クリスマス – Christmas
In Japan we love Christmas but it is not a national holiday. Since Christianity is not the major religion in Japan, to …
勤労感謝の日 – Labor Thanksgiving Day
This is the first time that I will talk about “勤労感謝の日” or “Labor Thanksgiving Day”. This day, November 23rd, is a national …
文化の日 – Culture Day
The 3rd of November is a national holiday in Japan. It is called “Bunka No Hi” or “Culture Day”. This day is …
Health and Sports Day
The second Monday in October is a holiday in Japan. Of course it’s not “Columbus Day”. It’s called “Taiiku no Hi (体育の日)” or …
Maneki-Neko Day
“Kuru fuku” means “a coming good fortune”, and this is what people hope for from a maneki-neko. Since Japanese people associate the …
お月見 – Otsukimi 2018
Traditionally Otsukimi or the moon-viewing event is held on August 15th based on the old lunar calendar. But it actually falls on …
Asagaya Tanabata Festival
A neighborhood in Tokyo called Asagaya holds its annual festival (阿佐谷七夕まつり) for Tanabata (click for more details) in August about one month …
七夕 – Tanabata
Tanabata (たなばた or 七夕) is a Japanese event / celebration day that originated in China. According to Chinese legend, the Milky Way …
バレンタイン – Valentine’s Day
Normally, on Valentine’s Day a girl in Japan gives chocolate or some other gift to a guy. Typically Japanese girls are shy, …
恵方巻き – Ehōmaki
Ehōmaki means “lucky direction sushi roll” and is a relatively new tradition for Setsubun in Japan. 7-Eleven in Japan introduced this practice …