March 9 in Japan marks a very special date for fans of the virtual diva Hatsune Mikusince it is celebrated the “Hatsune Miku Day“, known in Japanese as “Miku no Hi“. This annual day has become an opportunity for Miku fans to pay tribute to this popular character through fan art and various tributes on social media.
The origin of this peculiar day has its roots in the Japanese word game, where the number “3” is pronounced as “Mi” and the number “9” as “Ku”. In this way, the date March 9 becomes “Mi-Ku”. But the connection does not end there, as the number “39” can also be interpreted as “San(3)Kyu(9)”, which phonetically resembles “Thank You” in English and “Arigatou” in Japanese. This clever play on words has led to March 9 being recognized as official Hatsune Miku Day.
The Miku Day celebration began informally in 2008, a year after her debut, when some Japanese fans began calling the day “Hatsune Miku Day” due to the aforementioned pun. From then on, the community of illustrators on sites like Pixiv and Niconico Douga began sharing their own artworks and videos in honor of Miku on this day.
The event gained even more significance in 2010, when Crypton Future Media and Sega hosted Miku’s first solo concert, titled “39’s Giving Day,” which took place on March 9. Since then, Hatsune Miku Day has been widely recognized as an official celebration both in Japan and abroad.
Over the past few decades, Miku Day has grown exponentially in popularity, with thousands of illustrations shared in communities such as Pixiv, Niconico, Twitter, Instagram, DeviantArt and TikTok. Under the hashtag “#ミクの日,” fans around the world come together to celebrate the lasting impact of this icon of the virtual world.
Fountain: Twitter
