Although you might already be aware that the holiday is celebrated across the world in territories as diverse as the United States, Brazil, Canada, Liberia, and Puerto Rico, you may not know that there is also a Thanksgiving in Japan.
If you?re planning to travel around Japan in November using the JR Pass, you may first want to brush up on this traditional national holiday and whether you can expect to be served turkey at a Japanese Thanksgiving dinner.

What is Thanksgiving called in Japan"
Thanksgiving in Japanese is called ?Kinro Kansha no Hi?, which formally means Labor Thanksgiving Day.
Unlike US Thanksgiving, which is celebrated on the third Thursday of November no matter the date, Japanese Thanksgiving always falls on the 23rd of November, or, if this is a Sunday, the following Monday. Also unlike the American celebration, Japanese Thanksgiving is not a religious-based holiday. Instead, it is a public national holiday that honors the hard work of laborers, more akin to US Labor Day.
Because of this, one of the most notable events that take place on the day is the Nagano Labor Festival, an event that encourages discussion about issues such as the environment and human rights.
Many trade unions in Japan also celebrate Labor Day on May 1st by holding large rallies in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya.
The history of Thanksgiving in Japan
The origins of Labor Thanksgiving Day stretch back over 2,000 years to when rice first began to be cultivated in Japan and it was an ancie...