Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day in Japan is the exact opposite of what it is in America. First, Japan is not a country to put their women on a pedestal. Men and women have an equal playing field. If a guy likes a girl, he'll ask her on a date. If a girl likes a guy, she'll ask him on a date. So it's no surprise that on Valentine's Day, the women give chocolate to the men. There are the "obligation chocolates", which are given to co-workers, and the "favorite" chocolates, which are given to your sweet-heart.

The women are aware of the difference, too. I had every female teacher at school today ask me to explain the difference between the holidays. They had that look in their eye that little children have when they shout, "Read me this story again!" (But I've already read it to you 20 times...) After each explanation, each teacher would then sigh and say, "Americans are real gentlemen." And yes, I guess that excludes all other countries. ONLY AMERICANS. Sorry guys.

So what did I get for Valentine's Day? Today at school, I had a few 5th and 6th graders run in and give me some gift bags. Also, this weekend Yuka visited, and she took me out to an awesome steak dinner.

Next month, there is White Day, which would be the "real" Valentine's Day equivalent. I will be expected to return chocolates to all the people who gave some to me today. I guess guys are not completely off the hook.

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In other news, why is Japan better than America right now? Because the Wii version of Super Smash Bros. has been out since the end of January. So to the people waiting for the mid-March release date...haha (and it's awesome).