Women handle the gift-buying in Japan

Female customers buy boxes of chocolates as gifts before Valentine's Day at Tokyo's Matsuzakaya department store on February 13, 2014. Japanese women give chocolate to their boyfriends, work colleagues and teachers on February 14 as a social obligation more than a sign of love. AFP PHOTO / Yoshikazu TSUNO

TOKYO: Japanese women flocked to department stores to buy Valentine’s Day chocolates for all the men in their lives, but more of them this year are dispensing with tradition and treating themselves or their friends.

In much of the West, Feb 14 is a day when men can sink or swim on their ability to make impressive dinner plans or buy a suitable bunch of flowers.