Tomo Choco

Hi all. Valentine's Day is right around the corner and I wanted to give out chocolate. I was wondering if you only give them to male friends or to anyone? I just learned of Tomo Choco. I assumed that you give Giri Choco to male friends.

What kind do I buy? Like what name brand?

SSJ Jup81,

The Japanese Valentine's Day custom is just something that was imported from the West in the 70s and converted conveniently for the Japanese chocolate industry, so there is no real rule.

That said, it's most common for females to give chocolates only to males. In return, males give sweets to females on White Day which is March 14th.

Tomo Choco is short for "tomodachi chololate" in which you give chocolates to those you consider as "friends" in this case friends who happen to be males but have no real romantic feelings for.

Giri Choco literally means "chocolate given out of obligation" which doesn't sound very good but a commonly used term for chocolates you give out to almost any male who you don't have any romantic feelings to at all, like clients and colleagues.

The kind you buy (or make) and brands totally depends on your preference. But since you are supposed to be taking these men lightly, you shouldn't spend too much time and money on it. Otherwise, they will misunderstand them as Honmei Choco.

Something like a hundred to a few hundred yen per male is just about the right budget for Tomo Choco and Giri Choco. There are also a lot of joke chocolates, for example chocolates shaped like bandages, so something of a design related to the male and yet not so expensive might be thoughtful.

Have fun.

This helps quite a bit. I knew about Honmei and Giri Choco though, and I also knew of White Day, but I'd never heard of Tomo Choco (I knew Tomo was short for Tomodachi) until recently.

Personally, I'd rather make the chocolate and give it out, but I know how that can be misconstrued as something romantic.

That aside, still not sure what kind to get, like maybe a certain brand or something like that. It does sound like run. I have another week or so anyway.

One way to make homemade choco look like tomo-choco is to make it real simple and small, like one or two bites per person.

When my son was in high school, a (handsome) male classmate made homemade chocolates and shared them among all his buddies who don't have girlfriends. Now, that's a real tomo-choco!

How about triol choco for tomo choco?
you can get them from 10yen

Hey, for White Day, do guys give candy for those who gave him Giri or Tomo choco, or do hey only give candy to those who gave him honmei choco?

White Day is supposed to be the day you give gifts in return, be it sweets or other things.

So basically, you are expected to give giri gifts to someone who gave you giri choco and a homei gift to someone who gave you a honmei choco (only if you love them, though) and so on.

By the way, however, I have been giving chocolates to men for 33 years and not once have I gotten anything on White Day. But I know they love me.

On White Day, of course I'll return candies to all ladies who give me giri-choco.
It's essential manner.

Maybe Shiseido Parlour's cheese cake or something?
http://parlour.shiseido.co.jp/sc/food_products/info/detail.html?prod_i...