A day for study desks

One of the several anniversaries and observances on February 9th annually is Study Desk Day 学習机の日 “Gakushū‑zuku no Hi” .

The reason it was created was to highlight the role of the study desk in children's education and family life in Japan. The date comes from a bit of Japanese wordplay: 2‑9 can be read as “tsu‑ku‑e,” which sounds like tsukue, the Japanese word for “desk.” But also because it is the season when families buy study desks.

The company behind the anniversary is Itoki, a long‑established furniture and office‑equipment manufacturer. I believe they produced Japan's first ever steel study desk for home use, back in the 1960s. Over the decades study desks evolved from simple steel frames to wooden designs with shelves, movable drawers and flexible layouts.