Overview
On the Japanese web, November 28th is known as the Good Knee High Socks Day (Japanese: いいニーハイの日, Ii Nīhai no Hi), an unofficial anniversary day for over-knee socks, usually called “Knee High” (ニーハイ). Since 2013, it has been an annual event among Japanese Twitter users to upload “Knee-High” photos, illustrations or selfies with a hashtag.
Background
In Japan, there are many unofficial but widely-known anniversary days designated by companies, organizations, industrial groups or persons for their promoting/awareness campaigns.[1] And many of them enacted by a simple wordplay of dates numbers, which manner comes from a Japanese language’s characteristic that Kanji characters including numbers usually have multiple pronunciations. Additionally, “wordplay” anniversary days tends to be designated in November because “11” can be read as “I(1)I(1)” which is meaning of “Good”, “Nice” or “Happy”.
Examples:
- 3/10: “Suger Day” → 3[Sa] + 10[Tou] = Suger
- 3/19: “Music Day” → 3[Myū] + 1[(Z)i] + 9[Ku] = Music
- 5/30: “No Garbage Day” → 5[Go] + 3[Mi] = Garbage & Zero(0)
- 6/9: “Rock (Music) Day” → 6[Ro] + 9[Ku] = Rock
- 8/7: “Nose Day” → 8[Ha] + 7[Na] = Nose]
- 10/2: “Tohu Day” → 10[Tou] + 2[Fu]
- 11/22: “Good Married Couple Day” → 1[I] + 1[I] = Good & 2[Fū] + 2[Fu] = Married Couple
- The 29th of each month: “Meat Day” → 2[Ni] + 9[Ku] = Meat
In the same manner, Good Knee-High Socks Day is desinated on November 28th since the numbers can be read as “1[I] + 1[I] + 2[Nī] + 8[Ha(i)]” which is meaning of “Good Knee-Highs”.
Meanwhile, the dawn of this anniversary day hadn’t came till late 2000s because it inherited a famous moe concept “Zettai ryōiki”[2], or a fetish for the area of bare skin in the gap between over-knee socks and a miniskirt, that was established in the otaku culture in first half of 2000s.
Development
In the early days, “Good Knee-High Socks Day” was circulating on the Japanese web as a minor joke. It took off as an actual anniversary day associated with user activities by the help of the social networks after entering 2010s. At first, Japanese illustrators community pixiv users began posting illustrations under the tag “Good Knee-High Socks Day” on this day of 2011. The amount of illustrations is increasing yearly.[3] On the day of the following year, a few of female Twitter users began posting their own “Knee-Highs” selfies or cosplay photos with the hastag “#GoodKneeHighSocksDay” (#いいニーハイの日).[4] In that year, this online event was reported by a gossip web news site for the first time.[5] And, the explosive increase of the photos on the day of 2013 finally established itself as a real anniversary day for many Japanese internet users.[6][7]
Since then, A flood of Knee high photos swallows up the social web in Good Knee High Socks Day in every year.
2014 Timeline
Editor’s note: This Twitter timeline may include mature contents.
Search Interest
External References
Editor’s Note: Registration is needed to browse the original illustrations listed in this section.
[1]Wikipedia – 日本の記念日一覧 (The list of Japanese anniversary days excluding public holidays and annual events, Japanese)
[2]Wikipedia – Zettai ryōiki
[3]pixiv – Search results for the tag いいニーハイの日
[4]Twitter – Search results for the hashtag #いいニーハイの日
[5]RocketNews24 – 【朗報】本日11月28日は「いいニーハイの日」 Twitterに続々と画像が投稿されてるぞ～ッ！ 急げ!! / Posted on 11-28-2012 (Japanese)
[6]ITmedia NetLab – 11月28日は「いいニーハイの日」 Twitterにニーハイ画像が大量に投稿される（ネタ、男の娘含む） / Posted on 11-28-2013 (Japanese)
[7]Getnews.jp – 11月28日は「いいニーハイ」の日！ Twitterにニーハイ写真を公開する女性が続々 一部を紹介するよ / 11-28-2013 (Japanese)