November 23, 2009

Labor Thanksgiving Day in Japan
Today is Kinro kansha no hi, a day for honoring labor and production, and a day to give other people thanks.

This is a new, modern version of an old holiday commemorating the rice harvest—giving thanks for the harvest and acknowledging all the hard work that went into the crop. The new Labor Thanksgiving Day also emphasizes considering the environment, human rights, and peace. Children sometimes give drawings and gifts to kobans, or police stations.

Learn about Japan. At this website, you can see Japan through young eyes. And here is a way to take a sort of virtual tour of Japan.



Enjoy rice. Japanese recipes can be found here.




Props for cops. Take the time to thank police officers, fire fighters, and other people in your community who provide services. For example, you could make a nice thank you card and drop it off at the police or fire station.

Give thanks. Focus on noticing little things that people do for each other. Use the Japanese word for “thank you,” which is arigato. (A more formal “thank you,” which might be used when someone gives you a gift, is domo arigato. And a very informal “thanks” is domo.)

Match these other words for “thank you” to the languages they represent:
1.merci A. Arabic
2.danke B. Navajo
3.shukran C. Spanish
4.grazie D. Italian
5.aahehee E. French
6.spasibo F. German
7.gracias G. Russian

ANSWERS: 1-E 2-F 3-A 4-D 5-B 6-G 7-C