National Foundation Day 建国記念の日　けんこくきねんのひ　

The Celebration of the Date of the Mythical Ascension of the First King/Emperor of Japan

National Foundation Day in Japan on February 11th every year is the time to show love of country. It is based on the legend of Japan’s first emperor, Jimmu, being declared emperor in the year 660 BC. Almost everybody gets the day off on this day. Most people use this day as a chance to rest up after a month of hard work. There aren’t any government events but various shrines may have festivals on this day.

Where is National Foundation Day celebrated?

Two such shrines are Meiji Jingu in downtown Tokyo and Kashihara shrine in Nara prefecture. Festivities at Meiji Jingu on National Foundation day begin at around 10 am at Meiji park. There is a parade of mikoshi (portable shrines) to Meiji shrine. It ends at about 12:30. It may be cancelled in 2022, or severally scaled back. Kashihara shrine in Nara prefecture is thought of as the place where Jimmu was acclaimed as emperor. Please be careful to be respectful to the Japanese Ultra-Nationalists (Uyoku dantai) who are said to congregate there on this day.

Where did National Foundation Day come from?

National Foundation Day is a transformed and scaled back version of Kigensetsu, or Foundation of the Empire of Japan Day. Because of the overt association with emperor worship, Kigensetsu was stopped in 1945. However, so many people wanted to bring back the old holiday that after much public debate National Foundation Day was established on the same day as the old holiday in 1966.

Where is the patriotism?

Most people do not show displays of patriotism on National Foundation day. There are no government backed parades or festivals, no fireworks displays, and no speeches. There are some people who protest the holiday at government buildings on this day. But generally people just relax and take life easy. Japanese Ultra-Nationalists might be driving around in their vans with extremely dark tinted windows covered with nationalist slogans and playing extremely loud Japanese nationalist songs and anthems. They could be doing this to encourage feelings of national pride in the people that come into earshot.

So get ready to take a well earned rest on what is quite possibly the world’s least patriotic foundational national holiday. National Foundation Day is the only public national holiday in February in Japan other than emperor Reiwa’s birthday. If you really feel like it go the biggest shrine in your area and see if anything interesting is going on. And as always, stay safe.