11/11 (November 11th) is Pocky Day, What Other Anniversaries Are There on This Day?

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2024/10/11

Pocky Day is celebrated on 11/11 (November 11th) in Japan. This is because the digits resemble the beloved chocolate coated biscuit stick snack. What other anniversaries are there on 11/11? Find out now.

Table of Contents

Japanese Anniversary and Memorial Day Culture
Pocky Day and Pretz Day on 11/11
Other Japanese Anniversaries on 11/11
What is the Pocky Game? How to Play the Pocky Game?

Japanese Anniversary and Memorial Day Culture

Japan has a unique tradition of commemorating various aspects of life through designated "Anniversary Days" (記念日, kinenbi). These days can celebrate anything from food and pop culture to significant historical events and public awareness campaigns. Many of these anniversaries are recognized by organisations like the Japan Anniversary Association, which officially registers these commemorative days. The purpose is often to promote industries, celebrate traditions, or spread awareness of specific causes.

Anniversary and memorial days are usually assigned due to clever wordplay or visual symbolism associated with a particular date. For example, certain numbers resemble words or shapes, leading to anniversaries like “Pocky Day” on November 11th, which visually resembles the shape of the iconic snack sticks.

Writer's Pick

Pocky Day and Pretz Day on 11/11

Pocky Day (ポッキーの日) is one of the most well-known food-related anniversaries in Japan, celebrated on November 11th each year. It was established by Ezaki Glico, the company that produces the famous snack, Pocky. The date 11/11 was chosen because the four "1"s in the date resemble four Pocky sticks lined up. It has since become a fun, lighthearted celebration of sharing and enjoying the snack with friends and family.

In addition to Pocky Day, Pretz Day is also celebrated on the same date. Pretz is another snack produced by Glico, but instead of being covered in chocolate like Pocky, Pretz sticks are savoury and flavoured with ingredients like tomato, salad, or butter. The simultaneous celebration of both snacks makes November 11th a major marketing and cultural event for the company.

45 Other Japanese Anniversaries on 11/11

Aside from Pocky and Pretz Day, there are as many as 45 anniversaries and memorial days in Japan celebrated on November 11th.

