Unlucky Number

Every culture has unlucky numbers. For instance, the number 13 is regarded as an unlucky number in many Western countries. Many people avoid using unlucky numbers in their life. It’s not unusual to avoid room number 13 at a hotel.

I have one episode in which I saw a big cultural deference between Japan and the U.S. and California in particular.

After I purchased my car, I needed to apply for a new license plate by myself because the salesperson at my car dealership was too lazy. When I purchased my car, the front license plate wasn’t attached. Normally, a dealer is supposed to apply for the missing license plate to the DMV, but he totally forgot about it. I think I could post an entire blog post regarding this episode, but I’ll stop this time….

I went to the DMV, and I filled out a lost form for the license plate. The DMV officer was very kind and friendly. She said that she would choose a lucky number for me. She looked into her inventory for a minute and handed me the new license plate, saying, “Here is a perfect number for you!” I was surprised when I saw the number because last two digits of the license plate were 49.

In Japanese, “4” and “death” are pronounced with the same sound, and “9” and “suffering” are pronounced with the same sound. Because of the pronunciation, it is said that the combination of the number 4 and the number 9 is the worst unlucky number in Japanese. In addition, it is said in Buddhism that 49 days after death, the soul of a dead person will head to the afterworld. It’s common to organize another funeral ceremony 49 days after death. That’s why the number 49 is reminiscent of death for many Japanese.

I asked the officer why the number 49 was a lucky number. She explained that the gold rush in California started in 1849, and many people believed the number 49 was a lucky number. She explained that there were a lot of things which were named using the number 49, such as State Route 49 and the San Francisco 49ers.

I didn’t refuse her proposal for the license plate. Since I live in the U.S, I thought that I should believe that the number 49 is the luckiest number in California. Different people have different customs.

Are you finicky about lucky and unlucky numbers?

I don’t care anymore.