Hello everyone! Have you heard of White Day? If you are familiar with Japanese culture or have subscribed to Maido's newsletter for a long time, you may know it already, but simply put, it is the day to give gifts in return for Valentine's Day.
White Day on March 14th, which is well-established in Japan and probably known by most people, is an event that originated in Japan. It has spread to Korea and China, but we do not have the custom of celebrating White Day in the United States.
In Japanese culture, Valentine's Day and White Day are considered as a set. As mentioned in a few newsletters ago, on Valentine's Day in Japan, women generally confess their feelings to men along with handmade or store-bought chocolates. More and more people also enjoy giving chocolates to their friends, colleagues, and themselves, as well.
Now, White Day is the day to give back to the people who gave you a gift, including someone who likes you a lot, as well as someone who just gave you a gift to receive a return gift. It is a good example of the Japanese culture of giving something back when you receive a gift for celebration.
Today, we are going to show you the meaning of different types of White Day gifts, introduce some of the best products for White Day that we sell at Maido, and share some recipes for those who want to give homemade gifts back to their loved ones. Let's get started.
***
Recommended Gifts and Their Meanings
The White Day gifts have many meanings. There are sweets suitable for honmei/true love and for giri/obligation, and others that do not have any special meanings.
**
-Honmei/true love gifts for people you have special feelings for
There is a wide range of sweets for true love in the following things. All of these gifts are suitable for honmei/true love, but each kind has a different meaning, so it is recommended that you choose the return gift that best fits your feelings for the recipient.
Caramel
Characterized by the gentle sweetness of milk and sugar, caramel has the meaning of I feel safe when I am with you. The slow melting in the mouth seems to evoke the impression of a heart that melts away, creating a sense of security. Rather than strong affection, it is a return gift with nuances of trust and goodwill.
*There is a recipe using caramel below!
The left one is hard, and the middle and right ones are soft and chewy. Try them all and compare to see what you like!
*
Hard Candy
Hard candy is a typical White Day gift. It has the meaning of I love you. Since you can enjoy the sweetness of the hard candy in your mouth for a long time, this return gift means that you want to keep the sweet time and sweet relationship for a long time.
*There is a recipe and more below!
These milk flavor candy is very popular. The left one is especially a well-known product, and the right one has oligosaccharides, condensed milk, butter, cream, and 250 mg/a bag of calcium.
The left one is made with real lychee juice. The right one includes Japanese plum, muscat, co*ke, mikan Mandarin orange, and soda flavors. Each piece contains 20 mg of vitamin C.
Lipton candy on the left includes sour fruit (strawberry) in tea and sweet fruit (peach) in tea flavors. The one on the right has ume pickled plum flavor. It has ume paste and powder, and you can enjoy sweet and sour flavor in one.
*
Kompeito
Kompeito sugar means I love you. Since kompeito is a type of hard candy, its characteristic of being sweet for a long time makes it mean that one wants to keep the sweet time going for a long time and to have a sweet relationship. Small and cute kompeito would be a perfect White Day gift to send to the person you love.
*
Baumkuchen
Baumkuchen is also known as stump cake. The layers of the baumkuchen are reminiscent of the layers of time that accumulate, and the meaning of baumkuchen is may your happiness last forever. Baumkuchen is an auspicious sweet that is often used as a wedding greeting or a gift. It is a good idea to send it to your partner to express your wish for long-lasting happiness.
*
Madeleine
Madeleine means I want to get to know you better or I want to build a special relationship with you. Madeleines are based on the motif of a bivalve shell; the overlapping of the two shells has come to be associated with the image of intimacy and an amicable relationship.
*
Macaron
Macaron means you are special. Macarons are often sold at high-end sweets stores, and their impression implies that they are special. They are popular among women for their cute appearance, so they will be a great gift for White Day.
**
- Giri/obligation gifts for people with special feelings
Sometimes you may want to give a gift to friends, co-workers, or acquaintances. Here are some White Day return gifts suitable for giri/obligation and the origin of their meanings.
Cookie
Cookie means let's stay friends. The crispy texture of cookies has become a standard for returning gifts to friends because of their lightness and dryness. Also, due to the fact that they are easy to distribute to a large number of people, they became common as giri/obligation gifts.
