Japan's "Season for Learning"

Last month, I introduced "Season of Appetite" and "Season for Reading", and you can also find similar articles on City-cost about these autumn related sayings. But there are a few more. Including the saying, autumn is the "season for learning".

I was reminded of that today when I noticed one of the commemorations of October 9th annually is Inquiry Day 探究の日 (tankyuu no hi). It is a commemoration that encourages learning through "inquiry." The anniversary was created by a cram school that tries to inspire children's interest in various fields and foster their spirit of inquiry. They chose October 9th, 10/9, for the anniversary because it can be read as "Tan (10) kyuu (9)", the Japanese for "Inquiry". 

Living in Japan has made me realize that learning doesn't always have to happen in a classroom. Sometimes it's visiting a local museum, trying a traditional craft, identifying seasonal flowers on a walk, or researching the history behind a local festival. That's why a day like Inquiry Day feels so fitting in autumn, when Japan seems to encourage curiosity at every turn.