Congratulating someone on the new Era/Emperor


As Japan moves into the Reiwa (令和) era, I was wondering if any traditional
greetings exist to congratulate someone on the new Era, Emperor or Year of the
Japanese calendar?




No, there's no such greeting. In the last 150 years or so, a new era has been
associated with the previous Emperor's demise, so it's not a happy event in
the first place. This time is an exception, and people may be allowed to say
something including おめでとうございます, but there is no fixed, traditional way of
saying congratulations.

(Disclaimer: I'm writing this from the standpoint of an ordinary native
speaker. Experts may know some rare phrase that was used long ago.)




No, there's no such greeting. In the last 150 years or so, a new era has been
associated with the previous Emperor's demise, so it's not a happy event in
the first place. This time is an exception, and people may be allowed to say
something including おめでとうございます, but there is no fixed, traditional way of
saying congratulations.

(Disclaimer: I'm writing this from the standpoint of an ordinary native
speaker. Experts may know some rare phrase that was used long ago.)

