Google Doodle celebrates Mountain Day 2022; History and Significance of Yama no hi in Japan

Search engine giant Google celebrates Mountain Day 2022 with a Doodle on August 11, 2022. Mountain Day is otherwise called ‘Yama no hi’ (山の日) and is Japan’s newest public holiday.

Mountain Day or Yama no Hi (山の日) in Japanese is a National Holiday that is celebrated each August 11th. The holiday was made with the goal to give the dedicated Japanese a break from work while spending time in the mountains with relatives and companions. Mountain Day will celebrate everything mountain-related in Japan, which is a country whose culture is established on nature-inspired Shintoism.

History of Mountain Day in Japan

A revision to the Law on National Holidays was sanctioned in a parliament session on May 23rd, 2014 to be supported from January 1st, 2016.

The legislation states that Mountain Day is planned to give “opportunities to get familiar with mountains and appreciate blessings from mountains”.

The holiday was established after the Japanese Alpine Club and different groups lobbied for the bill, contending that Japan, where Shinto beliefs in nature have shaped the culture, ought to celebrate its peaks and mountains.

This is fitting as around 70% of the landmass of Japan is mountainous, and activities, for example, hiking and skiing are well known. All of Japan’s essential islands have a mountain range running through them. Mount Fuji (3,776 m) is the highest mountain in Japan, one of the country’s “Three Holy Mountains”, and one of the most recognizable symbols of Japan. Other prominent mountains consolidate Mount Kita, Mount Hotaka, Mount Yari, Mount Tate, Mount Haku, and Mount Kumotori. Some of them are active volcanoes.

August 11th was picked as the date for Mountain Day as a few local authorities in mountainous regions of the nation had already set that date as a day to honor their mountains. It has been said that the date is fitting as eight, written in kanji (characters used in written Japanese), seems to be a mountain and that the number 11 seems to be two trees.

For what reason was August 11 selected as the date to celebrate Mountain Day in Japan?

The month decided to celebrate the holiday was additionally August since it was believed that the written kanji of the number eight (which is the numerical representation of the period of August), closely resembles the sides of a mountain. 11, as the specific date of celebration, was in like manner picked since it was said that it additionally looks like two trees standing next to each other.

Another reason stated is that numerous local municipalities situated in the mountainous parts of Japan have as of now practiced its Mountain Day celebration each 11th of August, even before it was officially recognized as a national holiday. Thus, those were fundamentally the reasons why August 11th was selected as the date of the holiday’s celebration.

Moreover, even though Japan has a ‘Happy Monday System’ (a system wherein a few public holidays in Japan would be moved to Mondays, making a long-day weekend for the Japanese), the date of the holiday was rarely changed. It had always been celebrated each 11th of August since its foundation, be that as it may, if August 11 falls on a Sunday, the next day (Monday) would be viewed as a holiday too.

How is Mountain Day celebrated?

As it is a modern holiday, there are no specific traditional ceremonies related to the day.

The inaugural National Ceremony for Mountain Day was held in the Japanese Alps at Kamikochi in Matsumoto, Nagano.

In 2016, a survey by the Japan Weather Association showed that just 68% of individuals knew about the new holiday. It will take some time for Mountain Day to become established as a national holiday – in a similar survey almost 10% of individuals said they didn’t know about Marine Day which was presented in 1996.

Is Mountain Day Unique to Japan?

Around the world, there are two other ‘Mountain Days’: a student celebration in the U.S where lessons are canceled without earlier warning and students head to the mountains for the day, and International Mountain Day on 11th December, which was made by the United Nations General Assembly to empower sustainable development in the mountains.

International Mountain Day

The United Nations observes a day for International Mountain Day on December 11th every year.

Google Doodle on Mountain Day 2022

Presented by Japan-based guest artist Kouhei Miyazaki, today’s Google Doodle celebrates Japan’s Mountain Day. While the country is a leader in tech innovation, it’s likewise home to thousands of acres of transcendent mountains, hot springs, and more than 100 volcanoes. Since this holiday started in 2016, individuals leave the metropolitan jungle on this day every year to partake in Japan’s natural miracles.

With mountains taking up around 70% of Japan’s landmass, urbanites don’t need to travel far to experience the great outdoors. 60 miles outside of Tokyo is the highest mountain in Japan. Transcending at 12,000+ feet tall, Mount Fuji is a stratovolcano — a steep, conical mountain worked by many layers of hardened lava and tephra.

Thrill-seekers could likewise appreciate Mount Aso, one of Japan’s most active volcanoes. Situated in the southern part of the country, Aso has a breathtaking crater that is 600 meters in diameter. During periods when volcanic activity is low, delicate steam ascends from the crater’s lime-green lake.

The people who might like to relax in nature can wash at one of Japan’s popular hot spring facilities (onsens) — including some that are warmed by subterranean volcanic activity.