Good Couple Day
Next: November 22, 2026
Say the thing you never say.
The story
Where it comes from
Good Couple Day (Ii Fūfu no Hi) is a play on the date: read in Japanese, 11-22 sounds like ii fūfu, 'good couple'. It was proposed in 1988 by the Leisure Development Center, a foundation encouraging couples to enjoy their free time together, after the government named November a month for 'creating leisure'. Since 1998 it has been promoted by an association of fashion and apparel industry groups, so it is as much a marketing campaign as a custom.
How it's celebrated
Couples go out for dinner, give flowers or a small gift, and say what usually goes unsaid; the organisers suggest roses carrying 'thank you' and 'I love you'. It is also a popular date to register a marriage, so city offices can be busy. The association names a 'Partner of the Year' couple each year, and bowling centres have held couples' tournaments since 1999.
Did you know
- The same association registered 11 November as Ii Deai no Hi, 'Good Encounter Day', hoping that couples who meet then will marry on a future 22 November.
- In 2009, couples' bowling tournaments for the day ran at 276 bowling centres across Japan, with 3,840 couples taking part.
- Japan has other wordplay dates for couples too: 2 February (fūfu) and 22 April (yoi fūfu, which also means 'good couple').
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