山の日－Yama-no-Hi Mountain day on August 11, one of the national holidays of Japan(August. 2019-No.24）

山の日－Yama-no-Hi   Mountain day on August 11, one of the national holidays of Japan(August. 2019-No.24）Mountain day

August 11 is Mountain day which is one of the national holidays of Japan.  The purpose is to give the opportunity to get close to the mountain and appreciate the benefits of the mountain. I'm not sure why August 11 is a mountain day.

Japan is a mountainous country, with about 70 percent of the small land occupied by mountainous areas. Mountains bring a lot of grace to this land. Mountains provide beautiful seasonal landscapes and rich water resources and ecosystems. It is an indispensable element for industries such as tourism and forestry, and is a source of faith. If you look up at the mountains of your hometown, you will feel calm. The Japanese favorite hot spring is also the blessing of the volcano. 

On the other hand, mountains can cause disasters. Japan is said to have about 100 volcanoes, and sometimes erupts. Currently, 47 volcanoes are subject to constant monitoring. Of course, Mt. Fuji and Hakone are also volcanoes. In addition, landslides caused by heavy rains and avalanches due to snow also occur.

Therefore, we Japanese fear and respect the mountains. We believe that the gods are in the mountains. Japanese people enjoy the autumn leaves, valley beauty and hot springs created by the mountains, but they never forget the fear and respect for the mountains.

日光・竜頭の滝　Nikko－Ryuzu-no-taki waterfall 　The altitude is 1350 meters. The total length of the waterfall is 210 meters. The waterfall is 10 meters wide. One of the waterfalls that represents Nikko.

日光・華厳の滝　Nikko－Kegon-no-taki waterfall 　This is also counted as one of Japan's three famous waterfalls. This runs down at a drop of 97m.

白神山地・暗門の滝　Shirakami Mountains－Anmon-no-taki waterfalls Anmon Waterfalls in Shirakami Mountains, registered as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site. Anmon waterfalls consist of three waterfalls: the first waterfall 42 meters high upstream, the second waterfall 37 meters downstream of that, and the third waterfall 26 meters downstream 160 meters. 

白神山地　Shirakami Mountains　The world's largest native beech forest, which is almost unaffected by humans, is distributed here, and precious ecosystems such as a wide variety of animals and plants inhabit and grow naturally are preserved.

立山　Tateyama　Tateyama is one of the mountains that represent Chubu Mountains National Park. The altitude is 3003 meters. It is said that the landscape is very similar to the European Alps.

黒部ダム　Kurobe Dam is located in the Tateyama mountain range. It is the highest dam in Japan. With the completion of the Kurobe Dam, one of the most famous artificial lakes was made in the Hokuriku region with a total storage capacity of 200 million tons. The total number of workers was 10 million, and as many as 171 workers were lost due to occupational accidents during the construction period.  The dam was completed in 1963.