[Taiwanese Editor Kuma's Walk in Kanazawa] A glance into Japan's unique Valentine's Day culture! Sneaking into Daiwa Korinbo's "Chocolate Festival 2024" tasting event.

Hi there! I'm Kuma from Taiwan, delivering from the KanazawaBiyori Editorial Department. Being in charge of the series "Kuma's Walk in Kanazawa", I have been spending my days discovering various things here. Sometimes new discovery for me, but sometimes maybe also a rediscovery of Kanazawa for the locals! I hope that we can continue the walk in this fascinating place together. Thank you for your interest, and please enjoy reading.

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While looking at the desk calendar, I found something weird that "Valentine's Day" is listed on February 14th even though it's not even a Japanese holiday. Before I came to Japan, I only thought of Valentine's Day as a day to give chocolates to the loved ones, but in Japan, it seems to be as big an event as any other seasonal event. This time, I had the honor to sneak into the tasting event of "Chocolate Festival 2024" held at "Daiwa Korinbo". Ahead of the event start date and three weeks before Valentine's Day. It's been 6 years since I came to Japan, and for the first time I felt like I was at the forefront of Valentine's Day.

Daiwa Korinbo, located at 1-chome in Kanazawa, is a long-established department store that is popular with not only locals but also tourists. This tasting event was held at "Shunsai Grill Korin" on the 8th floor restaurant area. Seeing the world dyed in silver through the window, I felt like it was a perfect day for chocolate. By the way, before entering the venue, I couldn't help looking at the event pamphlet placed next to the escalator as the amount was too impressive. First, there was a mini-event about skeletal diagnosis by Ms. Shizuka Toda of "Miryoku Bijin Jyuku Parfum Calme". There was so much interesting content that I almost lost track of time, such as actually differentiating participants' skeletal structures based on their hand size and knee shape, and explaining how to choose clothes that suit each type of skeletal structure.

Next comes the tasting part, but I was a little nervous because there were so many questions on the survey. It was a much more serious tasting event than I had imagined, as it wasn't just about eating, it was also about ranking the chocolates by purpose.

Japanese people may not know this, but Japan's Valentine's Day culture is actually a bit strange when viewed from the world...! Valentine's Day is an event around the world where men usually give gifts to women, and it is an event where lovers confirm their love for each other. However, in Japan, a unique culture has developed in which women express their love for men by giving them chocolates. There are various theories as to why this culture took root, but it is said to have started in the 1980s with advertisements run by chocolate companies during the Valentine's Day sales campaign.

I thought that "-choco", which has various names such as "reward chocolate (gohobi-choco)", "true-feeling chocolate (honmei-choco)", "friend chocolate (tomo-choco)", and "obligation chocolate (giri-choco)", was a fiction created in the world of Japanese anime and manga. So, before I looked at the survey, I couldn't believe it actually existed... Now that I'm at the forefront of Valentine's Day, I shall never underestimate the depth of the question, "How many chocolates are you planning to give this year?" Facing the 19 types of brilliant chocolate and chocolate sweets that were prepared, I took a deep breath before eating.

I tried a lot of chocolates, and the one that left the biggest impression on me was the "pétales de camélia dorés" from "shodai bio nature", which was making its first appearance in Daiwa Kohrinbo's Chocolate Festival this time. Despite its simple appearance, it had a multi-layered, mellow aroma that gracefully bloomed in the mouth, and senpai who took me here liked it as well. It was worth having less lunch early that day.

Thanks to Japan's unique and thriving Valentine's Day culture, as February approaches, countless chocolate sweets compete for the best, making it feel like a festival. Although I had thoroughly read the pamphlet and prepared before attending the tasting event, seeing the actual products gave me a different impression. Each chocolate was carefully made as if breathing life into it, and it felt like a work of art that highlighted the chocolatier's commitment.

"Chocolat Festival 2024", which brings together over 60 brands, is being held at "Daiwa Korinbo" until February 14th (Wed). Once you step into the venue, you'll be drawn in by the wafting scent of chocolate, and you'll be able to feel the immeasurable passion that is carefully contained in each and every product. There are also events where five chocolatiers come to the store, so please come and visit as many times as you like for this once-a-year festival.

■Chocolate Festival 2024

Event period: January 26, 2024 (Fri) to February 14, 2024 (Wed)
Event time: 10:00~19:00 *Closed at 18:00 on the last day Closed: Open every day during the event period
・Click here for the event official website (Japanese only)
・Click here for event details article (Japanese only)
・Click here for the article introducing "Popular chocolates gathered! 6 selected bonbon chocolates" (Japanese only)
・Click here for the article introducing "6 selections of cacao-scented chocolate sweets that also pay attention to their cute appearance" (Japanese only)

■Daiwa Korinbo

Address: 1-1-1 Korinbo, Kanazawa City, Ishikawa Prefecture
TEL: 076-220-1111
Business hours: 10:00~19:00
Click here for Official Website
Click here for Official Instagram

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