Thanksgiving in Japan

    Here in America, Thanksgiving is a holiday based on gratitude, celebrating the pilgrims, food, parades, and more. In Japan, Thanksgiving is a way to celebrate working hard, kind of like our Labor Day. It’s called Kinro Kansha no Hi and always falls on the 23rd of November.

    Many celebrations happen on this holiday. For example, school children make cards and give them to people who work to show their appreciation for them. Japan’s Thanksgiving is generally a quiet type of holiday. Families will usually go to a park or amusement park and have a family dinner.

    This country's Thanksgiving began as a harvest festival and the emperor eventually made it a holiday. Fish, tea, and rice are popular dishes on this holiday in Japan. Rice is an especially popular dish because it was one of the first things harvested in Japan, and what started the original harvest festival. Even if Kinro Kansha no Hi is not one of the favorite holidays for the Japanese, it is an important one.

Written by: Hailey D. Hoskins