The one-year countdown officially begins for the end of the Heisei Era

10:39 cherishe 0 Comments

Japan has just one year left with Emperor Akihito before his son ushers in a new era.

While a modern Japanese era typically ends with the death of the current emperor, it was announced late last year that 84-year-old Emperor Akihito would abdicate the Chrysanthemum Throne on April 30, 2019 due to his advanced age and failing ability to perform ceremonial duties. His son, Crown Prince Naruhito, is slated to ascend to the throne the following day.

Heisei, which can be translated into English as “peace everywhere,” is the name for the current era which began in 1989 following the death of Akihito’s father Hirohito (posthumously known as Emperor Showa). The question of the upcoming era’s name has been on everyone’s minds since rumors of abdication began, and net users have even spawned some humorous propositions.

Japanese Twitter user @fhuohhjk recently created a handy Twitter countdown called “Heisei’s Time Limit” to count down the days left in the Heisei Era. He promises to submit a post each day with the remaining number of days, beginning faithfully on May 1:

Other Twitter users responded to the countdown with a variety of comments–some wistful, and some full of curiosity:

“What will the next era’s name become? To be honest I’m a little nervous.”

“Let’s use this last year to reflect upon the events of the Heisei Era.”

“My eldest son will participate in the last Coming of Age Ceremony of the Heisei Era…how sad.”

“I wonder if people from this era will soon be referred to as ‘Heisei people’ just like we do now with ‘Showa people.'”

“I was born in the last year of Showa/first year of Heisei [1989] and will now witness the start of a new era. I’m looking forward to seeing what it brings.”

You can follow @fhuohhjk on Twitter if you want to count down the remaining days of Heisei together.

Source: Jin
Top image: Wikipedia/Scanyaro



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