ぎり義理チョコ？ Obligatory-Gift Chocolate? by Natalie Rees
This piece by Natalie Rees, a children's fiction writer, editor and teacher living in Japan, introduces the Japanese concept of ('obligatory-gift chocolate') given in Japan for Valentine's day, and provides an imaginative back-to-the-future take on how even chocolate given as an obligation can be the beginning of something much bigger ...
For more on the Japanese customs involved in Valentine's Day, and how they're different from other countries, read our (English) article, バレンタインデー - Valentine's Day in Japan.
This passage introduces several useful grammatical constructions, in particular the key Japanese words for giving and receiving:
In the text, as you click on each section, look for sections on grammar in the notes.
This text has been selected to suit reading level: Upper beginner.
However, it includes some vocabulary and phrases that you would not necessarily be expected to know at that level.
We believe knowledge of such vocabulary and phrases is beneficial at any stage of Japanese language learning,
as they are commonly used in everyday language.
Many of the readings in the Reading Corner, such as this one, have additional notes in the introduction.
The notes often provide extra information that will help you get more out of the text, including links to articles in the Grammar library.
Additional notes are included with some of the individual sentences in a reading directly below the text.
