Cashing in on love

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day.
Valentine's Day in this country is a whole different ordeal. In Japan, girls give guys candy on Valentine's day. It's kind of like Sadie Hawkins day where you have the chance to profess your love for someone.
However, as in all things in Japan and in love, it's never quite that simple. Valentine's Day is not just a day for couples. There are different kinds of chocolate. And no, I don't mean the amount of cacao the chocolate contains.
Obviously, there's the chocolate you present to your significant other. Then, there are chocolates called tomochoco ("tomo" for friend in Japanese), and last but not least, is my favorite. These chocolates are called girichoco. Giri means obligation. These are the chocolate you're obligated to give to male acquaintances. This includes your boss and other male co-workers, and perhaps male family members.
I was a bit surprised by this Japanese Valentine tradition. It just seems sad that you have to feel obligated to give sweets to people. It's perhaps even more sad for the people receiving it because it becomes a pity gift.
Although I would never turn down a piece of chocolate, I'm sure it doesn't taste as good as it should when the person who gave it to you only did it out of obligation.
On top of all this, I was surprised because I view Japan as a male-dominant society and for females to be the initiators in professing their love seems a bit...out of place. That's why I thought the holiday will be much less celebrated and commercialized as compared to the US.
However, my silly assumption was quickly refuted when my tea lady told me that in Japan, there is a thing called "White Day." White Day is on March 14th. This day is to give the men a chance to give back to the ladies.
If you think Valentine's Day is a very commercial holiday in America, you should come see it in action here. I was at the department store the other day and there were lines and lines of women buying sacks of fancily packaged chocolates. I assume that most of them were buying the girichocos. It's that or maybe they just have many significant others.

All I could think was wow, I'd like to be one of those chocolate manufacturers in Japan right about now.

Happy Valentine's Day!!