Cookie and chocolate is always the best combination! They all are addictive, so you will finish the whole box before you know it.
Beloved Hello Panda snack in three flavors are available now at the store. Each flavor is unique, so you can get all three as a set for a return gift!
*
White chocolate
White chocolate is a way of saying I want our relationship to remain the same not as lovers, or I do not dislike you but I do not have feelings, so I want to stay friends with you. The white color of white chocolate evokes the image of purity, so it means that the relationship should remain pure without developing the relationship.
Dars on top is white chocolate with 10% of cream used. It is milky and creamy. It has been loved for 30 years. Alfort on the right is white chocolate with vanilla seeds combined with savory cocoa cookie containing whole wheat flour. The rich taste of milk and the aroma of vanilla spread the deliciousness.
**
- Gifts in return for those you are not interested in an amative way
There are some sweets for people you are not interested in romantically. This has to do with the Japanese culture. In the West, it is considered good to express your thoughts straightforward. In Japan, however, it is a virtue to understand what the other person is thinking, and the ability to read between the lines. For this reason, the following gifts are also popular.
Marshmallow
Marshmallow as a White Day gift in return is often taken to mean that you are not interested in them. It is said that it has a light texture and melts as soon as you put it in your mouth, so the way it softly disappears leads to that. The original meaning, however, is to return the favor with love. White Day was originally called Marshmallow Day. On Marshmallow Day, marshmallows with chocolate inside as a filling were given as a standard gift, and the meaning was to return the chocolate received on Valentine's Day by wrapping it in marshmallows (= love for the recipient). Comparing the current meaning with the original meaning, you will see that there is a big difference.
Hello Kitty marshmallow is cute and yummy! Even without wrapping it, each package is already very cute. The chocolate flavor is individually wrapped, so there is even more cuteness inside!
*
Chocolate
Chocolate is synonymous with Valentine's Day in Japan. If you return the chocolates you received on Valentine's Day on White Day, it means that you will return the feelings you received or that your feelings are not accepted.
It is a creamy chocolate filled with soft yet crunchy buttery roasted macadamia nuts, so-called the king of nuts. This product also makes a good White Day's gift.
They are super popular characters Peko & Poko's lollipop shaped chocolates. The packaging is aquarium themed. Not only the chocolates, but also the sticks are very cute.
*
Gummy
You would think that gummies would be appreciated since everyone loves them, but its characteristic of being chewed and eaten, or melting and disappearing quickly in the mouth, can mean that they are not interested in you.
These are thin, flat, fettuccine pasta-like gummies with an addictive chewy texture. Because of this shape, they also have a lot of powder on them, giving them more flavor.
**
- Return gifts that have no specific meaning
The above are the meanings used only for White Day in Japan, and they are perfectly acceptable on other occasions. And if you know the above meanings, you can just tell them that there is no negative meaning and just give them as gifts, as a lot of people like marshmallow, chocolate, and gummies after all.
Sweets that have no particular meaning include castella, pudding, and cake. They are still popular sweets so if you are wondering what to give in return for White Day, you can give them as gifts.
Also, since Valentine's Day originated in Europe, no special meaning is attached to Japanese traditional sweets, wagashi.
Okayama white peach castella sponge cake on the left offers a sweet and juicy flavor. It is made with Okayama white peach puree and white peach filling, and baked to perfection using a secret recipe. Enjoy the fresh and gentle aroma of white peaches and the moist texture. Hokkaido milk castella sponge cake on the right is also flavorful. Luxurious Hokkaido milk is used for this special treat. Enjoy the moist and fine texture and gentle milk flavor. Each package includes three pieces.
*
Japanese pudding has two layers - custard pudding and a caramel part. This jiggly dessert will give you happiness.
*
Yokan, a part of wagashi, is made of red bean paste, agar, and sugar. The ones we offer are small blocks, so they are easy to eat!
煉 Neri - Red Bean Paste
小倉 Ogura - Red Bean Chunks
茶 Cha - Green Tea
***
There is a lot of food items, housewares, stationery, and gifts available at the store and our online store, Maido! Kairashi Shop, where you can place your order for shipping or store pickup! Happy shopping. :)
