{"id":7461,"date":"2019-10-17T09:00:31","date_gmt":"2019-10-17T07:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jrailpass.com\/blog?p=7461"},"modified":"2022-06-15T09:48:07","modified_gmt":"2022-06-15T07:48:07","slug":"japans-new-reiwa-era","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jrailpass.com\/blog\/japans-new-reiwa-era","title":{"rendered":"A new era in Japan\u2019s history has begun: Reiwa"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Japan has started a new imperial era which is called \u2018<strong>Reiwa<\/strong>\u2019, meaning \u2018order and harmony\u2019. The previous era, \u2018Heisei\u2019 (which means \u2018achieving peace\u2019), ended with <strong>Emperor Akihito\u2019s historic abdication at the end of April<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>Emperor Akihito handed the throne to his son, <strong>Naruhito<\/strong>, due to his old age which marked <strong>the end of the Heisei era<\/strong>. He was the first Japanese emperor to abdicate in over two centuries. Normally successions only take place after the death of an emperor.<\/p>\n<p>Each emperor\u2019s reign is given a name <strong>known as a \u2018gengo\u2019<\/strong>. The name of the new era is a combination of the two characters <strong>Rei and Wa<\/strong>. <em>Rei<\/em> can mean \u2018commands\u2019, \u2018order\u2019, \u2018auspicious\u2019 or \u2018good\u2019. <em>Wa<\/em> means \u2018harmony\u2019 and \u2018peace\u2019.<\/p>\n<div id=\"toc_container\" class=\"toc_white no_bullets\"><p class=\"toc_title\">Table of Contents<\/p><ul class=\"toc_list\"><li><a href=\"#Emperor_Naruhito_Enthronement_Ceremony\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">1<\/span> Emperor Naruhito Enthronement Ceremony<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#How_important_is_the_new_name\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">2<\/span> How important is the new name?<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Eras_of_modern_Japan_names_and_dates\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_2\">2.1<\/span> Eras of modern Japan: names and dates<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#Public_Holidays_that_Changes_with_the_New_Era\"><span class=\"toc_number toc_depth_1\">3<\/span> Public Holidays that Changes with the New Era<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n<h2><span id=\"Emperor_Naruhito_Enthronement_Ceremony\">Emperor Naruhito Enthronement Ceremony<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>Enthronement Ceremony<\/strong> is an ancient tradition (the Japanese monarchy are the world\u2019s oldest continuous hereditary monarchy) which marks the accession of a new emperor to the <strong>Chrysanthemum Throne<\/strong>. Various imperial regalia are presented to the new emperor during the course of the ceremony.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Emperor Nahurito\u2019s Enthronement Ceremony<\/strong> will take place on <strong>October 22, 2019<\/strong>. It will be attended by <strong>5,000 official guests<\/strong> including high-profile delegates from 195 countries. One of the main parts of the ceremony will be a huge parade, called, <em><strong>Shukuga-Onretsu-no-gi<\/strong><\/em>, which will follow a 4.6 kilometer route.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"How_important_is_the_new_name\">How important is the new name?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>start of the Reiwa era<\/strong> marks a huge moment for Japan both historically and symbolically. There have only been <strong>four eras in Japan\u2019s modern history<\/strong> (since the Meiji restoration in 1868).<\/p>\n<p>The name of each era is chosen to <strong>set the tone for the coming years<\/strong>. The gengo appears on all coins, stamps, newspapers, driving licences, and other official paperwork. The <strong>gengo calendar<\/strong> is declining in popularity but is still used buy around a third of the population.<\/p>\n<p>The announcement of the new name followed weeks of media speculation and secret cabinet meetings. The name was eventually chosen from a shortlist drawn up be a <strong>panel of experts and academics<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Prime Minister Shinzo Abe<\/strong> said: &#8220;Our nation is facing up to a big turning point, but there are lots of Japanese values that shouldn&#8217;t fade away.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Eras_of_modern_Japan_names_and_dates\">Eras of modern Japan: names and dates<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The Meiji era<\/strong> (1868-1912) meaning \u2018enlightened rule\u2019.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Taisho era<\/strong> (1912-1926) meaning \u2018great righteousness\u2019<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Showa era<\/strong> (1926-1989) meaning \u2018enlightened harmony\u2019<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Heisei era<\/strong> (1989-2019) meaning \u2018achieving peace\u2019<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"note\">Check out how the end of the Heisei era and the beginning of the Reiwa era will affect <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jrailpass.com\/blog\/japan-holidays\">national holidays in Japan<\/a> and why is it a reason for an exceptional <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jrailpass.com\/blog\/golden-week-travel-tips\">Golden Week<\/a> of 10 days in 2019.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Public_Holidays_that_Changes_with_the_New_Era\">Public Holidays that Changes with the New Era<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The Japanese Government has created <strong>new public holidays<\/strong> to celebrate the coronation of the new emperor. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jrailpass.com\/blog\/golden-week-travel-tips\"><strong>Golden week<\/strong><\/a> is celebrated every year in Japan but in 2020, the festivity was extended to 10 days.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Emperor&#8217;s Birthday<\/strong> used to be celebrated on December 23rd, since it was the birthday of the former Emperor Akihito. Now, this holiday will be celebrated on <strong>23 February<\/strong> (in 2020 it will be a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jrailpass.com\/blog\/japan-holidays\">public holiday<\/a> on 24 February, since 23 is Sunday), the day on which Emperor Naruhito celebrates his birthday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Japan has started a new imperial era which is called \u2018Reiwa\u2019, meaning \u2018order and harmony\u2019. The previous era, \u2018Heisei\u2019 (which means \u2018achieving peace\u2019), ended with Emperor Akihito\u2019s historic abdication at the end of April.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7463,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[92],"tags":[],"acf":{"related_tours":{"tour_number":false},"pageresume":"Emperor Akihito handed the throne to his son, Naruhito, due to his old age which marked the end of the Heisei era. 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