In Japan, couples have received a new opportunity to demonstrate their feelings in an original way — through cookies adorned with the image of Prime Minister Sanae Takahiti. This was reported by RIA Novosti.
The set, called "Sanae-chan Cookies," includes twelve cookies featuring a portrait of the head of government and deer, symbolizing her home prefecture of Nara. Each cookie also has inscriptions such as "first female prime minister" and "first prime minister from Nara Prefecture."
In addition to the cookies, the set includes a postcard with a design that remains a mystery until the packaging is opened. Thus, buyers do not know which specific option they will receive.
A RIA Novosti correspondent has already discovered three different designs for the postcards. One shows Sanae Takahiti feeding a deer, another features the prime minister in a colorful layered kimono called "junihitoe," which was worn by aristocrats at the imperial court. The third option depicts her in a more casual outfit — a light suit with a basket filled with eggplants and persimmons, set against the backdrop of a traditional Japanese house and a cat.
The price for this set is 972 yen including tax, which is equivalent to approximately $6.50.
The tradition of giving chocolate on Valentine's Day in Japan was introduced by the confectionery company Morozoff, founded by Russian émigré Valentin Morozov. In 1936, the company launched an advertising campaign urging people to give chocolate to men, but this tradition only took root in the 1970s.
Since the beginning of January, there has been an active demand for chocolate in Japan. On the shelves of shopping centers and supermarkets, one can find sweets of various shapes, flavors, and colors, as well as kits for making gifts at home.
In the last ten years, the range of gifts has significantly expanded, including not only chocolate but also cookies and themed desserts featuring images of famous personalities and characters. There is also a change in the tradition itself — more and more Japanese women are beginning to give chocolate to themselves.
