The average budget for women planning to buy Valentine’s Day chocolate stands at ¥5,024, marking a 34% increase from the previous year, according to a survey released Thursday by Tokyo research firm Intage.

Despite concerns about rising prices impacting spending habits, all categories of chocolate-giving saw an increase in planned spending compared to the previous year, potentially reflecting an increase in face-to-face interactions after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted.

The survey, covering 2,500 men and women between the ages of 15 and 79, was carried out nationwide in January.

When respondents were asked who they intended to gift chocolates to, family members topped the list at 44.7%, with the percentage of people buying chocolates for romantic interests or partners decreasing slightly from last year to 6.4%.

Source: https://twitter.com/EllinghamsTokyo/status/1756987517805474178