Why Japanese women unhappy on Valentine's Day?

Valentine's Day isn't a sweet experience for many women in Japan, since tradition dictates that they're obligated to give chocolates to men, a survey showed Tuesday. About 70 percent of Japanese working women in their 20s and 30s said they wished the costly responsibility of dolling out sweets a "special" one for a sweetheart and "obligatory chocolates" for colleagues was abolished.

Photo: Why Japanese women unhappy on Valentine's Day?

Almost 60 percent of the women said they felt anxious in the days leading up to Valentine's Day because of concerns about the cost and time it requires to prepare gifts.

Women spend an average of 500-600 yen (US$4.3-5.1; Ђ 3.5-4.3) on each obligatory gift and twice as much on the special one, according to a separate survey published recently.

In recent years, many women have bought expensive sweets from gourmet chocolate shops as gifts for themselves. About 40 percent of women asked saw the tradition of giving "obligatory chocolates" to colleagues in a positive light, saying they considered it "a tool of communication."

Half of the men surveyed said they look forward to Cupid's day. The poll, conducted by an Osaka-based information company iBridge Corp., surveyed 600 single men and women in their 20s and 30s on the Internet. The survey, conducted Feb. 2-7, gave no margin of error, reports the AP.

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