Culture Day
Next: November 3, 2026
Japan's holiday for freedom, peace and culture.
The story
Where it comes from
Culture Day, Bunka no Hi, is a Japanese national holiday on 3 November. The Act on National Holidays of 1948 sets it aside 'for cherishing freedom and peace, and nurturing culture'. The date recalls 3 November 1946, when Japan's post-war Constitution was promulgated; it came into force six months later, on 3 May, now kept as Constitution Memorial Day. Before the war, 3 November had been a holiday for the birthday of Emperor Meiji.
How it's celebrated
The Emperor confers the Order of Culture at the Imperial Palace on people who have made outstanding contributions to the arts, science and scholarship. Around the day, national and local governments and private groups hold art festivals, concerts and exhibitions across the country, and many museums and galleries hold special events or open free of charge.
Did you know
- Order of Culture recipients include the novelist Kawabata Yasunari (1961), the film director Kurosawa Akira (1985) and the stem-cell scientist Yamanaka Shin'ya (2012).
- The honour is not only for Japanese citizens: the Apollo 11 astronauts received it in 1969, after the first Moon landing.
- The Emperor has personally conferred the Order since 1997, while the Prime Minister hands each recipient the certificate.
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