The Happy Monday System (ハッピーマンデー制度, Happī Mandē Seido?) refers to a set of modifications to Japanese law in 1998 and 2001 to move a number of public holidays in Japan to Mondays, creating a three-day weekend for those who normally have a five-day work week.
| Date | Moved to Monday | English name | Local name | Romanization |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 1 | No | New Year's Day | 元日 | Ganjitsu |
| 2nd Monday of January | Since 2000 | Coming of Age Day | 成人の日 | Seijin no hi |
| February 11 | No | National Foundation Day | 建国記念の日 | Kenkoku kinen no hi |
| March 20 or March 21 | No | Vernal Equinox Day | 春分の日 | Shunbun no hi |
| April 29 | No | Shōwa Day | 昭和の日 | Shōwa no hi |
| May 3 | No | Constitution Memorial Day | 憲法記念日 | Kenpō kinenbi |
| May 4 | No | Greenery Day | みどりの日 | Midori no hi |
| May 5 | No | Children's Day | 子供の日 | Kodomo no hi |
| 3rd Monday of July | Since 2003 | Marine Day | 海の日 | Umi no hi |
| 3rd Monday of September | Since 2003 | Respect for the Aged Day | 敬老の日 | Keirō no hi |
| September 23 or September 24 | No | Autumnal Equinox Day | 秋分の日 | Shūbun no hi |
| 2nd Monday of October | Since 2000 | Health and Sports Day | 体育の日 | Taiiku no hi |
| November 3 | No | Culture Day | 文化の日 | Bunka no hi |
| November 23 | No | Labour Thanksgiving Day | 勤労感謝の日 | Kinrō kansha no hi |
| December 23 | No | The Emperor's Birthday | 天皇誕生日 | Tennō tanjōbi |
Famous quotes containing the words happy, monday and/or system:
“We find that Good and Evil happen alike to all Men on this Side of the Grave; and as the principle Design of Tragedy is to raise Commiseration and Terror in the Minds of the Audience, we shall defeat this great End, if we always make Virtue and Innocence happy and successful.”
—Joseph Addison (1672–1719)
“My consciousness-raising group is still going on. Every Monday night it meets, somewhere in Greenwich Village, and it drinks a lot of red wine and eats a lot of cheese. A friend of mine who is in it tells me that at the last meeting, each of the women took her turn to explain, in considerable detail, what she was planning to stuff her Thanksgiving turkey with. I no longer go to the group.”
—Nora Ephron (b. 1941)
“A heresy can spring only from a system that is in full vigor.”
—Eric Hoffer (1902–1983)