The story of how I tried and failed to make National Foundation Day my wedding anniversary.

February 11th is, as everyone knows, "National Foundation Day".
There was a time when this day was called "Kigensetsu (Empire Day)," but it was abolished after the war following the wishes of the GHQ (Allied Occupation Forces).

To briefly explain the background, this is the day that Japan's first emperor, Emperor Jimmu, ascended to the throne, and it is recorded in the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki that he ascended on February 11, 660 BC.

That day (February 11th) was established in the 5th year of Meiji (1873) as the day Japan began (the era) and became a national holiday.

After the war, when the GHQ came to Japan and during various aspects of the occupation government, it was abolished in the 22nd year of Showa (1947) because of the deep relationship between Shinto and the Imperial Family.

As the post-war period grew more distant and the influence of the GHQ occupation era was completely wiped from Japan, in the 41st year of Showa (1966), the name was changed from Kigensetsu to National Foundation Day and it was established as a national holiday. It was applied from the following year, you see.

When I was a child, people still called February 11th Kigensetsu, so I wanted to make Kigensetsu = National Foundation Day = our wedding anniversary, as the origin of the family we were building together. It would be a day we would never forget, and having a national holiday as a wedding anniversary is nice, isn't it?

That was a long preamble, but
for that reason, we decided on February 11th as our wedding anniversary!

We stamped our marriage registration, got signatures and stamps from our guarantors, and had everything perfectly prepared for that day.

We were young at the time, so naturally, we were both working.
Because we both worked in the retail industry (department store related), our days off were on weekdays, and we couldn't take time off on weekends or national holidays because those were our busy days.

So what we thought of was to submit the registration on Wednesday the 7th, which was a Taian (lucky day) before the holiday on February 11th (which was a Sunday that year). Wednesday is our regular day off, so neither of us would have to take time off work, and above all, it's a Taian lucky day!

With that, on the morning of February 7th (you know, the morning is auspicious),
we went to the ward office branch holding hands, feeling cheerful.

And then, while desperately trying to suppress the grin that was forming on my face, I submitted the marriage registration with a solemn feeling.

The lady who received it said,
"Oh, you have the wrong date, don't you? Do you have your seal?"
Of course, we were fully prepared for such a possibility and had brought our seals.

"Yes! We brought them!"
"Then, here and here, please stamp them?"
"Is this okay?"

"Yes, that's fine. Then I will change it to the 7th."
"...Hmm?...Wait a minute, the 7th is today, right?"
"That's right, it's today, of course!"
"Eh, eh, whaaat? We, it's the 11th for us..."
"But, since today is the 7th, it will be the 7th, the submission date!"

To my surprise, it would become the 7th, the submission date, our wedding anniversary!
That the wedding anniversary I had thought about so much would become the 7th...
Thinking that a man would lose his dignity if he backed down here, I started a tough negotiation.

"Even if you say that, I can't come in for work on the 11th..."
"Even if you say that, it's the rules, you know? Give it up."
"No, that's a problem! It's a problem! I have to do something..."

After repeating this exchange, the lady said,
"You two, today is a Taian day, isn't it? You're lucky today. So, why don't you just leave it as today's submission, and decide for yourselves that your wedding anniversary is the 11th? Within yourselves... how about that?

"

I was swayed. What should I do? What should I do? What should we do?

Immediately, the finishing blow came.
"You know, when you celebrate your wedding anniversary, no one asks you to show a certificate. It's a matter of your hearts, so if you decide it's the 11th, it's the 11th. Besides, it doesn't have to be that only the 11th is your wedding anniversary, right? Why don't you make the 7th your wedding anniversary too? Like a marriage registration anniversary or something, then you'd have double!
"

We were defeated!

The two of us were deceived by the lady's smile and were convinced.
Don't laugh at the follies of youth. It couldn't be helped, this was the only way.

That is why,our wedding anniversary actually happens twice. Can you really call it a failure if we get to celebrate on both
February 7th and February 11th?

It was an event from when I was 20, where a change in perspective from an older woman gave me a realization.

Since then, no one has ever demanded that I properly prove our February 11th wedding anniversary.
That woman was right.

We had a failure, didn't we? That was
our failure, wasn't it!

Apparently, these days (I don't know since when) they accept applications at the counter even on holidays? Marriage registrations, that is. And while I'm at it, it seems you are allowed to set a date that has already passed.

How many decades have passed since then?
I wonder how old that woman at the ward office branch counter is now?

Perhaps she has already passed away?
If she is still doing well, I would love to meet her and thank her for that time.

So, today's laid-back thought.
The story of how I tried to make National Foundation Day our wedding anniversary and failed. Revised to
The story of how I tried to make National Foundation Day our wedding anniversary and ended up with two anniversaries.

Well then!