Japan Holidays - Mountain Day (Mountain Day) ("Yama no Hi", Yama no Hi)

Residents of the Land of the Rising Sun, despite the frantic pace of modern life, continue, like their ancestors, to live in harmony with nature, maintaining internal balance and tranquility Japan is located on islands, the main elements of the landscape of which are volcanic vents and mountains For thousands of years, they have inspired writers, poets and artists to write their works Fuji is a symbol of the country and an object of worship among people far from creativity Other less well-known hills located in the Pacific Seismic Belt are no less beautiful than this active stratovolcano located on the island of Honshu The list of sacred mountains most often includes three objects - Fujisan, Hakusan and Tateyama Sometimes Osorezan, Koyasan and Hieizan are added to them A holiday was established in honor of the natural treasures of the Land of the Rising Sun Every year on August 11th, Mountain Day is celebrated in Japan Yama no Hi appeared on the calendar of national celebrations at the initiative of tourism and environmental organizations in 2014 The year before, UNESCO added Mount Fuji to the list of World Heritage Sites For the first time, festive events with the participation of members of the royal family were held in 2016 in the city of Matsumoto Since 2017, the venue for the ceremonies has been a resort in Nagano Prefecture Celebrating Mountain Day allows islanders to not only enjoy nature, but also pay tribute to the ancient culture and history of Japan The date of the celebration was not chosen by chance August, the eighth month of the year, or rather the number “8” depicted using hieroglyphs resembles a mountain The number "11" stands for trees that grow at higher elevations In honor of the holiday, which is a day off, the Japanese go on excursions, go mountaineering or simply relax in nature Mountains occupy 70% of the country's entire territory The most popular destinations on August 11 are Fuji, Iwate, Rausu, Unzen, Mitoku, Kurikoma and Tanigawa The picturesque hills and volcanoes amaze not only with their pristine natural beauty with waterfalls, snow-capped valleys and lakes, but also with the unique Buddhist and Shinto temples located at the foot of the mountains Many of them are sacred objects, to which many tales and legends are dedicated Therefore, the politeness suffix さん(san) is added to the names of sacred mountains, as to the first and last name of a respected person Despite urbanization and the fact that in Japan life is in full swing mainly in cities, the country's citizens do not lose touch with nature According to the ancient national custom, they celebrate O-hanami, admiring the cherry blossoms, celebrate Greenery Day in the spring, and participate in the Hana Matsuri flower festival On the third Monday of July, the country celebrates Umi-no-hi, dedicated to the sea Mountain Day is intended to pay tribute to the traditional landscape of Japan