Friend chocolate is the big thing in Japan's 2026 kids Valentine trends

Valentine's Day in Japan seems like it's constantly evolving, and a press release I saw today from KidZania Tokyo showed that "friend chocolate" is more popular than ever among children. Their Valentine’s Children's Questionnaire Survey ran from February 1st to 8th, 2026 and gathered responses from 1,253 participants, including 466 children aged 3 to 15. I thought it was an interesting way to see how kids here approach the holiday!

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The survey found that around 80% of children and adults alike look forward to Valentine's Day, with younger children extra excited about exchanging and receiving chocolate. For older elementary and middle school students, giving chocolate to friends has become the main focus, with 87.6% of 10 to 12-year-olds reporting giving gifts to friends, which was more than twice the rate of 7 to 9-year-olds. Meanwhile, gifts for crushes start gaining traction at age 10, and teens increasingly give chocolate to themselves as a treat...and good for them, I say!

Homemade chocolate also remains popular, with 72% of children planning to make sweets by hand, especially those aged 10 to 12. Their favorite flavors vary by age, with younger kids choosing milk and strawberry chocolate, while older kids increasingly enjoying matcha and bitter varieties.

If you have kids, do these stats align with what you see them wanting to do for Valentine's Day?