How Valentine's Day is celebrated in Japan

Got these presents from two of my students:

Valentine's Day is celebrated differently in Japan:

1. Only girls give presents on Valentine's Day.

2. The present is almost always chocolates or something made with chocolate, e.g. cookies, cake, etc. The chocolate industry in Japan does a booming business during this period. Supermarkets display a wide variety of nicely-packaged chocolates and all kinds of baking ingredients and equipment about a month before Valentines. Japanese girls like to bake something themselves to give away as presents, in addition to what they buy. For example, the two presents I received include a piece of chocolate-banana pie and a piece of chocolate nougat that the girls made in addition to some chocolate candy they bought.

3. There are two types of chocolates that are given:
(a) honmei choco (to your husband/boyfriend/someone you like)
(b) giri choco (obligation chocolates: to your male colleagues)

4. Guys will give presents in return on White Day, which is a month after Valentine's i.e. 14 March.

Since there are only 5 or 6 female teachers in my school and 40+ male teachers, I just puak bodoh and did not give any giri choco (hey, it adds up to a lot leh!). Anyway, I checked with the other female teachers beforehand and only one was giving giri choco, so I figured it would be ok if I didn't give as well. It's waaaaay too commercialised over here.

Happy Valentine's Day!!