September 9
Choyo no Sekku, the Chrysanthemum Festival, is tied to longevity, chrysanthemum wine, and the ninth day of the ninth month.
SEPTEMBER 2026
September in Japan
Chrysanthemums, moon-viewing, early autumn, and the flower cards of the ninth month.
This month
A quiet turn toward autumn
September in Japan is still warm in much of the country, but its calendar gathers moon-viewing, chrysanthemums, public holidays, early northern foliage, and the Hanafuda chrysanthemum suit.
September 21-23
Japan's 2026 public-holiday calendar includes Respect for the Aged Day, a bridge holiday, and Autumnal Equinox Day.
September 25
NAOJ places Chushu no Meigetsu on September 25, 2026; the astronomical full moon follows on September 27.
Ninth month suit
The four September cards
Chrysanthemum cards connect the deck's autumn symbolism with the sake cup that powers the moon-viewing and flower-viewing cup combinations in many Koi-Koi rulesets.
The 48-card calendar
The Hanafuda year
Each suit has four cards. The plant names the month; the card classes shape how Koi-Koi is played.
January
Pine 松
February
Plum blossom 梅
March
Cherry blossom 桜
April
Wisteria 藤
May
Iris 菖蒲
June
Peony 牡丹
July
Bush clover 萩
August
Susuki grass 芒
September
Chrysanthemum 菊
October
Maple 紅葉
November
Willow 柳
December
Paulownia 桐
Launch edition
Featured stories
September
September's Hanafuda Cards
The chrysanthemum suit, the sake cup, and what the ninth month contributes to the 48-card calendar.
Moon-viewing
What Is Tsukimi?
A concise, sourced guide to Japan's autumn moon-viewing traditions and their calendar logic.
Material culture
Chrysanthemum and the Sake Cup
Why one small cup card matters so much when Hanafuda moves from image to play.
Calendar
Twelve months, twelve plants
Use the Hanafuda year as a compact index into seasonal stories. Only reviewed month pages are published as articles; the remaining tiles are a navigation map.
Publication note
Independent-looking because the subject leads
Japan Almanac is an editorial site about seasonal Japan. The Hanafuda deck gives the publication a distinctive calendar framework, and Koi-Koi becomes relevant when play helps readers understand the cards they have just encountered.