In Japan, Valentine’s Day isn’t about couples exchanging flowers and gifts and enjoying romantic dinners; it’s about women showering everyone they know with chocolates and handmade confectionaries. This unique take on the western tradition has given birth to giri choco and honmei choco. Men who receive gifts return the favour a month later, on “White Day” on 14 March.
在日本,情人节可不是个小情侣互相送花送礼物共享浪漫烛光晚餐的节日;而是女人们派送每个相识男子巧克力和手工糖果的日子。这个取自西方传统独一无二的习俗诞生了“义理巧克力”(强制性巧克力,专门送给朋友、上司、同事不含浪漫情怀的巧克力)和“本命巧克力”(给男友、爱人、老公的专属巧克力)。收到礼物的男人们,要在3月14日的白色情人节回礼。

Given the number of gifts women feel obliged to give to their platonic contacts on Valentine’s Day, the demand for giri-choco is huge in Japan. In Nagoya this year, confectioners struggling to stand out from the crowd will be hard pressed to beat a new line of sweets featuring one of the city’s most well-known heartthrobs: Shabani the handsome gorilla.
鉴于无数女性觉得在情人节,有义务送出大量礼物的柏拉图情节,对于义理巧克力的需求在日本可是相当大的。今年的名古屋,糖果商想要在这场本座城市最亮丽的风景线,女人中的万人迷——最帅气大猩猩Shabani的甜蜜争夺战中脱颖而出,可谓是要想尽法子。

Shabani made international headlines last year after women who saw him at Nagoya’s Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Garden fell in love with his handsome looks, causing a sharp increase in visitors.
去年,女性在名古屋的东山动植物园遇见了这只名叫Shabani的大猩猩后,因其英俊的外表旅客人数激增,对他马上爱的不行不行了!甚至占据了各大国际新闻的头条。

Customers can choose from a castella sponge cake featuring the handsome primate…
顾客可以选择印有Shabani俊美形象的私人订制长崎蛋糕

…and Gorilla no Unchi (“Gorilla Poop”), which are actually dried dates that look surprisingly like the real thing!
……还有猩猩便便!实际上是干枣,但看上去和真的便便惊人相似!

The humorous collection also includes specially marked bags of “Alphabet Chocolate” from popular local chocolate company Meito Sangyo. Shabani will appear on the packs, smouldering in two different poses alongside a special message box designed for personal Valentine’s Day messages.
诙谐幽默的藏品还有地方品牌Meito Sangyo公司推出的超热门“字母巧克力”特别版——上面印有Shabani的头像,并有两种不同的姿势出现在外包装上,并且还附送一张情人节专属的留言卡。

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