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Monday February 13, 7:54 PM70% of female workers wish Valentine's Day custom would go away(Kyodo) _ Seventy percent of female company workers would like it if there was no custom in Japan of women giving chocolates to boyfriends or colleagues on Valentine's Day, while 50 percent of male company workers agreed, a survey conducted by internet information provider iBridge Corp. showed Monday.Forty-seven percent of the surveyed women said they get prepared for Feb. 14 by doing things like buying gifts from several days before and 26 percent said they do so from more than a week before. On giving chocolates to someone out of a sense of social obligation such as colleagues or bosses -- a unique Japanese phenomenon known as giving "giri choco," 42 percent of women said they do so as "a way of communication," while 40 percent said they do so because it is "an annual custom." The survey was based on responses collected via the Internet from 300 single males and 300 single females aged between 20s and 30s and who are office workers. They were chosen from among those registered as members for the Osaka-based company's monitoring research. Meanwhile, 49 percent of the men said they are not be aware of Valentine's Day even as Feb. 14 gets closer and 29 percent said they notice that it is the day only when the actual Valentine's Day comes. But 88 percent of the men said they will "eat them all" if they receive chocolates. On how they feel when Valentine's Day gets closer, a total of 58 percent of the women said they either feel rather unhappy or very unhappy, citing such reasons as it costs money or takes time for preparation. Fifty percent of men also felt the same, responding that it is bothersome to give something in return and that they don't like to be compared with others. In Japan there is also a custom for men to give gifts on March 14, called "White Day," in return to the women who offered them gifts the month before. On chocolates to be given to boyfriends or someone they love, however, 51 percent of women said they will spend higher amount of money than on "giri choco," with 28 percent saying they will also give an additional present besides chocolates. |
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