Every year on March 14, exactly one month after Valentine's Day, Japan celebrates a fascinating modern tradition: White Day.
In Japan, the romance ritual is a two-step process that reinforces on traditional gender roles. On Valentine’s Day, women traditionally give chocolates to men. Then, on White Day, men return the gesture with gifts—often sweets, but sometimes something much more elaborate. It isn’t just for lovers too. A whole office culture of gift giving has evolved around this day.
What began as a clever marketing campaign has become a widely recognized cultural tradition across Japan and other parts of East Asia.
The Origins of White Day in Japan
White Day is actually a relatively modern phenomenon.
The tradition began in the late 1970s, when a Japanese confectionery company saw an opportunity to extend the Valentine’s chocolate selling season. In 1977, the company Ishimura Manseido, based in Fukuoka, launched a campaign called “Marshmallow Day” where they promoted the Tsurunoko, an egg shaped marshmallow with a “yolk” centre. We visit Fukuoka every time we’re in Japan, and I’m now making a point to visit Ishimura Manseido next time.
The idea was simple: men who received chocolates from ladies on Valentine’s Day should give marshmallows in return one month later.
The campaign gained popularity, and by 1978 the National Confectionery Industry Association of Japan officially promoted March 14 as White Day. The holiday’s name came from the colour white, symbolizing purity and sweetness—and conveniently matching the colour of marshmallows, sugar candies, and white chocolate.
Over time, the gift options expanded well beyond marshmallows. Today, White Day can involve anything from gourmet desserts to jewelry.
How Valentine’s Day Works in Japan
To understand White Day, you first have to understand how Valentine’s Day in Japan works—because it’s quite different from Western traditions.
Rather than couples exchanging gifts equally on February 14, the custom in Japan traditionally places the first move on women. Valentine’s day appears to have first been introduced to Japan in the mid 1930s, becoming more widespread in the 1950s, but not really becoming part of Japanese culture until the 1970s.
The gifting goes beyond couples, and a whole culture around chocolate gifting amongst colleagues and friends. As with many things in Japan, there are categories and names to describe the type of gift.
Common categories include:
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Honmei-choco (本命チョコ) - “true love” chocolate given to a romantic partner or crush
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Giri-choco (義理チョコ) - “obligation chocolate” given to coworkers, bosses, or acquaintances
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Tomo-choco (友チョコ) - chocolate exchanged among friends
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Jibun-choco (自分チョコ) - chocolate someone buys for themselves (because self-care counts)
This creates a system where Valentine’s Day can involve dozens of chocolate exchanges, especially in workplaces.
And that’s where White Day enters the picture.
White Day: The Day of Returning the Gift
White Day revolves around a concept known as “okaeshi”, which means returning a favour.
Men who received chocolates on Valentine’s Day are expected to give a return gift on March 14. Based on our experience in Japanese workplaces, women would go in together to buy chocolates for many male co-workers. If women gave chocolate to 15 guys, they might expect just a few in return.
We’ve seen people online say that the gift should be worth two to three times the value of the original gift—a custom sometimes jokingly referred to as “sanbai gaeshi”, or “triple return.”
Whether this rule is strictly followed, we have doubts.
As with Valentine's Day in the west, many couples take Valentine's Day and White Day very seriously, but not everyone does. I remember a male friend of my roommate being so disappointed that he didn’t get any chocolate on Valentine’s Day. Poor guy!
Popular White Day Gifts
While marshmallows started the tradition, modern White Day gifts have become much more varied.
Common gifts include: White chocolate, or any chocolate, cookies, marshmallows, and candy. In order to cash in, many more types of giftable goods are entering the market including luxury desserts, and also jewelry, perfume, and elegant dinners.
Department stores and bakeries across Japan release limited-edition White Day treats, often packaged in elegant white-themed boxes.
White Day is basically the confectionery industry’s second biggest event of the year—right after Valentine’s Day itself. This is a country where Christmas and Easter aren’t big chocolate holidays.
White Day Beyond Japan
White Day originated in Fukuoka, Japan in the 1970s, but has now been adopted in other East Asian countries, particularly South Korea, Taiwan, and China. Could it catch on in North America?
A Sweet Tradition That Doubled the Romance, and the Calories
White Day is a perfect example of how culture, commerce, and romance can intertwine.
What started as a confectionery marketing campaign evolved into a widely recognized day that adds a second chapter to Japan’s Valentine season.
Whether it’s a romantic reply, a friendly gesture, or simply another reason to enjoy great sweets, White Day continues to play a unique role in Japanese culture.
And if nothing else, an extra reason to give someone a treat, or enjoy one yourself, is fine by us. It also happens to be Pi Day, a day to celebrate π (3.14159..) by eating pie, so it really is a day to enjoy sweets.
