The 99 Times Table in Japan

You may have heard of "Kuku", the standard times table taught in Japan. The big difference in Japan, despite being a country known for its math skills, is they only teach the times table up to nine times nine (9x9). In my home country, we are taught up to twelve (12x12). 

But there is a educator in Japan, Kunio Murakami, who tried to popularize not just 11 times 11 and 12 times 12, but all two digit multiplication - right up to 99 times 99. To this end, he created Two-Digit Multiplication Table Day 二桁かけざん九九の日, a commemoration of September 9th annually. The date comes from the basic, famous times table "kuku" as Septermber 9th, 9/9, can be read "kuku". 

By creating the anniversary (and he has also written a book about it) he hopes to encourage people to learn the times table right up to 99 x 99, much the way we learn the rest of the times table. Multiplication is good for the brain, but I think learning the 99 times table is a bit too ambitious for me! 

How about you? Would you consider learning the 99 times table?