The newest national holiday in Japan is Mountain Day, or “Yama no hi” as it is more often known. It has been observed on August 11th since 2016. A holiday will be observed the following Monday if August 11 falls on a Sunday. The legislature adopted a revision to the statute governing national holidays on May 23, 2014. On January 1st, 2016, it will go into effect. Mountain Day intends to provide people with an “opportunity to get to know mountains and appreciate gifts from mountains,” as stated in the statute.
The Japanese Alpine Club and other organizations lobbied for the measure, arguing that Japan should honor its peaks and mountains because Shinto beliefs in nature have shaped the country’s culture. The occasion became a holiday as a result.
Given that Japan’s landscape is dominated by mountains, where skiing and hiking are popular sports, this is apt. Each of Japan’s major islands is divided by a mountain range. Mount Fuji is the tallest mountain in Japan, one of the “Three Holy Mountains,” and one of the most well-known symbols of the nation (3,776 m). Other significant summits are Mount Kita, Mount Hotaka, Mount Yari, Mount Tate, Mount Haku, and Mount Kumotori. August 11th was chosen as Mountain Day because numerous local governments in the country’s mountainous regions had already designated that day as a day to honor their mountains. Others claim that the date is appropriate because, when written in Japanese kanji characters, the numerals 8 and 11 both resemble mountains.
Being a modern holiday, there are no particular traditional ceremonies associated with the day.
The first-ever National Ceremony for Mountain Day was held in the Japanese Alps at Kamikochi in Matsumoto, Nagano.
Only 68% of respondents to a Japan Weather Association study in 2016 were aware of the new holiday. It will be some time until Mountain Day is recognized as a national holiday; in the same study, almost 10% of participants said they had never heard of Marine Day, which was started in 1996.
Google Doodle paid a tribute to Japanese Mountain Day.
Psst. You hear that? The great outdoors is calling.
Each year during Mountain Day in Japan, people leave the urban jungle to recharge in transcendent mountains and relaxing hot springs. Learn more about this rejuvenating holiday → https://t.co/owR6TW1Btm #GoogleDoodle pic.twitter.com/r0wYczWsjn
— Google Doodles (@GoogleDoodles) August 11, 2022
