Big in Japan: White Day is the opposite of Valentine’s Day

by Matthew Firestone on

To Western eyes, there’s no shortage of unusual Japanese festivals that have little to no equivalent in our society.

Indeed, the first time I started throwing dried rice around the house in order to ward away evil spirits, I couldn’t help but feel like I was wasting food.

(Then again, you can imagine the reaction most Japanese people have when they see us Westerners carving up a perfectly edible pumpkin on Halloween!).

Anyway, last month was Valentine’s Day, a chocolate-fueled holiday dedicated to everlasting love (or at least intense sugar-highs).

While this Hallmark holiday has swept around the world, from London to Sydney and Buenos Aires to Cape Town, Valentine’s Day in Japan is just a bit different.

While Western women expect their significant others to reward their devotion with flowers, candy, jewelry and/or expensive dinners, in Japan, Valentine’s Day is a man’s holiday.

Yes – that’s right! On Valentine’s Day in Japan, men expect their significant others to reward their devotions with chocolate, expensive dinners and/or a six pack of lager.

But, fret not ladies as today is March 14th, which is otherwise known as White Day in Japan.

And, assuming you haven’t broken up with your man since February, today you can expect your generosity to be repaid three-fold!

White Day (ホワイトデー, howaito dē), which was created in Japan in 1980, is somewhat akin to the American version of Valentine’s Day, though it’s celebrated exactly one month after the fact.

While few women in the West have any reason to mark March 14th on their calendars, this seemingly innocent day is unforgettable in Asia.

In fact, the concept of White Day has spread throughout Korea, China, Taiwan and Hong Kong in recent years, and is being applauded as a way of turning the tables on sexism.

While women in Asia have long been snubbed on Valentine’s Day, Japanese females are quick to cite the right of sanbai kaeshi (三倍返し), which literally translates to thrice the return.

So, if you gave your man a box of $25 chocolates on Valentine’s Day, this rule dictates that the return gift should at least $75 or even more.

Then again, as this is the age of women’s liberation here in Japan, it shouldn’t come as surprise that the right of juubai kaeshi (十倍返し) or ten-times the return is becoming more the norm.

So where exactly does White Day come from?

Well, the romantic story is that the holiday began in 1965 when a marshmallow maker started marketing to men.

His unique pitch was that men should pay back the women who gave them chocolate and other gifts with fluffy, white marshmallows.

Of course, the reality is probably a bit more monetary in scope.

In the 1970s, confectionery companies realized that they could capitalize on such a tradition, and began marketing white chocolate.

Soon after, other companies jumped on the consumer bandwagon, and started advertising everything from white gold to white-lace lingerie.

History aside, today is White Day in Japan…

So, if you’re living over here in the Land of the Rising Sun, and there is a significant other in your life, might I suggest a quick run to the candy store.

After all, the consequences for missing White Day are just to brutal and gruesome to depict here.

** Image are courtesy of the WikiCommons media project. **

Big in Japan: Sisters hide billions of yen in their tool shed

by Matthew Firestone on

Today in Japan, the tabloids are buzzing with the latest news of two sisters from the city of Osaka, who were arrested yesterday after hiding US$58 million from the tax man.

Now, I know you’re probably thinking to yourselves: “Did they hide all of that money under the mattress?’

Good question, but they actually kept all of the money in cardboard boxes and paper bags that were stowed away in a shed attached to their house!

Awesome.

According to prosecutors, the two sisters in question, Hatsue Shimizu and Yoshiko Ishii, inherited about 7.5 billion yen (or US$73 million) when their father, who owned a property and finance company, died in 2004.

In Japan, inheritance tax can take a serious chunk out of your assets, and this dastardly duo wasn’t about to lose their hard-earned money to the government.

So, rather than losing an estimated 2.86 billion yen (or US$28 million) of their newfound fortune, the free-thinking pair simply declared a small amount and stashed the rest.

Again, awesome.

So how will the story end? Keep on reading to find out!

Needless to say, governments tends to notice when wealthy businessmen die, especially when they’re considered to be industry leaders and property moguls.

So, the Japanese government wasn’t about to just sit pretty when their cut of the wealth never trickled back to them in the form of taxes.

It what must have been an amazing raid to witness – Japanese police officers stormed the home of these two little old ladies, and proceeded to tear the place apart.

The Osaka taxation bureau had previously made a list of ten possible locations where the money was stashed, but they weren’t prepared for the spectacle that unfolded.

In fact, not only was most of the money lying in a tool shed, but it was actually neatly arranged in plastic bags that were packed into cardboard boxes.

According to one tax official, “We have confiscated somewhere around 50 cardboard boxes.”

Indeed, this makes for some great visual journalism. For those of you without Japanese TV stations, think two sobbing old ladies, and a line of police officers hauling away boxes upon boxes of cold hard cash.

Anyway, let me be the first person to applaud these two women as you can’t help but feel sorry for them, especially since they’re bound to lose all of the money and face prison time.

Of course, if I was planning to skip out on inheritance tax, I’d like to imagine that I’d investigate somewhat more legit options, like a bank account in the Caymans, or at least a buried treasure chest.

