Mountain Day

Mountain Day, Yama no Hi, is Japan’s newest annual national holiday, first observed in 2016. Its purpose is to give people an opportunity to become familiar with mountains and appreciate their blessings. The date arrives in the height of summer, when hiking, climbing and travel are already major parts of the season.

Japan’s mountains shape its climate, water, settlement patterns and cultural imagination. Mountain Day therefore works as more than an outdoor-recreation date: it is also an invitation to think about conservation, safety and the rural communities that care for mountain landscapes.

Mountain Day is governed by Japan’s Act on National Holidays, and the Cabinet Office’s official calendar confirms its 2026 date. A statutory national holiday falling on Sunday creates a holiday on the nearest following day that is not already a national holiday; a weekday between two national holidays is also a holiday. These rules, not an informal “Mondayisation” assumption, produce May 6 and September 22 in 2026. Bank of Japan offices additionally close from December 31 through January 3, but those banking closures do not turn December 31 or January 2–3 into national holidays for all workers and businesses.