Gifts for White Day
Wednesday March 12, 2008
There is a rather strange Japanese custom on March 14th, one-month after Valentine’s Day . It is called “White Day” and it is the day that a man who has received a gift from a woman on Valentine’s Day gives her a gift in return. I think the idea is very Japanese. By the way, what would be a nice gift for women? According to research, the most popular item on White Day is a necklace. A ring, a handkerchief, a bouquet of flowers and a stuffed animal are among the top five. I guess there is something universal about catching a woman’s heart. However, some might be puzzled about a handkerchief being ranked so high, but there are so many beautiful handkerchiefs available in Japan and Japanese women like to collect them.
Japanese Translation
Japanese Translation
Comments
Hello-I discovered your site when i searched for a Japanese word that means ‘welcome.’ I am a professional quiltmaker and am teaching, in two weeks, a group of women who will be learning for the first time Sashiko stitching. I want to make a banner to welcome them and say ‘welcome’ but in kanji.
Can you help me?
Many thanks-
Pepper
Aww… I didn’t get chocolates
@Pepper: You can use ようこそ (yôkoso) or いらっしゃい (irasshai). I think there’s no kanji for “welcome”.
Konichiwa.
How do you say congradulations to a newly wed
couple. Or what do you say in if the woman is
japanese and the man is american.
Congratulation works just fine…
or
shuugi - which can can mean celebration so I would think that would be okay.
banjou or banzai - long life, congrats, hurrah!
houga- respectful congratulations.
Congratulations to the American and houga to the Japanese would probably be most proper if you don’t know the Japanese person that well.
hi..i am sakan and i am indonesian. i went to japan and stayed in nagoya around january and february. and oops i got chocolate on the day (feb 14) from a japanese woman. i did not realize it was valentine’s day. so that means i should send her something as a return, desu ne?
Hi Sakan,
It all depends on how you feel about her. It also depends on what kind of chocolate she gave to you. Was it giri choco (obligation chocolate), or was it honmei choco (home made with love)? Is she a “lady friend” or just a friend? I guess I should really ask do you like her back? You don’t want to send the wrong signals. If you like her go ahead and give a gift back. I wish girls here in the United States gave chocolates and other sweets