There’s Mother’s Day for moms and Father’s Day for dads. And we celebrate those we love on Valentine’s Day. Now Japan has a holiday for something else important in its country — the mountains!
The island nation celebrated its first ever Mountain Day on August 11! The day is now a public holiday. That means most employees and students get the day off from work and school! The law that established the holiday says the time off gives people “opportunities to become familiar with mountains and be thankful for the blessings from mountains.”
Mountains are an important part of Japanese culture. People travel from all over the country to visit them. Hiking is a popular hobby, and the mountain views have inspired countless works of art, including Asia’s famous prints made with wooden blocks. Many mountain peaks even have shrines or temples at the top!
Three peaks in the country are thought to be very special. These are the holy mountains — Mt. Tate, Mt. Haku, and, of course, Mt. Fuji! Towering above the capital city Tokyo, Mt. Fuji is the tallest in the country at 12,388 feet (3,776 m) tall! More than 300,000 people make the trek up it every year.
Because mountains are such a big deal in the country, several climbing and hiking groups pushed the government to make an official day to celebrate them. And it worked! Mountain Day brings the total number of holidays in Japan to 16. That’s more than many other major countries, and it’s twice as many as the holidays in Britain!
Officials hope the extra day off will allow people to spend more money and boost the country’s economy. Only when they aren’t off climbing mountains, of course!
Updated August 11, 2016, 5:03 P.M. (ET)
By Ashley Morgan
The island nation celebrated its first ever Mountain Day on August 11! The day is now a public holiday. That means most employees and students get the day off from work and school! The law that established the holiday says the time off gives people “opportunities to become familiar with mountains and be thankful for the blessings from mountains.”
Mountains are an important part of Japanese culture. People travel from all over the country to visit them. Hiking is a popular hobby, and the mountain views have inspired countless works of art, including Asia’s famous prints made with wooden blocks. Many mountain peaks even have shrines or temples at the top!
Three peaks in the country are thought to be very special. These are the holy mountains — Mt. Tate, Mt. Haku, and, of course, Mt. Fuji! Towering above the capital city Tokyo, Mt. Fuji is the tallest in the country at 12,388 feet (3,776 m) tall! More than 300,000 people make the trek up it every year.
Because mountains are such a big deal in the country, several climbing and hiking groups pushed the government to make an official day to celebrate them. And it worked! Mountain Day brings the total number of holidays in Japan to 16. That’s more than many other major countries, and it’s twice as many as the holidays in Britain!
Officials hope the extra day off will allow people to spend more money and boost the country’s economy. Only when they aren’t off climbing mountains, of course!
Updated August 11, 2016, 5:03 P.M. (ET)
By Ashley Morgan
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