Yama no Hi

Mountain ranges, including volcanoes, make more than 63% of the Japanese territory, except for Okinawa archipelago that is mostly flat. The Japanese Alps, in the heart of Honshu, are the most important mountain range of the country, and home to 92 of 100 of its highest mountains.

The 16th Japanese public holiday

Yama no Hi literally means "mountain day." This national holiday, introduced in 2014 and implemented since 2016, has been established as an "occasion to get acquainted with the mountain and appreciate its benefits" for the population.

The idea of a day to celebrate the mountains was initiated in the 1960s by the Japanese Alpine Club, and several mountainous prefectures had already set their own mountain day at various dates. For example, Shizuoka prefecture established a Mount Fuji 🗻 Day on February 23.

August 11 is set around the middle of the Japanese summer school holidays and just before the celebrations of Obon (between August 13 – 15). Therefore, many shops or companies may close on August 12th, but there is no legal obligation.

The symbols behind Yama no Hi

Yama no Hi takes place every year at the same date. A symbolic meaning has been added to the date itself: the kanji 八 (hachi) used to write "August" looks like a cone-shaped mountain, and the number 11 reminds of trees in a forest. In the Japanese collective mind indeed, mountains and forests are inseparable and the character 山 (yama) used to include the meanings of "mountains and forests" in a broader sense. The forested areas, by the way, cover nearly 69% of the archipelago’s territory, and are mostly located in the mountains.

Historically, the Japanese beliefs considered mountains as sacred areas in which kami deities and the souls of the deceased reigned. People seldom lived in the mountains, and those who would venture there were mostly practitioners of Shugendo asceticism, and priests of the Shinto and Buddhist cults. In the same vein, the large Buddhist temples and monasteries spreading on a mountain side or a hill have yama / san in their official name, and the founding of a temple is called 開山 (kaisan).

The same characters are used to write "yamabiraki" (山開き, litteraly the "opening of the mountain") a term used nowadays to talk about the opening of hiking and mountaineering season. Yamabiraki was initially a ceremony held at shrines worshiping a sacred mountain to mark the opening of the pilgrimage season in summer, that was closed by another ceremony in autumn.

How is Yama no Hi celebrated

Being a recently created celebration, Yama no Hi doesn’t have well established matsuri, but rather hiking events or walking trail cleaning operations that may take place locally.

Traditional yamabiraki festivals (or yamabirakisai) are nonetheless held at Shinto shrines in connection with sacred summits. For example, the 3 Holy Mountains of Japan (三霊山, Sanreizan) each have their own ceremony:

• Mount Fuji (3,776 m), at Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha shrine in Fujinomiya on July 07;
• Mount Hakusan (2,702 m) in the south-west of Shirakawa-go at Shirayama Hime-jinja, on July 1rst;
• Mount Tateyama (3,015 m) in the south-east of Toyama prefecture, at Oyama-jinja shrine, also on July 1rst.

However, the ceremonies are simple, without float procession, and are mainly dedicated to praying for good harvests and for the safety of people going into the mountains.

Where to spent Yama no Hi in Japan

The official dates of the "opening of the mountain" vary locally and can span from April to October or November depending on the regions. However, access to specific summits, such as Mount Fuji or Mount Ontake (in Nagano prefecture) is allowed in July and August only.

Hiking is one of the easiest ways to discover Japan and its mountains, and it does not even require to go far from big cities. The most popular mountains are for example:

• Mount Takao near Tokyo;
• Mount Hiei between Kyoto and Lake Biwa;
• Mount Yoshino in Nara prefecture, for its cherry blossoms in spring.

The most seasoned trekkers can explore:

• The 3 mountains of Dewa (Dewa Sanzan) in Yamagata prefecture;
• Mount Daisen in Tottori, that is also a ski resort in winter and is nicknamed "Hoki’s Fuji" (Hoki Fuji) after the name of the ancient province where it is located;
• The trails between Mounts Asahidake and Kurodake in Daisetsuzan National Park, or Mount Yotei, also called Yezo (Hokkaido)’s Fuji in Shikotsu-Toya National Park in Hokkaido; or,
• The top of Mount Iwaki, also called Tsugaru Fuji as it is overlooking the plains surrounding Hirosaki in Aomori prefecture.

Yama no Hi can be spent relaxing at one of the many onsen ♨️ hot springs created by the volcanic activity, such as in Hakone, Kusatsu, the Izu Peninsula or at Yufuin and Beppu on Kyushu Island. It is also a time to enjoy bucolic landscapes, especially in rural areas and their thatched-roofed villages that are typical of Japanese mountain architecture. Nature is also best enjoyed in the forests thriving with wildlife, such as monkeys 🐒 roaming freely in Kamikochi and dipping in hot springs in Jigokudani, or bears that can be especially encountered in the north of Japan.

Enjoying the mountains all year round

One of the best times to enjoy the mountains is undoubtedly the fall season, when the koyo 🍁 autumn foliage are in full swing. Thanks to lower temperatures, leaves in mountain ranges can change color as soon as September, as in Hokkaido, and generally earlier than in plain areas. Snow sports can be enjoyed in winter at the many ski resorts of the country, and it is not unusual to find snowy landscapes until March or April. The famous Yuki-no-Ootani snow wall on the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route is visible until June. In summer, temperatures in the mountains are usually cooler than in the cities, and holiday resorts such as Nikko or Karuizawa provide a much deserved break from the scorching Japanese summer.