Japan's Golden Week Concludes with Children's Day

Japan’s exciting back-to-back national holiday celebrations, collectively known as Golden Week, comes to an end with Children’s Day on May 5th. Although it has only been designated a national public holiday since 1948, the holiday has been a huge part of Japanese culture and widely celebrated since ancient times, perhaps even all the way back to the reign of Empress Suiko in 593 A.D.! 

Traditionally, May 5th was known as Tango no Sekku and was dedicated to celebrating boys, while March 3rd was a festival for girls. It has since been changed so May 5th celebrates all children, both boys and girls.

Learn more about the award-winning Fujimini Adventure series.  Purchase the books here

Children’s Day is the perfect way to end Golden Week because of all the fun traditions and celebrations associated with the holiday. Carp-shaped streamers fly outside of countless houses of families with children and inside dolls of famous warriors are displayed

throughout the home. It is traditional for children to take baths sprinkled with iris and roots, since it’s believed that iris promotes good health and roots ward off evil spirits. And of course no Chinese holiday is complete without a traditional food! On May 5th families prepare and eat kashiwamochi, or rice cakes wrapped in oak leaves and filled with sweet bean-paste.

In addition to the traditional decorations and foods, this holiday also brings many exciting events. Each event is purposed to honor children as well as highlight their talents, promote their health, and to have some fun! Kyogen, a type of comic theater, has been around for 600 years and remains an important aspect of Children’s Day. It is performed wearing traditional costumes with very distinct styles of acting. One year, at the Yokohama Noh Theater, a kyogen recital was held featuring 18 actors between the ages of seven and thirteen. The kids had attended practices one or twice a week since the previous summer to learn the unique comic expressions, movements, and uses of the fan. The theater was packed with eager parents, teachers, friends, and family members to witness the showing of the impressive skills their children had practiced for almost a year. 

To find the book series that inspires these stories, click here

Learn About How Japan's Golden Week Celebrates All Things Green

Golden Week, the annual string of Japanese public holidays, continues to it’s third event with Greenery Day. Greenery Day, or Midori no Hi, is celebrated on May 4th, and staying true to its name, celebrates all things green! In Japanese, "midori" means green and "hi" means day.

The idea for the holiday came after the passing of Emperor Hirohito in January 1989. He was always a lover of nature and spreading environmental awareness was very important to him. He dedicated much of his time during his life to improving the environment, including opening the Imperial Biological Research Institute.

To find the book series that inspires these stories, click here

Originally, Emperor Hirohito’s birthday (April 29th) was referred to as Midori no Hi, after his passing, but the government decided they wanted to continue to honor the Emperor’s birthday as well as Greenery Day. So in 2007, April 29th was once again Showa Day and Greenery Day was moved to May 4th. This way, Japan can honor all of Hirohito’s efforts and accomplishments while still celebrating all things green!

So how does Japan getting into the spirit of Greenery Day? 

In the spirit of Hirohito’s beliefs, the holiday is used to address current environmental issues. There are initiatives to clean up local areas including parks, beaches, and streets. So if you’re walking around Tokyo during this time, be prepared to see hundreds of people sweeping and picking up trash. But this holiday is much more than picking up trash. In addition to awareness, May 4th is also about cerebration. On this day Tokyo hosts dozens of events, such as planting trees, and people flock to the park with their families for some springtime fun. 

To learn more about the characters and world of Fujimini Island click here

Japan's Golden Week Welcomes their Second Holiday Known as Constitution Memorial Day

Next in line for Japan’s Annual Golden Week, a string of public holidays that takes place every April-May, is Constitution Memorial Day. Following the week’s opening holiday, Showa Day, Constitution Memorial Day takes place every May 3rd. 

Being one of the newer holidays, May 3rd was dubbed as Constitution Memorial day beginning in 1947, when the current Japanese constitution came into effect. Using the American and British constitutions as models, this constitution renounces war and declares that there are certain fundamental rights we have as human beings. It continues to declare the Emperor as the “symbol of the state and unity of the people.” 

As Showa Day was created to encourage reflection and honor of the Showa Emperor, this holiday asks the nation to reflect on democracy and the Japanese government. 

To find the book series that inspires these stories, click here

The anniversary of the creation of the current constitution is celebrated each year through events, ceremonies and lectures. Thousands of people attend lectures to learn about the crucial role the constitution has played within their nation’s progress over the last 50 years. 

But what truly makes this day special is the opening of the National Diet Building. It is the only day of the entire year that this building is open to the public. Join the thousands of families that flock to the building to roam the normally-off-limits halls and take pictures out front.

To learn more about the characters and world of Fujimini Island, click here

Golden Week Kicks Off April 29th by Honoring the Birthday of Emperor Hirohito

One of the most exciting weeks in Japan is right around the corner. Golden Week is a series of public holidays celebrated throughout Japan annually beginning April 29th. The festive week kicks of with Showa Day on the 29th.

The original purpose behind the creation of Showa Day was to honor and celebrate the birthday of the Showa Emperor, Hirohito, whose reign stretched from 1926 to 1989. After his death in 1989, April 29th was renamed Greenery day and became the holiday that marked the start of Golden Week. After much debate and effort on the part of many people, and following a series of failed legislative attempts, Greenery Day was moved to May 4th- a change that became official in 2000. It was not until 2007 that April 29th was once again Showa Day. The celebration of the emperor's birth was reinstated because the people felt Golden Week should open with a public reflection of Hirohito's reign and the accomplishments this time period was witness to. The turbulent 63-year period saw the end of Taisho Democracy, the rise of Fascism, World War II, the post-war occupation, the rise of Japan as an industrial economic power, and more. 

Japanese Welcome Spring after a Long Winter on Vernal Equinox Day

After a long winter, the Japanese look forward to a day off on March 20th in celebration of Vernal Equinox Day, or Shunbun no hi. This public holiday is celebrated annually on the day when the sun crosses the equator making day and night equal in length. On this day everyone is encouraged to celebrate all living things and welcome the arrival of spring through the appreciation of nature and all the beauty it holds. 

With the arrival of spring comes the arrival of new beginnings. In addition to being with family and in nature, people use this time to “renew their lives” and have a fresh start with the new season. In order to do this, people will thoroughly clean their homes and make some important life changes they have been putting off, such as acquiring a new hobby or finishing something they started. 

For farmers, the vernal equinox is also a very important time. They use the holiday to pray for good luck and fortune regarding their crops during the upcoming season. 

During the Vernal Equinox also comes a time known as Higan. Higan is a seven day period where the Japanese pay respect to their ancestors. During this time it is popular for Japanese to visit their ancestors and loved ones’ grave sites and pay homage to them by cleaning their graves and leaving gifts to show respect. Taking advantage of the day off, many Japanese will also return to their childhood homes to be with their family.