Do you get excited at the beginning of February because you know Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and you can’t wait to get a box of chocolates from your sweetheart?

If you’re a woman in Japan, be prepared to wait a little longer. In Japan, Valentine’s Day is a holiday for men, rather than women. Unlike in America, where it is primarily the women who receive boxes of chocolate from the men in their lives, it is the men who receive such gifts in Japan. Because women in Japan are often too shy to express their feelings, Valentine’s Day was first introduced in 1958 as a way for women to declare their affection without needing to suffer the embarrassment of trying to put it into words.

Today in Japan, it is customary for women to give chocolates to their male co-workers, bosses, friends, and family members, in addition to their special someone, for there are two types of gifts that Japanese women give to men on Valentine’s Day: giri-choco and honmei-choco. Giri-choco, or “obligation chocolate,” is given by women to their superiors at work, as well as to other male co-workers and friends. Because women are expected to give such gifts to most men that they have regular contact with, it is not unusual for one woman to purchase 20 to 30 boxes of this type of chocolate, which range in price from about 200 to 500 yen.

Honmei-choco, or “hand-made chocolate,” is reserved solely for a woman’s special someone. Though it is not always home-made, the name implies that extra care and thought has gone into making or purchasing the gift. If it is not hand-made, honmei-choco is almost always purchased from the store for a price that is much more expensive than giri-choco. It is often accompanied by another gift, such as a neck tie or other item of clothing.

Though Valentine’s Day is a holiday just for men in Japan, the women are not ignored for long. A month later, on March 14th, women are given their own special holiday, called White Day. Originally created by a marshmallow manufacturing company in the 1960’s, the holiday gives men who were lucky enough to receive gifts of chocolate the chance to return the favor by giving the women who had given them the gifts an even more expensive box of chocolate or other sweets.

Treats purchased on White Day come in white boxes and tend to be priced slightly higher than those that women purchase on Valentine’s Day. The holiday was originally called “Marshmallow Day” but was later changed to “White Day” and grew to include other treats, such as cookies and chocolates, as gifts. Though it is not as popular as Valentine’s Day, it still gives women a chance to feel appreciated and indulge in yummy candies, too.