4 ms·
> Men are supposed to reciprocate on 14 March on White Day – an event dreamed up by chocolate makers in the early 80s to boost sales. Japan seems to have been
by hatmatrix 8y ago
> Men are supposed to reciprocate on 14 March on White Day – an event dreamed up by chocolate makers in the early 80s to boost sales.
Japan seems to have been especially susceptible to the power of suggestion by commercial entities. It was also the case with diamonds [1]
> Until 1959 the importation of diamonds had not even been permitted by the postwar Japanese government. When the [marketing] campaign began in 1968, less than 5 percent of Japanese women getting married received a diamond engagement ring. By 1972 the proportion had risen to 27 percent. By 1978, half of all Japanese women who were married wore a diamond on their ring finger. And, by 1981, some 6o percent of Japanese brides wore diamonds.
[1] https://edwardjayepstein.com/diamond/prologue.htm https://edwardjayepstein.com/diamond/prologue.htm
- wfriesen 8y agoAlso the semi-recent tradition of ordering a bucket of KFC for Christmas Day http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20161216-why-japan-celebrates-christmas-with-kfc http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20161216-why-japan-celebrat...
- sneak 8y agoIt definitely seems like things that are presumed to be western traditions have a sort of cultural gravity to them in Japanese marketing; similar to French things in the USA.
- planktonite 8y agoThis is the key quote. Why is this article trying to make it seem like women are getting the short end of the stick? As far as I can tell men and women buy the same amount of chocolates. Also, they say that women are spending thousands of yen ... that’s like 20 dollars. This article is filled with click bait deception and frankly it’s garbage. If you ever get married, buy a real ring from Tiffany’s, have the stone removed, sell it, and have it re-set with zirconium.
- magpi3 8y ago> Why is this article trying to make it seem like women are getting the short end of the stick? IMO it does not. It clearly states that the marketing campaign is targeted at both sexes.
- thaumasiotes 8y agoYou can't resell a diamond for anything close to the price you pay for it. Just buy a ring with no stone, and then have it set with the stone of your choice.
- SwiftyBug 8y agoOr simply don't waste money on a stone at all.
- crgwbr 8y agoThis is a much better choice. Before proposing to my wife, I used Etsy to have a ring custom made out of platinum and set with an 8mm moissanite. It’s beautiful and was a tiny fraction the price of what a similar looking diamond would have cost.
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- malloryerik 8y agoMarried Japanese folks only rarely wear their wedding rings, generally speaking, and the same is true for most East Asians.
- GolDDranks 8y agoI work in Tokyo. According to my work mates, wearing one could be seen as a form of bragging, especially some decades back. There's even a word for "speaking a bit too fondly about one's girlfriend/lover/wife in front of others": 惚気(noro-ke).
- deleted 8y ago[deleted]
- c3534l 8y agoI don't get why you think this is uniquely Japanese. Do you think western Valentines Day and diamonds aren't equally the result of marketing campaigns? Diamonds as a wedding ring was not the norm in the 1800s. Engagement rings a nonsensical idea until recently. And Valentines Day does not have particular cultural or religious significance in the west. Christmas, sure. But not Valentines day.