Mountain Day (山の日）

Japan is a nation rich in nature.  With mountains and forests covering much of the land, its connection with nature runs deeper than most realize. 

Today, as we celebrate Mountain Day, let’s look at some statistics about Japan’s geography.  According to the Ministry of the Environment: Government of Japan, forests cover 67% of Japan’s total land area, and mountains and hills cover 70%.  70% is a lot of space to be covered by mountains.  That 70% is comprised of 12,955 ‘named’ mountains according to PeakVisor, with many yet to be named.  With so much land covered by mountains and forests, and being a maritime country, it’s impossible to ignore nature.  The nation’s love of nature doesn’t just come from the fact that it makes up over half of the land, but also from the religion that originated there, Shintoism.  What is Shintoism, and how is it connected to Mountain Day?  

Japan’s connection to nature

A simple explanation of Shintoism is that it is nature worship.  It is the belief that nature is sacred and that gods reside within it.  Mountains.  Rivers.  Forests.  The sun.  The moon.  They are all sacred, and the gods residing within them protect and guard.  In addition to recognizing nature’s sacredness, we are meant to live in harmony with it.  Nippon.com’s Toya Manabu highlights the differences between the Shintoism Japan practices today in shrines influenced by Buddhism and the worship that was done out in nature that formed the foundation of Shintoism. 

Manabu goes on to say that the original Shintō practices are known as Koshintō, meaning old Shintō. “The essence of Koshintō is nature worship. It is an animistic religion that regards every element of nature as divine. Mountains, seas, and rivers are all kami (divine spirits or gods), as are the sun, the moon, and the North Star. The wind and thunder are kami. Even the seasons and time itself are regarded as divinities. In short, Koshintō holds that nothing in this world or this cosmos is devoid of divine energy; the kami are present everywhere” (Manabu, 2017).  

The 4 forms of worship within Koshintō are:

• Kannabi: mountains 

Kannabi refers to majestic mountains that are seen as sacred.  Due to their majesty, the mountains themselves are worshipped as being a kami, a god.  Mountains were seen as dangerous, but they were also seen as a blessing due to the protection they provided when riverbanks overflowed.  With their grand stature that reached towards the heavens, certain mountains were viewed with awe and reverence.  The best-known examples of kannabi are Mt. Hakusan, Mt. Tateyama, and the famous Mt. Fuji. Each mountain has a shrine that was erected to honor the kami that resides there.

• Iwakura: rock formations

“Iwakura are striking or imposing rock formations that are worshipped as yorishiro—not kami per se but places or objects that attract divine spirits” (Manabu, 2017).  Iwakura are temporary vessels that have the ability to house a kami, and they are seen as sacred due to this ability.  Gotobiki-iwa at Kamikura Shrine and Iwakura at Hana-no-iwaya Shrine are famous iwakura.

• Himorogi: forests/trees

Himorogi can be ancient forests (chinju no mori) or sacred trees (shinboku).  It is believed that a kami has visited these forests and trees or that one presently resides there.  Kamou Hachiman Shrine’s Kamou camphor tree, the largest tree in Japan, and Chichibu Imamiya Shrine’s  Ryūjinboku Japanese zelkova are sacred trees known for housing kamis.  

• Hi: essence

“Written variously with the kanji for spirit (霊), sun (日), or fire (火), it conveys the very essence of the sacred and nonmaterial, as in the Shintō term musuhi (or musubi), sometimes translated as “motive force” or “life force” (Manabu, 2017).  

Mountain Day’s History

Kannabi, mountain worship, was the driving force behind the establishment of Mountain Day, Yama no Hi, which became a holiday in the 2010s.  Though established as a national holiday on May 23, 2014, and celebrated for the first time in 2016, the call to create the holiday came much earlier.  According to The National Mountain Day Council, the earliest call to make Mountain Day a national holiday was in 1961, when the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper ran an article about the “Summer Tateyama Gathering” mountaineering event. 

This event had the headline “Let’s Establish Mountain Day” due to a speech that took place during the gathering.  “In front of a large group of potential leaders gathered at a venue in Toyama City, the Tokyo representative stated the following: "Although our country is a mountainous country with mountain ranges running throughout the country, we do not have a Mountain Day. Let's establish a Mountain Day to unite mountaineers and promote the love of mountains and safe mountain climbing" (National Mountain Day Council, 2021). 

