The Emperor's Birthday
23 February 2026 — I bloom like a star – happy holiday, Japan!
The Emperor's Birthday is a national holiday in Japan. It falls on the birthday of the reigning emperor, so its date changes when the throne passes on. Since 2020 it has been held on 23 February, the birthday of Emperor Naruhito, who acceded to the throne in 2019. Under Emperor Akihito it was on 23 December, and during the Shōwa era (1926–1989, the reign of Emperor Hirohito) it was on 29 April. It is an official day off. A central tradition is the public appearance of the emperor and members of the imperial family on a balcony of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, where they greet the crowds, who wave Japanese flags. The chrysanthemum is a traditional emblem of the imperial house, which is why we chose it as our symbol. The holiday follows the ordinary solar (Gregorian) calendar and has no link to lunar phases, but it arrives at the end of winter, when the night sky is still deep and clear.
Flying across the sky: An ethereal, golden chrysanthemum made of luminous dots and fine connecting lines, like a constellation, slowly blooming petal by petal as it drifts across the night sky
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