Thanks to a mistranslation it is WOMEN who give chocolate to men in Japan!
Valentines Day is always a special occasion for some and a day to be avoided for others, and while Westerners have their customs, they are not the same throughout the World.
Originating as a Western holiday, it was not brought to Japan until 1936, when chocolate companies were aiming for the business of foreigners.
Because the holiday was so new and alien to the Japanese, they were not sure exactly how the day usually went. When an executive at a chocolate company was translating an advertisement, he mistranslated “men” and “women” resulting in the complete opposite of what we know!
In Japan, it is now common for women to give their male friends and co-workers chocolates instead!