Friendly day, a heartwarming anniversary

Among the anniversaries of April 14th in Japan is one that I find quite heartwarming; Friendly Day フレンドリーデー . A friendly reminder to be friendly!

Friendly Day フレンドリーデー was established by a company, Super Planning Co, whose mascot is Mr. Friendly. They chose April 14th for the anniversary because the reading of 4/14 mimics the mascots motto "Friends are good, aren't they?"; "yo (4) i (1) yo (4) ne".

Arriving shortly after the start of Japan's new school and work year, the anniversary encourages people to deepen existing friendships and open the door to new ones.  It is a day to reaffirm bonds, reach out to someone who matters, or simply offer kindness to those around us.