April is the beginning of a new fiscal year in Japan, and also the season for encounters. At schools, entrance ceremonies are held to welcome new students, and at the same time, the new semester begins and new friends are made. At the workplace, new employees are welcomed at initiation ceremonies, and a new life as a member of society begins.
April is the full-blown spring season, and cherry blossom viewing takes place everywhere.
April 29th: Showa-no-Hi (Showa Day)
April 29th is “Showa Day”. It is a national holiday in Japan and is a day to look back on Japan’s Showa period of recovery through turbulent times and to think about the future of Japan.
The day used to be celebrated as the birthday of Emperor Showa, and “Showa” refers to the period from 1926 to 1989.