Valentine's Day renaissance: Japan's women treat themselves as "obligation" to buy chocolate for men fades

Tokyo — Standing behind ropes adorned with giant melting chocolate bars, long lines of shoppers — the vast majority of them female — waited patiently at Tokyo's Isetan Department Store. Valentine's Day accounts for 20% of Japan's annual chocolate consumption, and the competition to capture hearts and sweet tooths is intense.

The gaudy bonbons on offer at one counter, in flavors like passion fruit, citron and Earl Grey, could have been mistaken for an assortment of vibrant nail polish. Another displayed paper-thin sheets of chocolate, realistically printed to resemble traditional Japanese fabrics.

Elsewhere, there were little kitchen-mitt-shaped chocolate cookie-and-raspberry-jam-and-butter cream sandwiches, shimmering, heart-shaped, rose-scented gateau cakes, mini-medallion confections embedded with edible "jewels" and artisan-crafted chocolates infused with yuzu citrus, wasabi and shochu liquor.