Picture of the Day - February 26, 2011

In Japan, it has become customary during Valentine's Day that the woman buys the man a gift, and not the other way around as in the U.S. But the reason is because one month after Valentine's Day on March 14, there is another holiday called White Day, and the man is supposed to reciprocate. As a result, Valentine's Day can be very stressful for many young women, since they are essentially setting the tone for the gift exchange and trying to find a gift that is just right (i.e., expensive or not expensive?, If expensive, how much is too much?, and so on). Expensive chocolates are a popular choice for gifts, so here is a picture of a chocolate market in Nagoya one day before Valentine's Day.