Spring Equinox

Today is Holiday in Japan (Spring Equinox)
In Japan, (March) Vernal Equinox Day (春分の日 Shunbun no hi) is an official national holiday, and is spent visiting family graves and holding family reunions. Similarly, in September, there is an Autumnal Equinox Day (秋分の日 Shūbun no hi).


20 Mar 2009 - 21 Mar 2009

The Vernal Equinox, or 'Shunbun No Hi', is celebrated all over Japan and is a time for cleaning the graves of ancestors. It's also common to leave gifts of fruit and rice cakes on the gravesides which are believed to make the passage to the afterlife easier. The day of the equinox is a public holiday throughout Japan.

source : japanguide