A gentle nudge toward more veggies

Greens (green vegetable) Day “菜の日”, observed on the 31st of every month in Japan. In addition, January 31st annually is Love Vegetables Day (愛菜の日).  It is a health‑focused commemorative day created by the Five-A-Day Association. The organization promotes eating at least five servings of vegetables (350 g) and 200 g of fruit daily as part of a balanced lifestyle.

The date comes from a playful reading of the date 31;  3 = sa and 1 = i, forming “sai,” the sound of the kanji 菜 (vegetable). The goal is to encourage people to treat the end of each month as a “body check‑in,” using it as a reminder to reset eating habits and increase vegetable intake. In my home country "5-a-day" has to be heavily promoted. But I think in Japan more people naturally include vegetables in their diet. 

Major retailers and food companies—including Aeon, Daiei, Ito En, S&B, and Kagome—participate by offering vegetable‑themed promotions, educational displays, and food‑education events.