Garden Eel Day (チンアナゴの日, Chin Anago no Hi)
- The number “1” resembles the eels sticking out of the sand.
Umaibo Day (うまい棒の日, Umaibo no Hi)
- Umaibo is a popular corn stick snack in Japan.
Kushikatsu Tanaka Day (串カツ田中の日, Kushikatsu Tanaka no Hi)
- The number “1” resembles the bamboo skewer sticks.
Takuan Day (たくあんの日, Takuan no Hi)
- Takuan is pickled daikon radish. The number “1” looks like strips of white radish.
SUIT SELECT Day (スーツセレクトの日, Su-tsu Serekuto no Hi)
- The store’s logo is four straight lines which looks like “1111”.
Roll-chan Day (ロールちゃんの日, Ro-ruchan no Hi)
- A roll cake product by Yamazaki Bread with a rabbit mascot that has long ears. The number “11” resembles the rabbit’s ears.
Breadstick Day (スティックパンの日, Sutikku Pan no Hi)
- Yamazaki Bread’s popular breadstick product.
Drinking While Standing Day (立ち飲みの日, Tachinomi no Hi)
- Tachinomi means drinking while standing, a popular style of dining since the Edo period. Customers standing and drinking at these establishments resemble the characters “1”.
Manicure Day (ネイルの日, Neiru no Hi)
- Because there are 4 straight strokes in the English word for “NAIL” and 1111 represents 4 fingers.
Copywriter Day (コピーライターの日, Kopi- Raita- no Hi)
- November 11th (11/11) resembles 4 pens.
Noodles Day (麺の日, Men no Hi)
- In addition to November 11th, every 11th day of the month is noodles day because “1” resembles strands of noodles.
Kiritanpo Day (きりたんぽの日, Kiritanpo no Hi)
- Kiritanpo is a local specialty in Akita Prefecture. It is a long stick of mashed rice that is coated with miso and grilled or served in a hot pot. Their shape resembles a “1”.
Nagano Prefecture Mushroom Day (長野県きのこの日, Naganoken Kinoko no Hi)
- Established by JA Nagano Prefecture’s Agriculture HQ because “1” resembles a mushroom.
Bass Day (ベースの日, Be-su no Hi)
- Because the four “1” characters resemble the 4 strings on a bass.
Mirror Day (鏡の日, Kagami no Hi)
- Because of how symmetrical the four “1” characters look, as if it is a mirror image.
Pipe Cleaner Craft Day (モールアートの日, Mo-ru A-to no Hi)
- To promote the handicraft, a piece of woollen felt that looks like “1” was chosen.
Beautiful Lashes Day (美しいまつげの日, Utsukushii Matsuge no Hi)
- Because the number “1” resembles individual eyelashes.
Eyelash Beauty Day (まつげ美人の日, Matsuge Bijin no Hi)
- Similar to the reason above, this day was registered by Japanese cosmetics company “KOSE”.
Jackpot Day (ジャックポットの日, Jakkupotto no Hi)
- Established by Jackpot Planning Co., Ltd which operates restaurants and izakayas. On this day, their restaurant offers various discount promotions. Nothing to do with the gambling type of jackpot.
Matching Day (お揃いの日, Osoroi no Hi)
- Contrary to Singles’ Day, this was established by the lifestyle brand “FELISSIMO” to encourage the happiness of pairings with family, friends or lovers like “11”.
Soccer Day (サッカーの日, Sakka no Hi)
- Established by Japanese sportswear brand, Mizuno, because soccer is a match between 2 teams of 11 people, thus 11 vs 11.
Good Day to Meet Day ( いい出会いの日, Ii Deai no Hi)
- To pray for singles to find a good partner and form a good couple on this day.
Good Vet Day (いい獣医の日, Ii Jyui no Hi)
- Because the pronunciation of “11” in Japanese, “Jyuuichi”, is similar to “vet”, “Jyui”.
Samurai Day (サムライの日, Samurai Day)
- Because the characters for “11 (十一)” can be rearranged into the kanji “士” for samurai.
Plasmacluster Day (プラズマクラスターの日, Purazumakurasuta- no Hi)
- The number “11” looks like positive and negative ions represented by plus and minus signs.
Magnet Day (磁気の日, Jiki no Hi)
- Similar to the reason above, because the number “11” looks like the north magnetic pole (+) and the south magnetic pole (-).
Ionic Fluid Day (イオン液体の日, Ion Ekitai no Hi)
- For the same reasons above, it was suggested by Hiroyuki Ohno of Tokyo Agricultural University who was the first to conduct research on ionic fluids.
Salmon Day (鮭の日, Shake no Hi)
- Because the character on the right side of the kanji for salmon (鮭) is made up of straight lines.
Pork Bun Day (豚まんの日, Butaman no Hi)
- Because “11” resembles a pig’s nose.
Musical Day (ミュージカルの日, Myu-jikaru no Hi)
- Because the date the musical “Cats” was first performed in Japan was on November 11th, 1983.
Nursing Care Day (介護の日, Kaigo no Hi)
- Established by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan in order to deepen society’s understanding of nursing care. 11/11 was chosen because it follows the pronunciation of “いい日, いい日 (Ii hi, Ii hi)” that means “good day, good day”.
Jewellery Day (ジュエリーデー, Jyueri- De-)
- On November 11th, 1909, Japan officially established the unit of gems.
Origami Day (折り紙の日, Origami no Hi)
- Because the folding lines of origami are long and straight like “1s”.
Rice Power No.11 Day (ライスパワーNo.11の日, Raisu Pawa- No.11 no Hi)
- Rice Power No.11 is a skin moisturiser product. Since “11” is contained in the product’s name, the most fitting memorial day of 11/11 was chosen.
TTNE Day (ととのえの日, Totonoe no Hi)
- TTNE is a sauna specialty brand. The “1111” resembles their name.
Raw Ham Day (生ハムの日, Nama Hamu no Hi)
- Spain makes ham for the Harvest Festival on November 11th, so Japan also chose this day to promote ham.
Doggie Gift Day (ワンワンギフトの日, Wan Wan Gifuto no Hi)
- The barking sound of a dog is called ワン (Wan) in Japanese, which is similar to “1 (One)” in English.
YEG Day (YEGの日)
- YEG is the abbreviation for the Youth Section of Japan’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry who held their first national convention on November 11th, 1981.
Hero's Day (勇者の日, Yuusha no Hi)
- A hero does not refer to characters in anime or video games but someone who overcomes obstacles and trials. This day is to commemorate all those who are trying their best to stay alive.
Sea Cucumbers Day (きみしゃんいりこの日)
- Established by a store that specialises in seafood, especially sea cucumbers. The number “1” resembles a sea cucumber.
Iwashita Ginger Day (岩下の新生姜の日, Iwashita no Shin Shouga no Hi)
- Iwashita is the name of a famous pickles company in Tochigi Prefecture. Their most popular product is red ginger so they chose 11/11 as the “1” resembles strands of pickled ginger.
Cirque du Soleil “KURIOS” Day ( シルクドゥソレイユ「キュリオス」の日)
- To promote their performances, November 11th was chosen after the iconic image of a clock that stops at 11:11 that forms the background of their stage.
Club Tourism Solo Travel Day (クラブツーリズム・ひとり旅の日, Hitoritabi no Hi)
- As the number suggests, it was established by the travel agency “Club Tourism” to promote solo travel.
Itadakimasu/Yamasu Day (いただきます・やますの日)
- Yamasu is a Japanese food company. November 11th is considered Peanut Day in Chiba Prefecture, and since Yamasu makes a lot of Chiba Prefecture’s specialty peanuts, this day was chosen.
Kitpas Day
- Kitpas are crayon products by Japan Rikagaku. Crayons resemble the character “1”.

What is the Pocky Game? How to Play the Pocky Game?

The Pocky Game is a lighthearted, often flirtatious party game played with Pocky sticks. The rules are simple and it’s commonly enjoyed among friends or couples.

How to Play the Pocky Game:

Preparation:
- You’ll need at least two players and one Pocky stick for each round. Both players stand or sit close to each other.
Starting the Game:
- Each player bites down on one end of the Pocky stick, holding it in their mouth like a straw. The players then start nibbling toward the centre.
Objective:
- The goal is to keep eating the Pocky stick from both ends, gradually bringing the players closer together. The challenge is to see who pulls away first or if the players end up kissing when they reach the middle.
End of the Game:
- The game ends when one player pulls away or when both reach the centre of the stick and either stop or touch lips. If neither player pulls back, it often results in an accidental or intentional kiss, adding an element of fun and suspense.

The Pocky Game has become a playful way to enjoy the snack while testing players’ nerves or flirting in a fun, low-pressure environment. It’s especially popular at parties, gatherings, or on occasions like Pocky Day itself.

To Close

Pocky Day and Pretz Day on November 11th have grown into more than just marketing events—they have become cultural celebrations that bring people together through the shared enjoyment of these beloved snacks.

From its origins in Japan to its expanding global recognition, Pocky Day symbolises fun, connection, and creativity. Whether through friendly competitions, social media challenges, or simply enjoying a pack of Pocky with loved ones, this day offers a delightful way to celebrate the power of simple joys.