I recently took a few days off to visit my hometown in California. In keeping with Japanese norms, I spent most of my time there eating and loafing around my parents’ house (in my defense they have a really nice couch, and the soba noodles my wife makes at New Year’s are amazing).

Reenergized from a week of rest and relaxation, I arrived back in Japan and went to sleep, fully intending to jump out of bed at the crack of dawn and get right to work. But when I woke up around 5:30 a.m., I stopped to reconsider my plan. Given the near-freezing temperature, was crawling out from under my warm blankets really the best choice, health-wise? Shouldn’t I take it easy for a day and make sure I was over my jet-lag? I could always get serious about work the next day, right?

It turns out that not only is New Year’s procrastination common, there’s even a calendar for it, with solid excuses for nothing doing anything printed right there on it.

It’s natural to have a little bit of trouble getting back into the groove at work or school after a long vacation. But it stands to reason that if you can’t muster the determination to throw yourself into your daily grind, you probably don’t have the energy to formalize your excuses either. Thankfully, a calendar making the rounds online in Japan has them all laid out for you.

The calendar features a number of sound reasons why it’s not time to get serious about your responsibilities just yet, accompanied by photographs of quiet seasonal scenes.

▼ January: “If I go 100% right from the start, I’ll just wear myself out. I’ll get serious in February.”

LC 1

▼ February: “I can’t get serious about anything when it’s still this cold. I’ll get serious in March.

LC 2

The Japanese school year ends in March, as does the fiscal year for many companies, which provides another nice procrastination justification, as we see here.

▼ March: “The end of the year is a bad time to start something new. I’ll get serious in April.”

LC 3

▼ April: “It’s easy to get sick when the seasons and weather are changing. I’ll get serious in May.”

LC 4

▼ May: “I missed my chance to get started with the new year in April. Oh well, I’ll get serious in June.”

LC 5

June sees some of the wettest, stickiest weather in Japan, leading us to another excuse that’s hard to argue with.

▼ June: “The rainy season has got me feeling bummed out. Once it’s over, in July, I’ll get serious.”

LC 6

Of course, once the rainy season in Japan ends, you’re smack-dab in the middle of summer.

▼ June: “It’s getting hotter and hotter. Probably shouldn’t strain myself, so I’ll get serious in August.

LC 7

The page for August is devoid of text, featuring only a series of pictures from Hiroshima’s Atomic Bomb Dome and Peace Memorial Park.

LC 8

In August most people in Japan take a few days off as part of the Obon festival, during which they visit relatives and offer prayers at the graves of their ancestors. Spending time with family is always good, but the transition back to a regular working schedule the next month isn’t always easy.

▼ September: “My mind is still in vacation mode, and just forcing myself won’t produce anything worthwhile. I’ll get serious in October.”

LC 9

▼ October: “It’s kind of weird to start something in the middle of the season like this. I’ll bide my time and get serious in November.”

LC 10

▼ November: “It sure got cold all of a sudden. I really shouldn’t push myself with weather conditions like these.”

LC 11

And finally, predictable as it may be, you really can’t fault the logic behind the calendar’s final excuse.

▼ December: “The year’s already done. I just didn’t have a chance to get anything done, but I’ll get serious next year.”

LC 12

So, in the event that any of you do feel the need to play hooky, we promise not to tell your boss or teacher, as long as you promise to check RocketNews24 from home.

Source: Himajin Sokuho
Top image: Girls Channel edited by RocketNews24
Insert images: Himajin Sokuho