Valentine's Day

February 14

Happy Valentine's Day!

It's been a busy week or 2. Last Friday was Harikuyou, a memorial for needles. We should stick our sewing needles into a block of tofu or konnyaku to give them a rest from all that hard sewing for a day, and give a prayer of thanks for their efforts and also pray for our sewing skills to improve. Since few people still sew, it's probably not a huge occasion, but I wouldn't be surprised if some fashion designers here followed the tradition. Some shrines like Egara Tenjin in Kamakura hold thanksgiving services for needles.

The Harikuyou service at Egara Tenjin... a giant block of tofu acts as a pin cushion.

Monday was a national holiday (National Foundation Day) and today is Valentine's Day, so this is a great week for the average salaryman: a day off, and hopefully, a lot of chocolate. Not so much fun for the average housewife though: an extra day of cooking 3 meals and making 'honmei choco'.

The macaron craze continues - Muji has make-your-own macaron kits for 'honmei choco'

Got these beautiful silicon chocolate moulds at Muji, to make 'wagashi' shaped chocs and cookies.

My own efforts weren't so photo ready. White chocolate is NOT chocolate!
They're only as good as the chocolate you use.

Every year though, it seems fewer women are buying 'giri choco' - those chocolates one feels socially obligated to buy for male co-workers and sempai - and more are buying 'tomo choco', chocolates for their female friends. This year's commercials for Meiji chocolate shows a typical high school girl making chocolates for her friends at school, intercut with her and her friends laughing and hanging out. Boys don't get a look-in. Even Arashi's Matsujun, who is magically 'supervising' her cooking, misses out on the chocolates.

Here's Matsujun looking more like someone's grandpa for Meiji

And he finds out the high school girl didn't make him any chocolates.

As a result, the packaging is getting girlier every year. I still saw sake flavour and even Tabasco flavour chocolates, aimed at men, and a lot of novelty packaging (chocolates wrapped to look like dried abalone, dried sardines, etc was popular with the high school boys I saw at Loft).

In case you forgot the date, Plaza stores will wrap your gift in bold arrows.

Some of my hubby's haul (the Ghana will be made into Gundam-shaped chocolates today). I really hope the 'dried fish' ones don't taste like fish!

Chocolate Nano blocks to build a 'beer' nanoblock. "Love for Boy"' sounds a bit too much like "boy love" , but anyway...

Popular stores like Loft, Tokyu Hands and Plaza also give out free instructional magazines full of recipes and decorating ideas.

I'm not sure what message this breath mint cocktail sends to the man in your life, but there are a lot of old dudes on the rush hour trains who could do with a few strong mints.

This shopping bag will proclaim your feelings to the world.

Choco day

February 14

Enough has been written about Valentine's Day in Japan, and "giri choco" vs "honmei choco". The tradition is that women buy sweets for men, and they return the favour a month later. But to be honest, most of my female friends are buying those chocolates for themselves! (and sometimes their friends). One of the best things about Valentine's Day in Japan is that the department stores put on big chocolate fairs, and often fly out famous chocolatiers from France and Belgium. You can get high on the smell of chocolate in the air!

Most of these women are buying chocolate for themselves!

French macarons, especially mini ones in pastel colours have become really popular in the last few years, since Laduree landed here. Local boy Sadaharu Aoki is also a big star here, with his colourful approach to chocolates. The packaging is gorgeous. Packaging is so important when you're choosing a gift.

Sadaharu Aoki's store in Midtown, Roppongi is beautiful

When it comes to macarons, just say "hitotsu zutsu!" - one of each

Women are giving chocolates to their friends, but not really bothering with their male colleagues these days, though you might give some chocolates to your boss to keep him sweet! When it comes to "honmei choco" or 'real feeling chocolates' for your boyfriend, husband or secret desire, according to a lot of men here, it's best to give something homemade. Stores like Tokyu Hands are full of heart-shaped chocolate moulds and decorating kits. If you're feeling a little lazy, just melt a bunch of chocolate Pocky sticks together and sprinkle them with sugary stars - that's the schoolgirl way.

My lazy chocolate tarts this year