St. Valentine’s Day Chocolate Expo 2022
Japanese wagashi sweets may be the perfect complement to green tea, but for Valentine’s Day nothing expresses romantic feelings better than the decadent taste of luxurious gourmet chocolate. That decadence, along with some sweet goodness, can be found with a Japanese twist at the Umeda Hankyu Department Store in Osaka, Japan, from January 20 to February 14.
This chocolate extravaganza attracts over 300 brands of chocolatiers and pâtissiers worldwide, including Belgium and France, with over 3,000 types of confectionery products on sale.
These artisans not only create visually appealing products, but their uncompromising insistence on one-of-a-kind ingredients leads them to unique flavors and textures that stimulate both the physical senses and the imagination.
In addition to gourmet chocolate, a variety of candies, cakes, ice cream, and pastries can also be found in the three main exhibition areas on the 9th floor or at one of the mini exhibitions located on each floor of the department store.
Kansai Chocolatiers
Since Valentine’s Day sales account for the large majority of total annual sales of chocolate, the Hankyu Chocolate Expo extends a lifeline to local chocolatiers in Kansai who have suffered under the COVID-19 pandemic. These businesses must not only compete for customers with well-established gourmet brands from overseas and Tokyo but also with traditional Japanese wagashi sweets. This makes brand differentiation extremely important, and a number of local chocolatiers are demonstrating great resiliency in the face of a challenging business environment.
Aya Mandai of Cagi de rêves in Osaka is a dessert specialist highly motivated to succeed. Seeing customers enjoying her desserts at local restaurants made her want to become a pastry chef. Her commitment to bringing happiness through chocolates is so great that her bonbons come complete with explicit serving instructions on temperature and order of consumption.
Salon de Royal Kyoto is another Kansai chocolate exhibitor. The company operates a shop and café overlooking the scenic Kamo River in Kyoto. Chocolate-covered pecans and chocolates with creamy fillings featuring distinctive Kyoto flavors are some of its popular items. Visitors to the café can also select from scrupulous cakes for enjoyment with coffee on the outdoor terrace.
Named after an ancient Mayan god responsible for the cocoa harvest, Ek Chuah is a major chocolatier in Osaka with four convenient locations. It features a wide selection of chocolates that capture European elegance in a taste that is uniquely suited for the Japanese climate and culture.
toca*towa is a manufacturer of hand-crafted chocolates with a shop and café in Wakayama, Japan. Inspiration for its chocolates come from natural flavors readily available in Wakayama. These vary from the common- strawberries, pears, and green tea- to the not so common- wasabi and soy sauce. To the seasoned expat living in Japan, the uncommon often has a taste that is deliciously addictive.
Willful Ignorance
No talk of Valentine’s Day and chocolate would be complete without mentioning the big lie perpetrated on Japanese females by a Japanese major chocolate manufacturer in 1960. The company promoted Valentine’s Day as a holiday for giving chocolates as an expression of gratitude to male colleagues, bosses, and teachers. These chocolates later became known as giri–choco or “obligation chocolates.”
Even while being angrily opposed to giri-choco and the large bite that this custom took out of their wallets, Japanese females were under strong social pressure in Japan to continue the practice each year. Luckily, a social movement in Japan to eliminate sexual harassment in the workplace caused HR departments to flag this practice as NG (not good).
Now Japanese females need only make one chocolate purchase on Valentine’s Day for that special person in their lives. Give it time, ladies. The men will eventually figure out the proper way for celebrating Valentine’s Day.
