TT 2

Now that we’re into February, shy men across Japan are out of excuses not to ask out the girl they’ve got a crush on. This month includes a special day with its own framework that allows guys to express their feelings with an established method that leaves no doubt about their affections.

Of course, we’re not talking about Valentine’s Day, because in Japan, women give gifts to men on February 14. No, we’re talking about Twintail Day, observed on February 2, which not only celebrates the dual-tail hairstyle, but also seeks to strengthen the bonds between young lovers and established couples alike.

Granted, Twintail Day hasn’t achieved anywhere near the level of normalization in Japanese society as the country’s three biggest romantic annual events, Valentine’s Day, White Day, and Christmas Eve. As a matter of fact, it’s probably safe to say that the average, non-hairstyle-obsessed Japanese citizen has never even heard of Twintail Day.

Nonetheless, since 2012 Twintail Day has been officially recognized by the Japan Anniversary Association, which keeps track of such commemorative days. The February 2 date was no doubt picked because rendering it as 2-2 gives it a numerical connection to the two bunches of hair found in the twintail style.

The groundwork for Twintail Day was laid by the Twintail Association Japan, which maintains a website filled with twintail-related news and information, including a visual guide to the various twintail classifications.

▼ From left to right: rabbit, regular, and country styles (top row) and ponytail, shrimp, and birdtail lengths (bottom row)

TT 1

Twintail Day isn’t just a day for guys to gawk at pictures of models sporting the girlish hairstyle, though. On the contrary, Twintail Association Japan Chairman Kan Furuya asserts that it’s a day for love to blossom, whether for the first time or all over again.

The association says that the proper way to celebrate Twintail Day is for a guy to present a girl he has feelings for with two hairbands. Should she return his feelings, she can communicate her sentiment by accepting the bands and doing her hair up in a set of twintails.

Existing couples are also encouraged to join in on the exchange of hair accessories and hairdo-based eye candy. Kan says the association’s hope is for Twintail Day to eventually catch on across Japan, strengthening the bond between lovers. He’s quick to add, though, that even women who aren’t in a relationship are more than welcome to join in the festivities by sporting twintails for the day, helping to make Japan just a little happier.

To repeat what we mentioned above, February 2 isn’t only a day to look at cute girls with their hair in tails. Technically, of course, this means the activity is still part of the celebration. You could even say it’s a vital component, judging the enthusiasm shown by Japanese Twitter users, including the Twintail Association Japan itself.

▼ A few more twintail styling ideas

It’s no secret that twintails are especially popular among the anime and idol singer fan communities. As such, a few key figures from those worlds brightened their followers’ day with some special February 2 selfies.

▼ Voice actress Sumire Uesaka (Girls und Panzer’s Nonna)

https://twitter.com/Uesakasumire/status/561878073042161664

▼ Voice actress Maaya Uchida (Ao Haru Ride’s Futaba)

▼ Singer Runa Haruna

So if you’ve been waiting for the perfect opportunity to try this hairstyle, today’s the day. Although we suspect that if you asked the members of the Twintail Association Japan, they’d tell you that just like with Christmas, it’s important to keep the spirit of Twintail Day in your heart all year long.

Related: Twintail Association Japan
Source: Jin
Top image: Twintail Association Japan
Insert image: Twintail Association Japan