Meat Day?

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!----------------------------------------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 particularTaian 大安- lucky all day. Perfect for launching your new businessButsumetsu 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.