Today is 「海の日」 (Sea Day) in Japan.
This is a holiday to remember the sea and all that it provides.
(Click here to read the post I wrote at last year’s 「海の日」 (Sea Day).)
Today is Monday and it’s a national holiday in Japan therefore Japan has a three-day weekend now. 「海の日」 (Sea Day) is always on a Monday, so it’s always a three-day weekend.
But it wasn’t always like this.
Actually when I first came to Japan, there was no 「海の日」 (Sea Day) holiday. There were no holidays in Japan during July at all.
This holiday started a few years after I came here. And it was always on the 20th of July.
Then about six or seven years ago, the Japanese government decided to start what is called the 「ハッピー・マンデー制度」 (“Happy Monday System“) in Japan.
Under this system, all national holidays that don’t fall on a date that can’t be changed (such as the Emperor’s Birthday, New Year’s, etc) now fall on the closest Monday.
So now 「海の日」 (Sea Day) is on the third Monday of July rather than July 20.
There are a few other holidays on the 「ハッピー・マンデー制度」 (“Happy Monday System“) as well.
These are 「成人の日」 (“Adults Day”) in January, 「敬老の日」 (“Respect For The Aged Day”), and 「体育の日」 (“Sports Day”).
Does your country have a system for holidays on a Monday to make three-day-weekends?
Tokyo Five 
I came to Japan before the “Happy Monday” system was enacted. I’m glad the government came to their senses [and realized that people never get time off here].
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>I came to Japan before the “Happy Monday” system was enacted.
I came to Japan when they were no public holidays in the summer (except Obon).
>people never get time off here
Japan has fifteen national holidays, America has only ten, I believe.
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*breaks radio silence* 😀
The UK has Bank Holidays, which are almost all on a Monday (the exception being Good Friday, which gives us our only four-day long-weekend over Easter).
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“Easter”. I had forgotten about that holiday.
I can’t remember…is it a legal holiday (day off)?
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It is indeed. One of the very few days on which most things are actually closed these days 🙂
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>It is indeed. One of the very few days on which most things are actually closed these days
How many national holidays does England have?
(I wrote about Japan’s holidays here).
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> How many national holidays does England have?
8 usually, but 9 in 2012: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/LivingintheUK/DG_073741
They’re all fairly clumped up between December and May though, with one loitering about in August all on its own.
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I looked at that list of U.K. holidays.
What is “Boxing Day”?
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Ah, Boxing Day is the day after Christmas Day. While St. Stephen’s Day is the 26th of December, Boxing Day may float around if the 26th is a Sunday. This is all fairly vague, and largely ignored in modern times – most English now couldn’t tell you when St. Stephen’s Day was if you asked them, but they all know when Boxing Day is.
The Victorians established a tradition (they were very keen on inventing “traditions”) whereby service providers received their Christmas Presents on Boxing Day in thanks for good service for the rest of the year, but the actual origins of the name “Boxing Day” are unknown.
These days it tends to be when the after-Christmas sales begin. Gone are the days when the English shopper had the patience to wait for January, alas.
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I imagined “Boxing Day” had something to do with the sport.
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If only 😀
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>If only
Well, what else could “Boxing Day” mean?
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