Since 1961, there have been several attempts to gain momentum for the establishment of Mountain Day.  However, it wasn’t until 2009 that it proved successful after a proposal by Prime Minister Hideki Miyashita and the launch of the Mountain Day project by the Japan Alpine Club.  The project gained support, and in 2014, the Act on National Holidays was amended to recognize Mountain Day as a national holiday. 

The meaning behind 8/11

There was a proposal to make June the month for Mountain Day due to its lack of public holidays.  However, August, the 8th month, was chosen due to the fact that the kanji for the number 8, ハ, resembles a mountain.  Initially, August 12th was chosen as Mountain Day, but it had to be changed due to the tragic Japan Airlines crash on August 12, 1985.  The crash happened on a mountain, so it felt disrespectful to celebrate mountains on that particular day.  Since the accident, there have been memorials held on the 12th to honor the souls lost that day.  After further consideration, the council chose the 11th as the number 11 bears a resemblance to a row of trees.  

Ways to celebrate Mountain Day

This year, Mountain Day falls on a Monday, giving everyone a 3-day weekend.  This not only gives everyone a much-needed break but also the chance to enjoy a day out in nature.  A few ways to celebrate Mountain Day if you want to honor the meaning behind the day are to:

• Go hiking

• Climb a mountain

• Attend Mountain Day celebrations such as: 

  • National Mountain Day Convention (Fukui)

    • August 10th- August 11th 

  • Yomoyama Festival (Kamikochi)

    • August 11th

  • Tanigawadake Nature Trail (Gunma)

    • August 9th- August 11th

However, you choose to celebrate Mountain Day, be sure to check your local weather forecast (it’s been a very hot summer), drink lots of water, and dress appropriately to avoid heat exhaustion.  

Did you know that Mountain Day is Japan’s newest national holiday?

• Yes
• No

Let us know in the comments below how you celebrated Mountain Day！And don’t forget to tag/follow us on social media. #givingtuesdayjapan @givingtuesdayjapan

IMAGE 1 https://www.travelandleisure.com/nikko-japan-city-6748329 

IMAGE 2 https://japanspecialist.com/w/exploring-the-nature-of-japan-14-natural-wonders 

IMAGE 3 https://sakura.co/blog/beautiful-forests-of-japan-five-places-to-see?srsltid=AfmBOop3xfPqlqYamxQvlq8jJEQ9yjY6TCsFrxeL0xRXLhRA4wk5ckN9 

IMAGE 4 https://travel.rakuten.com/contents/usa/en-us/guide/mountain-day/ 

IMAGE 5 https://adventurewomen.com/trips/japan-ancient-traditions-onsens-hiking-the-kumano-kodo/ 

IMAGE 6 https://kyoto.travel/en/news/avoid-heatstroke-while-traveling-in-japan/ 

LINKS

https://www.env.go.jp/en/nature/npr/ncj/section1.html

https://peakvisor.com/adm/japan.html#:~:text=The%20country%20contains%2012955%20named,3%2C776%20m%2F12%2C388%20ft). 

https://www.jinjahoncho.or.jp/shinto/shinto_izanai/ 

https://www.nippon.com/en/views/b05213/

https://mainomichi.com/mblog/nature-worship/

https://www.mimusubi.com/2020/08/18/yorishiro/#:~:text=A%20%E2%80%9Cyorishiro%E2%80%9D%20is%20a%20temporary,simply%20visiting%20for%20the%20matsuri.

https://arigatojapan.co.jp/celebrate-mountain-day-with-amazing-food-and-outdoor-experiences/#:~:text=Get%20to%20know%20Mountain%20Day,celebrate%20its%20peaks%20and%20mountains.&text=Mountain%20Day%20is%20celebrated%20on,only%20public%20holiday%20in%20August

https://www.yamanohi.net/report.php?id=2

https://allabout.co.jp/gm/gc/464497/

https://www.nippon.com/en/guide-to-japan/gu051003/mountain-day-japan%E2%80%99s-national-holidays.html#:~:text=The%20Making%20of%20Mountain%20Day,ahead%20before%20making%20travel%20plans.

https://allabout.co.jp/gm/gc/464497/ 

https://oggi.jp/6219100