February 14 is Valentine's Day.
Women give chocolate as a way to express their feelings for men.
Then a month later, on White Day, men return the favor.
What did women do in the past to convey their feelings to men?
In fact, there have been Valentine-like exchanges since the Heian period (794-1185).
What was used was folding fan.
Women would write their feelings in a song on folding fan and give it to men, and men would write their replies on the back of folding fan. It seems that in the Heian period, people chose their partners based on their family background, education, characters, and writing style, without ever seeing their faces. They would cover their faces with folding fan and interact with the other person without ever meeting.
Strangely enough, this is similar to the corona excess of today.
Send folding fan to those you cannot meet, and when you meet them, enjoy a little chat while covering your mouth with folding fan.
