Health and Sports Day

, also known as Health-Sports Day or Sports Day, is a national holiday in Japan held annually on the second Monday in October. It commemorates the opening of the 1964 Summer Olympics being held in Tokyo, and exists to promote sports and an active lifestyle.

History and Current Practice

The first Health and Sports Day was held on October 10, 1966, two years after the 1964 Summer Olympics. October was chosen for the unusually late Summer Olympics to avoid the Japanese rainy season, and Health and Sports Day continues to be one of the fairest days of the year. [http://web-jpn.org/kidsweb/calendar/october/sports.html Kid's Web Japan: Sports Day] , retrieved November 21, 2005]

In 2000, as a result of the Happy Monday Seido, Health and Sports Day was moved to the second Monday in October. [http://www.cgj.org/en/c/vol_12-3/title_04.html Consulate General of Japan in New York: Health Sports Day in Japan] , retrieved November 21, 2005]

As Health and Sports Day is a day to promote sports and physical and mental health, many schools and businesses choose this day to hold their annual nihongo|"Field Day"|運動会|Undō-kai, or sports day. This typically consists of a range of physical events ranging from more traditional track-and-field events such as the 100 metres or 4 x 100 metres relay to more uncommon events such as the tug of war and the nihongo|"Mock Cavalry Battle"|騎馬戦|Kiba-sen.

Trivia

* In Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto, the titular character, Naruto Uzumaki's birthday was chosen to be October 10th because it was previously Health and sports day, and the character is extremely hyper and over-energetic.

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