Taiku no Hi

Taiku no Hi (体育の日) or Health and Sports Day is a Japanese National Holiday that is held annually on the second Monday of October. This year Taiku no Hi will be on Monday, October 12.

Taiku no Hi commemorates the opening of the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games on October 10, 1964, and is a day to promote both sports and an active lifestyle.

History of Taiku no Hi 

 

Taiku no Hi first started as a national holiday on October 10, 1966, just two years after the 1964 Tokyo Summer Olympics. October was chosen as the unusually late time for the Olympics due to its beautiful weather and in order to avoid the Japanese rainy season.

In 2000, Taiku no Hi was moved to the second Monday in October as a result of the Happy Monday system to promote more long weekends in Japan.

How is Taiku no Hi Celebrated? 

Health and Sports Day is a day to promote sport and physical and mental health. A lot of schools in Japan hold their sports festivals (運動会) on this day, which is similar to a mini Olympics with a variety of physical activities ranging from traditional track-and-field events to fun games like tug of war and sack races.

Sports Festival in Gifu

 How will you celebrate Taiku no Hi this year? 

Festivals and Events for October in Japan