The Japanese people have earned a reputation for themselves of being very hard-working, and perhaps rightly so. Many of them do seem to spend an inordinate amount of time at the office, though whether they are actually working is up for debate. I believe this is why there are so many national holidays in Japan (Around 15). People literally need to be forced to stop working. For most people these official holidays are not enough, though, so there are also many unofficial holidays as well, including those imported from other countries and cultures. One of the joys of being a foreigner in Japan is seeing how the Japanese versions of holidays stack up.
Take for instance Valentine’s Day. Over here it’s pretty close to what I’m used to, but they only went half-way. In Japan it is traditional for girls to give chocolates to the men of their dreams. And their co-workers. For the men, it is traditional to do… nothing. For men there is a separate holiday called White Day. It’s like the other half of Valentine’s Day, and it came this week on the 14th. This time the women do nothing while the men get their chance to express love and/or professional proximity to the women in their lives. I consider this system something an upgrade, mostly because it gives us guys an extra month to procrastinate… er, I mean plan something special.
At least, that’s how it should be. Things get a bit muddled in an international relationship. And by muddled, of course, I mean completely unfair. This is the conversation I had most recently with my wife on how we would celebrate Valentine’s Day:
Me: So, what are you getting me for Valentine’s Day this year?
My Wife: Oh, I don’t know. What are you getting for me?
Me: Well, I thought since we were in Japan, we should do it the Japanese way. I’ll be sure to get you something of equal or lesser value on White Day.
My Wife: Oh, but you’re American, so you should do it the American way.
Me: OK, you want to exchange gifts at the same time, then?
My Wife: Yes, that’s much better. That way I can easily wait for White Day.
Me: Why would you wait for White Day if I’m giving you your present this month?
My Wife: That’s my Valentine’s Day present. I’m Japanese, so you should get me a White Day present also.
Me: Hey, wait a minute, you said we were doing it the American way..
My Wife: No, I said YOU were doing it the American way. I’m doing it the Japanese way.
Me: Well, I’m only going to get you one present.
My Wife: OK, that’s fine, but I’ll still be waiting on White Day.
Me: Waiting for what?
My Wife: Just… waiting.
And thus I became inexorably locked into buying an extra gift. However you work it, combining the two traditions ends up in me buying two gifts and only getting one in return. Even writing down and looking over the conversation again, I’m still not exactly sure how she did it. I guess that’s the power of Woman. My wife says that it’s just an extra chance to show her I love her. It’s really hard to argue with that!
