"Dajare" Japanese Pun Day

As I shared earlier, the main anniversary associated with September 1st annually in Japan is "Disaster Prevention Day". But there are also several other, more lighthearted commemorations that share the day. Such as, Japanese Pun Day だじゃれの日, dedicated to the playful world of "Dajare".

Dajare is simply puns that rely on similar sounds or double meanings. In other words, a playful joke made by using words that sound alike, but not palindromes (kaibun), they are separate. A well-known 'dajare' that comes to mind is "Futon ga futtonda" - the futon flew away. You can find more in the Q&A section, thanks to Tonetoedo's fun question here. 

According to the Japan Dajare Utilization Association, dajare is considered an “intangible cultural toy” that enriches communication and brings color and comfort to everyday life. They chose September 1st, 9/1, as the anniversary becomes "ku (9)" is the first syllable of "creative" and "i (1)" of "impact" in Japanese (「ク（9）リエイティブかつイ（1）ンパクト」). And puns are both creative and impactful.