Tokyo logs 7,650 marriages in a day as '8-8-8' date returns after 30 years

Tokyo received 7,650 marriage registrations on Aug. 8 alone, surpassing the 7,274 filed during the entire month of August last year.

According to data compiled by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and cited by Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun, marriage registrations filed across Tokyo on Aug. 8 reached 7,650. The date marked the eighth day of the eighth month of the eighth year of the Reiwa era. That is nearly double the 4,114 registrations filed on July 7, 2025, a date dubbed "Triple Seven."

In Japan, the kanji character for the number eight is regarded as a symbol of prosperity because it widens toward the bottom. A date on which the era year, month and day all aligned on the number eight had not occurred since Aug. 8 in the eighth year of the Heisei era. That was 30 years earlier. Japanese government offices and companies still widely use era names.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government designated this year as a special one, tying the auspicious meaning of the number eight into a marriage-promotion campaign. It named Aug. 8 "Hachi Mitsu Musubi Day," a play on words combining "eight," "three" and musubi, a term associated with marital bonds, marking the date's three eights. The metropolitan government also set up special commemorative photo panels at ward and city government counters across the capital. At one shopping facility, a large-scale marriage support event was held with Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike in attendance.

Because that day fell on a Saturday, local governments kept their counters open specially. Minato Ward opened a separate counter for family registry matters, and Akishima, despite being officially closed that day, accepted marriage registrations at its security desk.

Since July, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has promoted a campaign for couples who married on Aug. 8. Those who posted a photo taken with a dedicated photo frame on social media could win, via lottery, Tokyo Points worth 8,888 yen ($58).

A Tokyo Metropolitan Government official told Yomiuri Shimbun, "Cooperation between local governments and private companies likely built the momentum that drove up the numbers. We want to keep encouraging people who hope to marry to take that first step."