Why Minami Tanaka is loved by everyone. Her too much attention to detail on Valentine’s Day shows her true potential as ‘Minami Minna Minna

The number of companies that have “abolished giri chocolates” has been increasing, and “friend chocolates” for female friends and “reward chocolates” for oneself have long been the mainstream. Valentine’s Day in Japan.

Nippon Life Insurance recently conducted a survey of 19,000 policyholders, both male and female, and found that 14.1% of them answered that they give Valentine’s Day chocolates to “people at work,” the lowest percentage since the survey began in 2008, clearly indicating a “shift away from ‘giri’ chocolates.

The same is true in the entertainment industry. A decade ago, it was common to see celebrities and gravure idols going to the producers of TV stations as well as the presidents of production companies and handing out expensive chocolates. However, these days, such scenes are rare. Some programs have even done away with the exchange of Valentine’s Day chocolates.

Some of the female announcers and weather forecasters who appear on the programs I am in charge of used to pay money together to give chocolate to the male commentators. I think it was more like a greeting gift, similar to a mid-year or year-end gift, than a Valentine’s Day gift.

The male staff members don’t get them. If we tried to give giri chocolates to everyone, we would have to spend more than 100,000 yen. The female TV announcers of today don’t do such wasteful things.

In the midst of all this, near Valentine’s Day, a person who carries several paper bags of luxury chocolates and distributes them to her co-stars becomes the talk of the town within the TV station. Minami Tanaka (37) is one such person.

Minami is known to be one of the biggest chocolate lovers in the entertainment industry, and she is known to buy chocolates at the “Salon du Chocolat” organized by Isetan Mitsukoshi. She is also well versed in overseas chocolate stores that can only be found here, and her “chocolate recommendations” are a big topic of conversation every year.

She buys large quantities at stores in France and other countries, and eats kilos of chocolate at home. She is known to drink a lot of mineral water, consume rare fruits and vegetables, and has not eaten meat for about eight years, but she seems to have a different appetite for chocolate,” said a women’s magazine editor.

Incidentally, the chocolate brands she recommends this year include “Paul Okipanti,” “Pascal Le Gac,” and “Maison Cacao,” which were introduced on the radio program “Tanaka Minami Aruka Time” (TBS Radio) broadcast on January 20. They can be found in major department stores for a limited time, and can also be purchased by mail order. These are all brands that even those well versed in trends do not know about.