A few weeks ago I had an “only in Japan” moment. I met with my tax accountant (Mori san – she’s great!) to discuss the best timing to submit the documents for my business entity.
Me: I’d like to submit the paperwork on a taian…
Accountant: Of course! And are there any memorable dates coming up?
(We both leaf through the diary)
Accountant: It’d be smooth to start on the first but there aren’t any taians coming up.
Me: (laughing) How about the 29th? Ni-ku no hi?
Accountant: It’s certainly memorable! You can have a steak! …and when we do the 2 month back-dating. It’s Showa no hi.
Me: Perfect!
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Now that is a high-context conversation! Let’s look at what is going on here:
Tai-an
Japan follows a cycle of rokuyo (六曜)）- 6 days of varying luck. When it comes to business, you need to care about two days in particular
Taian 大安- lucky all day. Perfect for launching your new business
Butsumetsu 仏滅- the day Buddha died and considered unlucky all day – not a great day to launch a business or have negotiations.
You can have a steak!
Ni-ku no hi – Japanese numbers offers a lot of great puns and marketers use them to increase awareness and sales. In the case of the 29th, the 2 becomes “ni”and the “9” becomes “ku”, Niku (肉) – Japanese for meat!
Showa no hi
reflecting on a time of turbulence? rather apt for a coach who is supporting people through times of change and upheaval.
So that is how I came to register my business on June 29th!
How do “lucky days” impact your global business? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.