowers or anything like that,” said Issei Izawa, a 25-year-old who works in the hospitality sector.
“I don’t have the money for that, it does not mean anything and I think we would both prefer to save our money for a holiday together in the summer.”
A survey conducted in February noticed a change in women’s purchases for Valentine’s Day, with nearly 22 per cent of women saying they were buying chocolates for themselves instead of a partner. Marketing firm Intage Inc said that figure was up 8.5 per cent over the previous year and suggested that women were increasingly inclined to buy something for themselves rather than being obligated to get a gift for a partner, friend or colleague.
Advertising for White Day gifts, however, is relentless. On television and social media, everyone from jewellers to hotels, holiday companies, fashion brands and, of course, chocolatiers are busy promoting new products for the special day. But social media users do not appear to be impressed.
A comment attached to a story on the Aera magazine website about the ideal gift for White Day declared it to be “a conspiracy by chocolate companies”.
The message added, “Only give gifts to the people that you love. You don’t have to spend so much money.”
Japanese LGBT couples to file Valentine’s Day lawsuits for gay marriage
Japanese LGBT couples to file Valentine’s Day lawsuits for gay marriage
Another comment said, “The idea that the number of things you receive is proof that you are popular makes me laugh. I would be happy to just get one from my favourite person.”
On another story, a poster had added the pithy message, “I can’t wait until ‘giri choco’ are extinct.”
Kato admits he has another reason for not buying a White Day gift for his wife this year: “She forgot to buy me Valentine’s chocolates last month.”
