Today is doyo no ushi no hi(土用の丑の日), Day of Ox of Dog Days. Doyo (土用) means 18 days before the first day of each season by the old calendar. Therefore there are 4 doyo in a year, but usually it means the 18 days before the first day of autumn called risshu (立秋) by the old calendar.
In Japan the calendar is composed of a combination of jikkan (十干) or ten calendar signs and junishi(十二支) or twelve zodiac signs. Jikkan are Kinoe (甲), Kinoto (乙), Hinoe (丙), Hinoto (丁), Tsuchinoe (戊), Tsuchinoto (己), Kanoe (庚), Kanoto (辛), Mizunoe (壬), Mizunoto (癸). Junishi are Ne (子：rat), Ushi (丑：ox), Tora (寅：tiger), U (卯：hare), Tatsu (辰：dragon), Mi (巳：serpent), Uma (午：horse), Hitsuji (未：sheep), Saru (申：monkey), Tori (酉：cock), Inu (戌：dog), I (亥：wild boar).
At sixty years of age, the sexagenarian cycle is completed and we return to the zodiac sign of the birth year, therefore we celebrate the 60th birthday wearing a red vest meaning returned to the baby. Red is aka (赤) in Japanese, and we call babies aka chan(赤ちゃん). 60th birthday is very special and called kanreki (還暦), literally return calendar.
Today is day of ushi (丑) in the period of doyo(土用). We call this day doyo no ushi no hi(土用の丑の日).
On this day we have a custom to eat unagi (うなぎ), eel, which started in the Edo (江戸) period .
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