U.S. Embassy / American Center Reference Service

U.S. Embassy Reference Service delivers information about U.S. policy and society to the Japanese people.

Our goal is to provide specialized, accurate, and authoritative information about the United States. Our information resources cover a wide range of subject areas including government, economy, society, and culture.

There are four Reference Services in Japan. Please contact the one nearest you. For information on "Education USA" in your region, check our list of locations.

Celebrate! Holidays in the U.S.A.

Mamorial Day - Last Monday in May
It was 1866, and the United States was recovering from the long and bloody Civil War between the North ( Union) and the South (Confederate). Surviving soldiers came home, some with missing limbs, and all with stories to tell. Henry Welles, a drugstore owner in Waterloo, New York, heard the stories and had an idea. He suggested that all the shops in town close for one day to honor the soldiers who were buried in the Waterloo cemetery. On the morning of May 5, the townspeople placed ﬂ owers, wreaths, and crosses on the graves of the northern soldiers in the cemetery. [More (PDF)]
Asian Pacific American Heritage Month

Much like Black History Month and Women’s History Month, Asian Pacific American Heritage Month originated with a congressional bill. Two Representatives introduced the bill to the House of Representatives and two senators introduced the bill to the Senate. [More (PDF)]