It's Condom Day in Japan, and People Keep Screwing Around

Today is May 6th. Online in Japan, that’s Condom Day. On Twitter, people keep effing around. Glad to see they’re playing it safe! There are numerous unofficial “days” in Japan. For example, there’s Pocky Day. There’s Sushi Day. And yes, Condom Day. None of them are official national holidays. https://kotaku.com/japanese-snack-inspires-kissing-fan-art-and-internet-1657250972 Why is today Condom Day? In Japanese, May is “go-gatsu” (五月 or literally, the fifth month) and the sixth is “muika” (六日). So, here, 5-6 is “go-mu.” Hey, that sounds like “gomu” (ゴム), a word that can mean “rubber” as in “condom.” Today, you see selfies like these: [Photo: as6_12BOC] [Photo: wCloverAnaco] Or drawings like this: [Photo: Pooooo1006] This is how you are supposed to do Condom Day online: take selfies and raise safe sex awareness. But this is the internet, and the internet doesn’t always do what it’s supposed to do. As any One Piece fan can attest Y1 com Game to, the Japanese “gomu” also means “rubber” as in, you know, “rubber.” So you also see photos of people just y1 com games fucking around, posing with rubber bands or hair bands (known as “gomu” in Japanese). [Photo: kagui_shin] Then, there are also people, like cosplayer Omi Gibson, who are into the rubber fetish scene, and are using the day to show their love of latex. [Photo: Omi_Kero] Whatever helps keep people safe and happy—and the internet fun and silly. Below are some images—new and old—posted under the hashtag #ゴムの日 or “gomu no hi.” [Photo:00ShiRoMaMiRu00] [Photo: iwao1107] [Photo: RisingAmano] [Photo: ANAGOGOdakedo] [Photo:To_aru_Swimmer] [Photo: saremia] [Photo:agjttpadm] Top photo: 9517K Y1 COM To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter@Brian_Ashcraft Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.