ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Newspaper holiday (Japan)

In Japan, there is a special day called the "newspaper holiday." It is a day when all of the newspapers in Japan take a break and do not print any newspapers. This holiday usually falls on August 11th, which is a national holiday in Japan called Mountain Day.

So, why do the newspapers take a break on this day? Well, it all started a long time ago when printing newspapers was a very labor-intensive job. Back then, the printers had to do everything by hand, from setting the type to pressing each individual page. This meant that they had to work very long hours every day, including holidays and weekends.

But in the 1920s, some forward-thinking newspaper owners decided to give their workers a break on August 11th, which was a national holiday even back then. They thought it would be a good way to show their workers that they appreciated their hard work and dedication.

This idea caught on, and eventually all of the newspapers in Japan started taking a break on August 11th. It became known as the "newspaper holiday," and it has been a tradition ever since.

Today, printing newspapers is much easier and more efficient than it was in the past. But the tradition of the newspaper holiday lives on, and it is still a day when newspaper workers can take a well-deserved break and enjoy some time off with their families and friends.