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 holiday in Japan. All Japanese people probably know about this holiday, but interestingly many of them misunderstand the real meaning of this holiday. Let me explain. The name “勤労感謝の日” sounds like it is the day to thank workers. In elementary school we wrote thank you letters to the local police officers. For this reason, I never thought about it deeply before, but today I finally realized that this day is actually the Japanese Thanksgiving Day. This holiday reminds us to be grateful for having a job, and to appreciate all the things that are produced by jobs, such as food, products, services, events, entertainments, etc. If I ever told you that there is no Thanksgiving in Japan, then I am sorry, I was wrong. November 23rd is Thanksgiving in Japan.
