Autumnal Equinox

There is no work here today in Japan. A friend asked me why -- and I don't have an answer. Why is there no work today? Just to make it clear to everybody -- I'm not complaining because it gives me enough time to prepare my stuff for departure.

Of course, I turned to Mr. Google for answers. There is no work today because of yesterday -- the Autumnal Equinox Day. Generally, this marks the beginning of Autumn in the Northern Hemisphere.

From Wikipedia --

Vernal equinox and autumnal equinox. These names are direct derivatives of Latin (ver = spring, autumnus = autumn), and as such more apt to be found in writings. Although in principle they are subject to the same problem as the spring/autumn names, their use over the centuries has fixed them to the viewpoint of the northern hemisphere. As such the vernal equinox is the equinox where the Sun passes from south to north, and is a zeropoint in some celestial coordinate systems. The name of the other equinox is used less often.

Alright! Now I know why I don't have to work today -- on with my preparation.