It was said that, when chocolate companies initiated the waves to encourage people to celebrate Valentine’s Day in Japan nearly a century ago, a mistranslation from an advertisement gave people the wrong idea of what February 14 is about. The advertisement featured people giving each other chocolate during Valentine’s Day – everything looks fine and normal. However, the tagline was translated as “women to express their love to men”, portraying women giving chocolate to men they love. It thus instilled a misleading impression that it was customary for women to give chocolate to men in order to express their “true feelings”.

It now explains why Japanese ladies shower their men with chocolate and truffles on February 14 (men to return the favour on March 14). It turns out to be a romantic flaw in translation and an all-around win for everyone.