今日7月23日は、手紙文化を見直す「文月ふみの日」と、日本の観測史上最高気温を記録した「日本最高気温の日」が重なります。
手紙のじんわりとした温かさと、危険なほどの記録的な暑さ——今日は対照的な「熱」を感じる一日ですね。
文月ふみの日——旧暦の異称と語呂合わせが重なった日
7月の旧暦での異称は「文月」。この「文月」と、「ふ（2）み（3）」の語呂合わせが重なったことから、7月23日は「文月ふみの日」に制定されました。
「手紙を書く楽しさ、受け取る嬉しさを通じて文字文化を継承したい」という思いが込められたこの記念日。メールやSNSでのやり取りが当たり前になった今だからこそ、手書きの手紙が持つ特別な価値が際立ちますね。
ちなみに「文月」という名前の由来には諸説ありますが、七夕に詩歌や願い事を書いた短冊を笹に飾る風習から「文（ふみ）を書く月」となったという説が有力です。手紙と七夕、そして文月——実は深いところでつながっているんですね。
今日は誰か大切な人に、スマホではなく手書きのハガキや手紙を送ってみるのはいかがでしょう。きっと想像以上に喜ばれるはずです。
日本最高気温の日——41.1℃、観測史上の記録
2018年7月23日、埼玉県熊谷市で気温41.1℃を観測。これは当時の日本歴代最高気温の記録となりました（2020年8月17日に静岡県浜松市でも同じ41.1℃を記録し、現在は2都市が最高記録を分け合っています）。
この年は関東甲信地方を中心に記録的な猛暑となり、熱中症による救急搬送者数も過去最多を更新するなど、社会問題として大きく取り上げられました。この記録をきっかけに、熱中症対策への意識や、暑さ指数（WBGT）を活用した予防の呼びかけが一層強まったと言われています。
ちなみに反対に「日本最低気温の日」は1月25日で、1902年に北海道旭川市で記録したマイナス41.0℃。日本の気温差、改めてすごいですね。
米騒動の日——「越中女房一揆」から始まった全国的な運動
1918年7月23日、富山県魚津町の港で、米価高騰に苦しむ女性たちが米の県外移出を阻止しようと海岸に集結。これが「越中女房一揆」と呼ばれ、後に全国規模の「米騒動」へと発展するきっかけとなりました。
庶民の切実な生活の声が、社会全体を動かす大きなうねりになった出来事。声を上げることの大切さを教えてくれる一日でもありますね。
✍️ 今日のまとめ
手紙に込める想いの温かさ、記録的な猛暑という自然の厳しさ、声を上げた人々の熱意——今日は「熱」にまつわる様々な表情を感じる一日ですね。
危険な暑さの日は無理せず、冷房の効いた室内で誰かへの手紙をしたためる——そんな穏やかな過ごし方も今日らしいかもしれません✉️
本日も良い一日をお過ごしください。
See you soon.
Today, July 23rd, brings together “Fumizuki Fumi no Hi” (Letter Day) — a day for reconsidering the culture of letter-writing — and “Japan’s Highest Temperature Day,” commemorating the highest temperature ever officially recorded in Japan.
The gentle warmth found in a handwritten letter, and the dangerously record-breaking heat of a summer day — today carries two very different kinds of “heat.”
Fumizuki Fumi no Hi — Where an Old Lunar Month Name Meets a Clever Wordplay
The old lunar calendar’s name for the 7th month is “Fumizuki” (literally, “the month of letters”). Combined with the wordplay “fu (2) – mi (3),” this gave July 23rd its designation as “Fumizuki Fumi no Hi.”
This day carries the wish to “pass down the culture of the written word through the joy of writing letters and the happiness of receiving them.” In an age where email and social media messaging have become the default, the special value of a handwritten letter stands out more than ever.
There are several theories about the origin of the name “Fumizuki,” but one of the most widely accepted traces it to the Tanabata custom of writing poems and wishes on tanzaku strips and hanging them from bamboo branches — literally, “the month for writing letters (fumi).” Letters, Tanabata, and Fumizuki — it turns out they’re all quietly connected at a deeper level.
Why not send someone dear to you a handwritten postcard or letter today, instead of reaching for your phone? It’s almost certain to bring more joy than you’d expect.
Japan’s Highest Temperature Day — 41.1°C, an Official Record
On July 23, 2018, a temperature of 41.1°C was recorded in Kumagaya City, Saitama Prefecture — becoming Japan’s highest officially recorded temperature at the time (Hamamatsu City in Shizuoka Prefecture matched this exact temperature on August 17, 2020, so the record is now shared between the two cities).
That year saw record-breaking heat waves centered on the Kanto-Koshin region, with the number of people transported to hospitals for heatstroke reaching an all-time high — a genuine social crisis that received widespread attention. This record is said to have significantly heightened public awareness of heatstroke prevention and encouraged wider use of the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) heat index as a warning tool.
Interestingly, on the opposite end, “Japan’s Lowest Temperature Day” falls on January 25th, commemorating a reading of -41.0°C recorded in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, in 1902. The range of temperatures Japan experiences really is remarkable.
Rice Riot Day — A Nationwide Movement That Began with the “Etchu Wives’ Uprising”
On July 23, 1918, at a port in Uozu, Toyama Prefecture, women struggling under soaring rice prices gathered along the shore to block rice shipments from leaving the prefecture. This became known as the “Etchu Wives’ Uprising,” and it went on to spark the nationwide “Rice Riots” that followed.
It was a moment when the desperate voices of ordinary citizens grew into a wave powerful enough to move all of society. In its own way, today is also a day that reminds us of the importance of speaking up.
Today’s Takeaway ✍️
The warmth carried in a heartfelt letter. The harshness of nature in a record-breaking heatwave. The passion of people who raised their voices. Today is a day that shows the many different faces of “heat.”
On dangerously hot days like this, there’s no need to push yourself — staying indoors in the air conditioning and writing a letter to someone might be exactly the kind of calm, fitting way to spend today.
Have a wonderful day today.
See you soon.
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