Cat Day and Beyond: How Japan Celebrates Unofficial Special Days

Japan has hundreds of playful, unofficial special days, from Cat Day on February 22 to Mt. Fuji Day on February 23, and many hinge on clever number wordplay.

Published October 20, 2026 at 10:57 AM JST | By Tokyo Paul

Quick answer: Japan has a large calendar of unofficial special days, called kinenbi (anniversaries), created by groups, companies and communities rather than by law. A private body, the Japan Anniversary Association, keeps a register of them. Many dates come from goroawase, number wordplay, such as Cat Day on February 22, read as "nyan nyan nyan," like a cat's meow.

What unofficial special days are

Japan has national holidays set by law, but it also has a much longer list of special days that no law requires. These days, often called kinenbi (anniversaries or commemorative days), are created by associations, companies, local groups and sometimes individuals to draw attention to an idea, a food, an animal or an event. They carry no day off from work, but they give people a fun reason to talk about a topic.

Some of these days are old traditions, and others are newly invented. A day may be about gratitude, such as a day to say thanks, or about a hobby, or about a local specialty. Because anyone with a good idea can propose one, the calendar keeps growing, and almost every date has at least one day attached.

The Japan Anniversary Association's site, for example, lists registered days by date, with entries submitted by companies, farming cooperatives and committees. One entry on its pages honors a type of persimmon, another a style of rice cooked in a clay pot, and another is a morning-protein day promoted by an industry group, which gives a sense of how varied the topics are.

The Japan Anniversary Association and its register

The Japan Anniversary Association (Nihon Kinenbi Kyokai) promotes anniversary culture and runs a registration system for both long-established days and newly created ones. On its website, days are listed by date. The association explains that a proposer fills in an application form with the name of the day, the date and its origin, submits it, and, if it passes review by a screening committee, completes registration by paying a fee.

This means a registered day is not a government holiday but a recognized entry in a private register. Applicants range from industry groups to companies and local organizations. A separate registration system also records anniversary dates, such as a founding or release date. Details of the process and fees are on the association's site, which is mostly in Japanese, so check there for current requirements.

Cat Day and wordplay with numbers

Cat Day (Neko no Hi) is February 22. Written as 2-2-2, the date can be read as "nyan nyan nyan," which sounds like a cat's meow, because the sound ni, one reading of the number two, matches "nyan." According to the Japanese Wikipedia entry, the first Cat Day was held in 1987, after a committee of cat-loving figures asked the public to suggest a date in 1986. February 22 received the most suggestions because the cat's call sounds like "nyan nyan nyan."

Today the day is commonly marked by cat photos on social media and, in some years, by cat-themed events organized by cat lovers and local groups. The tone is light and affectionate, and the day is a reminder of how much cats feature in everyday Japanese culture.

Goroawase: the number-pun system

Goroawase (matching sounds) is the practice of reading numbers as words. Each digit has several readings, drawn from native Japanese, Sino-Japanese and English-origin sounds, which allows many combinations. Familiar examples include 39 read as "san kyu," which sounds like "thank you," and 4649 read as "yoroshiku," meaning "best regards."

The system also helps people remember dates, phone numbers and facts. It is used to build special days too. The 29th of a month can be read "niku" (meat), and the 26th can be read "furo" (bath), so those dates are sometimes used for food or bath-themed promotions. These examples show how wordplay turns an ordinary date into a small seasonal event.

Some readings also come from abbreviation, from voicing changes, or from added or dropped sounds, so a date may have more than one possible reading. That flexibility is part of the fun, because the person who proposes a day chooses the reading that fits the topic best, and listeners enjoy working out how the numbers sound before the explanation arrives.

Mt. Fuji Day and the official-unofficial blend

Not every special day is unofficial or purely playful. Mt. Fuji Day (Fuji-san no Hi) on February 23 is a day observed in Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures, the two prefectures on either side of the mountain, to encourage people to think about Mt. Fuji and pass its value on to future generations.

The date follows goroawase as well, since 2-2-3 can be read "fu-ji-san." This shows how local governments, community groups and a private register can all attach meaning to a single date. Dates and organizers may vary, so check each official page.

How businesses and communities use special days

Companies, industry groups and local communities use special days as occasions for events, sales and campaigns. A food producer may register a day to promote a product, a farming cooperative may do so for a local crop, and a local government may use a day to connect residents with a landmark. Cat Day, for example, has become an occasion for cat-themed events and photo posts.

The results can be useful to visitors. If you see a window poster or social media post about a day you do not recognize, it often points to a food or event worth trying. Because these days are not holidays, shops and offices stay open as usual. Treat them as a fun cultural layer, and check each organizer's page for details of any event or offer, since these change from year to year.

A fun way to learn Japanese

Special days make an enjoyable language lesson. Learn the number readings, then try to decode dates on a calendar: ask which words the digits might form, and compare your guess with the explanation. You will pick up vocabulary for food, animals and greetings, as well as the way Japanese uses sound and wordplay for memory.

Start with a few: the nyan of February 22, the fu-ji-san of February 23, and the niku of the 29th. Over time, you will begin to hear the puns in phone numbers, product names and slogans too. Keep in mind that readings can vary and not every pun is obvious, so a Japanese friend or a dictionary can help. This guide shares general cultural information, and details change, so confirm dates with the organizer.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Japan Anniversary Association?

It is a private association that promotes anniversary culture in Japan and runs a register of commemorative days. Companies, groups and individuals can apply with a form, and a screening committee reviews applications. A registered day is a recognized entry in the register, not a public holiday.

Why is Cat Day on February 22?

The date is written 2-2-2 in the month-day pattern, and the Japanese reading of the number two, ni, matches the "nyan" of a cat's meow, giving "nyan nyan nyan." Cat Day began in the 1980s according to the Japanese Wikipedia entry, and it is now widely known across the country.

What is goroawase?

Goroawase is Japanese number wordplay, in which digits are read as sounds to form words. Examples include 39 as "thank you" (san-kyu), 4649 as "yoroshiku" (best regards), 29 as "niku" (meat) and 26 as "furo" (bath). It is used for memory aids and for creating special days.

Want to go deeper? Tokyo Paul's book 99 Things Japan Does Better Than Anyone Else is available on Amazon.

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