What is White Day in Japan?

White Day (ホワイトデー) is a holiday on March 14, exactly one month after Valentine's Day. In Japanese tradition, chocolate on Valentine's Day is given by women to men, and White Day was invented as the day of a return gift from the man.

On what date is White Day celebrated in Japan?

March 14, every year on the same date — exactly one month after February 14. The date was chosen deliberately: the organizers of the holiday from the very beginning linked it to the February gift, to which one must respond.

Who gives gifts to whom on February 14 in Japan?

Unlike the Western tradition, in Japan on February 14 chocolate is given by women — to men: colleagues, superiors, friends, and partners, each with their own type of chocolate. Men respond in kind later, on March 14, on White Day.

What is customary to give in return on White Day?

Most often candy, marshmallows, or white chocolate — it is because of these sweets that the holiday got the name 'white'. There is no single strict rule about a specific gift: the holiday has only an established range of suitable sweets.

Is it true that the return gift on White Day should be three times as expensive?

This is common rumor, not an official norm: the rule '三倍返し' was actively promoted by advertising from confectionery companies, but there is no strict source fixing such a proportion as a tradition. Today a gift is more likely chosen as a token of attention, not by a formula.

Is White Day celebrated in countries other than Japan?

Yes, a similar custom took root in South Korea and Taiwan, where it came along with the very idea of giving chocolate on February 14. In Europe and North America, White Day as a separate holiday does not exist.

White Day in Japan — why you answer a gift a month later

On March 14, Japan celebrates White Day (ホワイトデー) — the day of return gifts, exactly one month after Valentine's Day. On Valentine's Day in Japan, women traditionally give chocolate to men, and White Day was invented as the reverse gesture: a man responds with a gift — candy, marshmallows, or white chocolate. The holiday was created by the confectionery industry at the turn of the 1970s and 1980s.

White Day in Japan is often described only as a 'mirror' of Valentine's Day, forgetting the most interesting part — how the industry invented a holiday for itself and why there is no single official version of its origin. Let's look at the role reversal of February 14 and March 14, the history with competing versions of the holiday's creator, and what 'return three times as expensive' really means.

March 14 — the day of return gifts

In Japan, Valentine's Day works differently than in the West: chocolate is traditionally given by women — to men, colleagues, and not only romantic partners. White Day, exactly one month later, on March 14, was invented as the reverse gesture: a man responds with a gift to the chocolate received in February. Without this role reversal, the holiday makes no sense — White Day exists precisely because February 14 in Japan is not celebrated the way it is in Europe.

The name ホワイトデー is simply 'White Day' in English

The holiday has no separate Japanese word: the name ホワイトデー is a direct Japanese transcription of the English 'White Day', without translation. The white color was added to the holiday retroactively — because of the white candy and marshmallows that were originally given in return.

Who invented the holiday — there is no single answer

There are several competing versions of the origin of White Day, and in Japan itself they continue to be discussed every March. According to the confectionery company Ishimura Manseido from Fukuoka, in 1978 the company began selling marshmallows with chocolate filling on March 14 as 'Marshmallow Day' — on the suggestion of the department store Iwataya, which chose a date free from other holidays. The name was changed to 'White Day' already in the 1980s; this is the version recognized by the official Japanese anniversary association.

Second version: the industry union of candy manufacturers

According to the All-Japan Candy Industry Cooperative (全国飴菓子工業協同組合), the holiday was invented in the same year, 1978, by the union itself — as a day when candy answers chocolate. Since 1980, the union began conducting nationwide advertising campaigns with the support of the department store Mitsukoshi and the agency Dentsu. Both versions agree on the year, 1978, but differ on who was the initiator and where the white color in the name came from. There is also a third: the earliest documentary evidence is a newspaper note about the 'Mars Valentine' campaign of 1973, which the confectionery Fujiya conducted together with the company Eiwa.

Obligation chocolate and chocolate for the one

February gifts in Japan are divided by recipient, and each type has its own name. 義理チョコ (giri choco) — chocolate for colleagues and superiors out of politeness, without romantic subtext; 本命チョコ (honmei choco) — for the one you truly like; 友チョコ (tomo choco) — for female friends. The word 義理 in the first term means not a feeling, but a debt of politeness to a person to whom you must respond in kind.

The character 返: why you must respond to a gift

返 — значение: to return, to reply — онъёми: ヘン — кунъёми: かえ.す、-かえ.す、かえ.る、-かえ.る — 7 штрих(ов). 返 — 'to return': the word お返し (okaeshi) means 'return gift' and carries the whole idea of White Day — you must respond to what you received, not just thank. The same character is in 返事 (henji) 'reply' and 返却 (henkyaku) 'return of a thing'.

Write 返 along the guides — the character 'to return', on which the whole idea of a return gift rests.

What is given in return and is it true that it's three times as expensive

In return for February chocolate, candy, marshmallows, or white chocolate are given — hence the white color in the holiday's name. The rule '三倍返し' (sanbai gaeshi) — 'return three times as expensive' — circulates, but it is not an official norm, but common rumor. It is mostly supported by advertising from the confectioneries themselves: there is no strict source fixing such a proportion as a tradition.

The custom is weakening: an insurance company survey on gifts for colleagues

In recent years, the tradition of giving chocolate to colleagues has noticeably weakened. According to an online survey by the insurance company Nippon Life in January 2024 among almost 19,000 people, 72.1% called gifts for colleagues and work partners '(rather) unnecessary'. Of those who were going to give anything at all, only 14.7% named 'people from work' — the lowest figure since these observations began in 2020. Since fewer people give giri choco in February, there is also nothing to respond to colleagues with on White Day — both customs in offices are retreating together.

FAQ

What is White Day in Japan?: White Day (ホワイトデー) is a holiday on March 14, exactly one month after Valentine's Day. In Japanese tradition, chocolate on Valentine's Day is given by women to men, and White Day was invented as the day of a return gift from the man.
On what date is White Day celebrated in Japan?: March 14, every year on the same date — exactly one month after February 14. The date was chosen deliberately: the organizers of the holiday from the very beginning linked it to the February gift, to which one must respond.
Who gives gifts to whom on February 14 in Japan?: Unlike the Western tradition, in Japan on February 14 chocolate is given by women — to men: colleagues, superiors, friends, and partners, each with their own type of chocolate. Men respond in kind later, on March 14, on White Day.
What is customary to give in return on White Day?: Most often candy, marshmallows, or white chocolate — it is because of these sweets that the holiday got the name 'white'. There is no single strict rule about a specific gift: the holiday has only an established range of suitable sweets.
Is it true that the return gift on White Day should be three times as expensive?: This is common rumor, not an official norm: the rule '三倍返し' was actively promoted by advertising from confectionery companies, but there is no strict source fixing such a proportion as a tradition. Today a gift is more likely chosen as a token of attention, not by a formula.
Is White Day celebrated in countries other than Japan?: Yes, a similar custom took root in South Korea and Taiwan, where it came along with the very idea of giving chocolate on February 14. In Europe and North America, White Day as a separate holiday does not exist.

Sources

Updated: 2026-09-21