Valentine's Day, whose star product is chocolate, is no longer a business opportunity for Western-style producers only.
In fact, Japanese-style sweets produced by traditional confectioneries have gained recognition as an alternative gift for Feb. 14.
For instance, Kyoto-based Yoshihiro, which accepts custom orders for sweets, began offering several kinds of Valentine's Day products in 2007, including Kyoto-green tea truffles, after receiving positive reactions from customers who had ordered something original for the big day in previous years, owner Keisuke Mizuuchi said.