Friday marks the first anniversary since the Reiwa era began, along with the enthronement of the Emperor.
The word "Reiwa" is now more readily seen in the names of facilities or companies, and the new era name has steadily seeped into our lives.
In Nakano Ward, Tokyo, Reiwa Elementary School opened in April after the municipal Kamitakada Elementary School and Arai Elementary School were merged.
Reiwa, which was quoted from Manyoshu, the nation's oldest poetry collection, contains the meaning: "Culture is born and nurtured through the sympathy of beautiful minds."
"I hope children grow up healthy and live hand in hand as the era name suggests," an official of the ward's board of education said.
The school song was written by Mari Nakayama, a former music teacher and songwriter.
The school's entrance ceremony was held on April 6, but because of the coronavirus, the ceremony was held on school grounds and the new song was not sung. Instead, a chorus group led by Nakayama in Toyama Prefecture sang the song, which played throughout the school through a speaker.
Although the school will remain closed, Nakayama said: "I can't wait for the day when Reiwa school children cheerfully sing the school song after the infection is over. I hope they nurture a spirit of compassion and culture."
In April, a newly established private high school in Akita city, Akita Prefecture, is named Akita Reiwa High School. The school was originally an all-girls high school, but as the number of students began to decline, the school decided to change its name and make it a coeducational institution.
"The new name reflects the hope we have for the alums to contribute and play an active role in the new era," the school's principal said. "I expect the students to think about how they can best overcome hardship."
More and more companies are using "Reiwa" in their names. According to Teikoku Databank Ltd., there were no companies with "Reiwa" in their corporate names before the era name was announced, but as of April 20, there are 569 such companies nationwide. The largest number of companies are named "Reiwa" with 85, followed by "Reiwa Shoji" and "Reiwa Kogyo" with 14 each.
"Since it is the beginning of a new era, the word is thought to be auspicious and easy to remember," a surveyor said. "The fact that the era name was not changed because of the death of the [previous] Emperor, may have influenced its popularity."
In March of this year, the Ota Ward office announced it plans to name the town on its side of an artificial island in Tokyo Bay "Reiwajima." It shares the island of reclaimed land with Koto Ward.
In the same month, the Yamaguchi municipal government nicknamed part of a prefectural road that runs near JR Shin-Yamaguchi Station the Reiwa-dori street.
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