deliriouslove1970. The life & times of Gary and Denise Flanders. (Free and worth every penny. If you would like to compliment the editor, send to garytheflan@deliriouslove1970.com. If you would like to complain, call your mother.)

Today, November 3, is Culture Day in Japan. It is interesting to find out what countries consider to be important enough to declare a National Holiday. Culture Day (文化の日, Bunka no Hi) is a public holiday in Japan held annually on November 3 to promote culture, the arts, and academic endeavour. Festivities typically include art exhibitions, parades, and award ceremonies for distinguished artists and scholars.

Culture Day Japan has been a public holiday since 1948 and was established two years after the Constitution of Japan was officially announced in 1946. November 3 is an important date because it was the birthdate of the late Emperor Meiji. Emperor Meiji ruled Japan from 1867 to 1912. In 1927, this day was declared a national holiday known as Meiji Setsu to give respect to the late Emperor. This was later changed to Culture Day. 

Mutsuhito (睦仁; 3 November 1852 – 29 July 1912), posthumously honored as Emperor Meiji (明治天皇, Meiji Tennō), was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, reigning from 1867 until his death in 1912. His reign is associated with the Meiji Restoration of 1868, which ended the Tokugawa shogunate and began rapid changes that transformed Japan from an isolationist, feudal state to an industrialized world power. Emperor Meiji was the first monarch of the Empire of Japan, and presided over the Meiji era.

So, you have an honored leader who changed the country forever and you name a national holiday after him. You give everyone a day off from work to think about and celebrate culture and the arts. A great idea.

To stop and give people time to think about and celebrate how much art and artists contribute to a culture – I like it.