Valentine's Day - Just Between You And Me

Today is Valentine's Day.

Not one of my favorite holidays - so forgive me if I appear grumpy.

Valentine's Day, for me, has always been fraught with great expectations and even greater disappointment as effort after effort has been met with failure after failure.

And this is coming from a guy who has slept with more beautiful women than should be humanly possible given his looks.

I have always felt that the creation of a day to celebrate romance and/or love puts a lot of pressure on people. I mean, shouldn't love be shown every single day? Is one day a year supposed to make up for all of the times love has been found waning?

God help you all if it does. Still... even though I'm not the world's most romantic guy, I try all the time (not just one day a year). Flowers, chocolates, lottery tickets, books, a story or poem - written just for that special someone.... and yet, here I am bitching about Valentine's Day.

In Japan, February 14 - Valentine's Day - is celebrated by the Japanese. But not the way one would expect. Men do not give out valentines, but rather they are the recipient of them from women.

Women get valentines on March 14, a day the Japanese call White Day. White is for purity.

Anyhow... why don't men give out valentines on Valentine's Day?

I was told by both male and female Japanese folk, that it was a way to make things easier for men. When a man receives a valentine in Japan, he gets to see who it is from - which now makes it easier for him to purchase only the requisite valentines. In this manner, a man need not feel embarrassed at not having got a valentine for a woman who has given him one.

Cool, huh? If you are a man, of course. A man doesn't need to stick his neck out to say to a woman - 'Hey, I like you. Do you like me?'

Nope... here in Japan, the men sit back and let the women make a fool out of themselves by making the first move.  

Though there's no guarantee you will receive a valentine, of course. It's a great day... a holiday that reminds you that you are alone when you don't get a valentine.

Women making the first move. Me like this. It may explain why all of the women I have slept with here in Japan have asked me out first - but I doubt it. And it's not like I have actually been 'out' with a lot of these women... mostly just 'in' at my apartment.

Now that you know the ins-and-outs of Japan and Valentine's day, all you men should just sit back and let the good times roll. Valentine's day now need not bust your nuts and your wallet. You can save a few ¥en and just buy White Day presents for the women who gave you a Valentine's Day present.

It just sounds so... cheap.

Ahhh, Japan... where young romance blazes eternally like the fires of Hell. 

Anyhow, should you be so inclined, here's a blog I wrote about the subject in 2011: CUPIDSUX.

And for you more adult folk, please visit my old high school friend Mister Manfred Mann for a brief bit of insight on VD (Valentine's Day) at his How To Survive Women blog: YOUCAN'T.

And remember - just click on the photos to make them larger...  in this case, the one at the top.

Somewhere with a heart-on just for you,
Andrew Joseph
Today's blog title is inspired by Canadian iconic rockers April Wine. I've seen them twice in concert.