But, I guess there’s nothing wrong with the tool shed method, assuming of course that your neighbor doesn’t need to borrow your hedge trimmers.

So, I guess this of course brings up my question for day: if you had millions and millions of dollars lying around, and weren’t too keen on paying taxes, where would you hide it?

** By the way, if the IRS is reading this, I filed my 2007 tax return on time, so no worries! **

What strange things have been found on planes?


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Big in Japan: Zen and the art of ramen appreciation

by Matthew Firestone on

I love ramen…

For some, it’s the marbled fat and delicate color of farm-raised Kobe beef. For others, it’s the delicate flesh and buttery taste of wild salmon.

For me however, it’s got to be ramen, Nature’s most perfect food.

Although I’ve spent several years living in Tokyo, for some strange reason I never had the privilege of dining at Ippudo (?????), a world famous chain of ramen noodle shops.

Originating in the city of Hakata (????) on the island of Kyushu, Ippudo pays homage to its roots by serving up some of the best damn Hakata-style ramen on the planet.

Hakata ramen is distinguished by its rich and milky pork-bone broth, thin noodles and unique toppings such as pickled ginger, crushed sesame and pickled greens.

So how good is Ippudo you ask?

Put it this way – one doesn’t merely jump right into a bowl of Ippudo’s signature Hakata ramen.

On the contrary, it must first appreciated and respected before even a single slurp of soup and noodle can be savored.

So, without further adieu, I present to you today Zen and the art of ramen appreciation.

Upon arriving at the table, don’t lose face in front of the chef by diving into the bowl like an uncouth barbarian.

Instead, take a moment to appreciate the immaculate presentation, the intoxicating aroma and the beauty of the meal before you.

Ippudo ramen is best served up with a dollop of fiery red miso paste and a squirt of black sesame oil.

However, don’t let these culinary flourishes distract you from the heart and soul of the meal, namely the honorable pig that gave up its life for your dining pleasure.

Indeed, the fat from the humble pig comprises much of the bulk of the broth, while cuts of tenderloin float delicately on the surface like sakura petals on a still pond.

Next, use your chopsticks in a precise and exacting manner to explore the delicate coil of noodles that lie in waiting beneath the surface of the broth.

At Ippudo, these handmade noodles are thin yet resilient, and are expertly crafted to capture globules of rich fat and flavorful broth.

By this point, your mouth is salivating and your stomach is growling, so give a polite bow to the chef and say a small prayer for the pig.

Now that the appropriate amount of respect has been given, dive right into what will most likely be the most heavenly bowl of ramen you’ve ever tasted.

And of course, don’t forget to slurp your noodles – not only is it polite, but it also enhances the flavor!

Ippudo has several locations in Tokyo, though I tend to frequent the one on Meiji-dori in Hiroo-go-chome. If you happen to see a fellow gaijin noodle lover there, be sure to say hi.

** Special thanks to my fellow diner and all-around partner in crime, Will-san, who understands whole-heartedly that no two bowls of ramen are ever created equal **

Japan: A Post-Car Society

by Iva Skoch on

A post-car society might actually exist? I would love that!

Too bad it is so far from my own back yard, where people obsess about their cars to the point where they actually honestly believe that your choice of car accurately reveals your character. (Sorry, Honda drivers, you apparently have none.) What about the character of all the people in Japan who don’t have cars? God bless them.

In this article, Newsweek called the gadget-crazy Japanese as people who look down at owning a car as “so 20th century.” Apparently, the automobile is losing its emotional appeal in Japan. Sales fell 7 percent in 2006, if you don’t count the minicar market. It is about time the automobile lost its emotional appeal, if you ask me. Mind you, I don’t mind cars, but I really despise the whole concept of car culture and what it has done to large chunks of the world.

Matthew could surely speak more coherently about this trend in Japan, but I am just here to tell you that the end of car culture might be closer than we think.

Bizarre Japanese kinks: school boy cafes and more

by Abha Malpani on

While Japanese men get their kicks from “maid cafes”, Japanese women are getting their kicks from “school boy cafes” where waiters dress like teenage boys who go to boarding-school.

If I’ve understood clearly, these Japanese women do not want to get with these men dressed as school boys, but their thrill factor lies in the romance that they see (or imagine) between the boys at the cafes — something that comes to life from the Japanese boy-boy romance manga comics they read.

According to Reuters, the latest genre of such comics often include violent sex scenes that range from anal and oral sex to bondage and male gang rape. Apparently, seeing beautiful fragile boys in dangerous almost death-like situations makes them attractive to the women who read such manga comics.

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The idea it follows after the “butler cafe” — opened in 2006 by the same person — to provide the young, sophisticated, geeky Japanese woman (female Otaku) a safe and trendy environment to hangout, something that is a rarity in Japan because of it’s rigid society norms.

Talking about rare cafes and kicks people get from them, a bit of prodding reveals numerous weird themed cafes in Japan: vampire cafe, prison cafe, ninja cafe, eyeglasses cafe, scientist lab coat cafe, and the church themed Christon cafes.

I think the success of such concepts is a great example of deep cultural complexities that I wonder if we will ever understand. But I suppose we don’t need to understand them as long as we accept them — perhaps then we will be able to enjoy them too!

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