は～い、おひさ～！！
Long time no write! (^.^;
I took last Friday off and spent three days to go see my mom in Hiroshima and celebrate her birthday! (Well, her birthday was March 5, but I couldn't make it on time...)
To satisfy my mother's sweet tooth, I decided to pick up some of what is reportedly the best "wagashi" (traditional Japanese sweets) and went shopping before I got on the train. This is what I found:
Queues of men all over!! All of the most popular confectionery stores were crowded, mostly with men dressed in business suits. Some came out with bags full of sweets packed in pretty boxes! I caught the department store employee (dressed in the light blue jacket) to ask what was going on--and I discovered it was WHITE DAY!!
Although some of you may already know, WHITE DAY is the day when men who got gifts from women (wives, girlfriends, female colleagues, etc.) on Valentine's Day a month ago must PAY BACK!! Frankly, I see it as just a commercial ploy that Japan's sweets and snacks industry (as well as the luxury-brand handbag industry) came up with to generate business, but many Japanese men blindly follow, from fear of igniting the wrath of their female counterparts both at home and at work.
(Poor guys! Having to line up there when they're supposed to be working or doing something else more productive...)
The employee I spoke to was very apologetic because I couldn't do my shopping. Still, I managed to buy (since I actually bought most of my gifts to my mom the day before) and got on my way.
My trip continues in my next blog post!! (^_^)/~
Long time no write! (^.^;
I took last Friday off and spent three days to go see my mom in Hiroshima and celebrate her birthday! (Well, her birthday was March 5, but I couldn't make it on time...)
To satisfy my mother's sweet tooth, I decided to pick up some of what is reportedly the best "wagashi" (traditional Japanese sweets) and went shopping before I got on the train. This is what I found:
Queues of men all over!! All of the most popular confectionery stores were crowded, mostly with men dressed in business suits. Some came out with bags full of sweets packed in pretty boxes! I caught the department store employee (dressed in the light blue jacket) to ask what was going on--and I discovered it was WHITE DAY!!
Although some of you may already know, WHITE DAY is the day when men who got gifts from women (wives, girlfriends, female colleagues, etc.) on Valentine's Day a month ago must PAY BACK!! Frankly, I see it as just a commercial ploy that Japan's sweets and snacks industry (as well as the luxury-brand handbag industry) came up with to generate business, but many Japanese men blindly follow, from fear of igniting the wrath of their female counterparts both at home and at work.
(Poor guys! Having to line up there when they're supposed to be working or doing something else more productive...)The employee I spoke to was very apologetic because I couldn't do my shopping. Still, I managed to buy (since I actually bought most of my gifts to my mom the day before) and got on my way.
My trip continues in my next blog post!! (^_^)/~
