The 15th of every month is a day for Chinese cuisine

The 15th of every month is Chinese Cuisine Day 中華の日, a commemorative day created by the National Federation of Chinese Cuisine Life Hygiene Trade Associations. The date of the anniversary comes from a clever wordplay: the middle of the month = 中間 (chūkan) = 中華 (chūka), making the 15th a symbolic “Chinese cuisine day.”

The goal is to promote Chinese food nationwide and strengthen unity among member restaurants. The federation supports its members by producing promotional materials, encouraging proper origin labeling, and promoting local production for local consumption. The organization emphasizes hygiene, safety, and high‑quality ingredients as the foundation of excellent Chinese cuisine.

Chinese cuisine was labeleed as one of the world’s three great cuisines, alongside French and Turkish, in the 19th century. In Japan, popular dishes include mapo tofu, shumai, sweet‑and‑sour pork and fried rice. And of course, Japan adopted some of Chinese cuisine and turned it into Japanese cuisine, such as ramen and gyoza. Chinese cuisine is eaten all year round, not just on the 15th, but it is a fun anniversary and reminder of the choice of chinese cuisine available in Japan.