Electricity Day

What Is Electricity Day?

Every March 25th is "Electricity Day" (Denki Kinenbi) in Japan. On March 25, 1878, a celebration for the opening of the Central Telegraph Office, established in Kobiki-cho, Ginza, Tokyo, was held in the auditorium of the Imperial College of Engineering (now the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Engineering) in Toranomon, and an electric light (an arc lamp) was lit for the first time in Japan. To commemorate this, the Japan Electric Association established the day in 1927. It marks both the first electric light in Japan and the beginning of the country's electric power industry.

The Day Japan's First Electric Light Was Lit

The light switched on at a Meiji-era celebration marked the start of Japan's history with electricity.

• Professor Ayrton lights the lamp: William Ayrton, a British professor at the Imperial College of Engineering who had been ordered by Minister of Public Works Hirobumi Ito to use electric lighting at the venue, lit the arc lamp in the auditorium using 50 Grove cells (batteries).
• "Like visiting a nightless city": A dazzling bluish-white light filled the hall, and the guests are said to have marveled that it felt "like visiting a city that never sleeps."

The Beginning of the Electric Power Industry

After that, systems for delivering electricity as a business gradually took shape in Japan.

• Tokyo Electric Light opens: In 1886, Tokyo Electric Light Company opened as Japan's first electric utility.
• The first power station: In 1887, Tokyo Electric Light began supplying electricity to the public from a power station it built in Kayabacho, Nihonbashi. Electric lighting, at first limited to certain facilities and homes, gradually spread to households across the country.

Fun Facts About Electricity

• Different frequencies in east and west: Because German generators were introduced in Tokyo and American generators in Osaka in the Meiji era, eastern Japan still uses 50 Hz and western Japan 60 Hz, with the boundary running roughly along the Fuji River in Shizuoka and the Itoigawa area in Niigata.
• The war of the currents: In the late 19th century United States, Edison, who backed direct current, competed with the Westinghouse and Tesla camp, which backed alternating current. AC, better suited to long-distance transmission, became the mainstream for today's power grids.
• Electricity is hard to store: Because it is difficult to store large amounts of electricity, the amount generated is constantly adjusted to match the amount used.
• The symbol mark: The Electricity Day symbol was chosen through a public contest by the Japan Electric Association in 1968; it evokes both hands cupping a light and the shape of a light bulb.

Tips for Marking Electricity Day

• Clean the dust around your outlets to prevent tracking fires
• Try simple ways to save electricity, such as unplugging appliances you are not using
• Check your emergency supplies for power outages, such as flashlights and mobile batteries
• Find out whether the electricity in your area is 50 Hz or 60 Hz

A Life With Electricity That Began With One Light

Japan's history with electricity began with the arc lamp that lit up a Meiji-era auditorium. March 25th is a day to think a little about the electricity that makes it possible to turn on a light with a single switch.