Good Letter Day

What Is Good Letter Day?

November 23rd is "Good Letter Day" (Ii Fumi no Hi) in Japan. Based on a wordplay in which 11 and 23 can be read as "ii fumi" (good letter), it is a day to remember the joy of writing letters and the happiness of receiving them. It builds on "Letter Day" (Fumi no Hi), held on the 23rd of every month, which Japan's Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications established in 1979.

Growing Out of the Monthly "Letter Day"

Letter Day was established to help pass on written culture through the fun of writing letters and the joy of receiving them, and to encourage the use of postal mail. The 23rd comes from reading 2 and 3 as "fu-mi" (letter), and in November the extra "ii" (11, good) makes it "Good Letter Day."

• Parent day: "Letter Day" on the 23rd of every month, established by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications in 1979
• Date origin: 11 ("ii") and 23 ("fumi") read as "ii fumi" (good letter)
• Beginnings: regional letter-writing drives on the 23rd began in fiscal 1975 and became a nationwide campaign in 1979
• Fumizuki Letter Day: because the 7th lunar month was called "Fumizuki," July 23rd is "Fumizuki Letter Day"
• Letter Day stamps: special "Fumi no Hi" stamps are issued every July 23rd as part of the campaign

Campaign Songs About Letters

Letter Day also has ties to music. In 1980, Hiromi Iwasaki released "Sabishiku Nai Desu ka" as the Ministry of Posts' Letter Day song, and in 1988 Noriko Matsumoto released "Ame to Suiyobi" as its campaign song. Now that email and chat are the norm, the warmth of handwritten words stands out all the more.

Tips for Marking This Day

• Write a short letter or postcard to someone who has helped you
• Use a small note card to add a word of thanks for a coworker
• Pick out seasonal stamps at the post office
• Reread old letters you have kept

A Handwritten Line Carries Your Feelings

A letter is a luxurious form of communication in which both writing and reading are time spent thinking of the other person. November 23rd is a day to say "thank you" to someone close to you in a letter.