National Foundation Day in Japan

Kowtow

In the ancient times, emperor-worship has been practiced in Japan. Thus, it is customary for the Japanese during the celebration of the National Foundation Day to kowtow. ‘Kowtowing’ (which means kneeling and touching the forehead to the ground as a sign of worship and deep respect) is one of the main highlights of the events. The people would kowtow to a portrait of the emperors, whom they considered as divine beings. Patriotic speeches were also done by the important figures in the country along with the singing of the national anthem. Basically, on this day, the whole country observes the holiday, from the gatherings in the local or small villages, to those gatherings in the bigger cities of Japan.

Old Celebration vs. New Celebration

The country used to celebrate the National Foundation Day with more vigor, passion, and grandeur. However, this was altered when the holiday was nullified following the events of the World War II. When Japan surrendered to the Allied Forces back in 1945, Emperor Hirohito, who’s reigning at that time, had to give up his control over the country and had officially stated to the public about the false conception they’ve had that the emperor is divine/ a living god. Thus, with the occurrence of the Second World War, the National Foundation Day, which was celebrated mostly in reference to the country’s emperors, has been abolished. Although the holiday was actually reinstated in 1966, it has gradually lost its significance over time. In contrast with the old celebration, the current practices done on this day paled in comparison to how the Japanese used to honor this holiday in the olden days.

Unlike the several festivities arranged in the past, few events are only observed during the celebration of the National Foundation Day in the recent years. The most common include the raising of the Japanese National Flags and the parades which are usually held in Tokyo’s Omotesando Dori. Those who would participate to these parades would typically bring the national flag, a mikoshi (a portable shrine in English), or a miniature temple with some customized decorations on it. A small group of people from across the country would also visit the Imperial Palace where the emperor resides, to pay their respects to the Emperor himself as someone who’s considered the head of the state. Other than that, there are no other public celebrations done, no customary foods served, and even the attention from the mass media is nonexistent. The celebrations done by the modern Japanese on this holiday are quite restrained since it is believed that going out of your way to celebrate the National Foundation Day in the modern times is like reverting back to the old ways of embracing the emperor-worship practice. Hence, this is the reason why at present, majority of the Japanese treat this holiday only as like a family day or a special day-off from work instead of openly expressing their nationalism and patriotism.