Bunka-no-Hi

Bunka-no-Hi (Culture Day)

November 3Bunka-no-Hi is a Japanese national holiday on which medals are awarded by the government to those who have made special contributions in the fields of arts and sciences. Winners are not always Japanese; the American Apollo 11 astronauts—Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, and Michael Collins—are among past honorees. This is also the anniversary of Japan's current constitution in 1946.
The day was formerly celebrated as the birthday of Emperor Meiji, who ruled from 1868 until his death in 1912 and was the great-grandfather of Emperor Akihito (b. 1933). The years of his reign were a time of turning away from feudalism and toward Western rationalism and science, and were known as the age of bummei-kaika —"civilization and enlightenment."
Today, this holiday serves to promote the love of freedom, peace, and cultural development.
CONTACTS:
Japan Information Network, Japan Center for Intercultural Communications
2-7-7 Hirakawacho
Chiyodaku
Tokyo, 102-0093 Japan
81-3-3263-5041; fax: 81-3-3230-4107
home.jcic.or.jp
SOURCES:
AnnivHol-2000, p. 185
JapanFest-1965, p. 205