Google Doodle celebrates Mountain Day 2023. Here's what you should know about this Japanese festival

livemint.com:

Search giant Google is celebrating Mountain Day 2023 with a special doodle that celebrates the love for Japan's more than 12,000 mountain peaks. The festival was first enacted in 2014 after being advocated for by nature and hiking groups and was first celebrated in 2016. Mountain Day gives the people of Japan to visit and celebrate the mountains that account for around 70 percent of the landmass of the country.

There aren't any traditional celebrations on this day but people get out of their houses in a bid to visit the peaks and ridges near them. Japan has more than 400 volcanoes, with around 100 of them being active and 27,000 hot springs warmed by magma, allowing the people to have plenty of ways to celebrate their newest festival. Some people take short hikes to Zuchi Beach or Mt.

Tenran while others attempt to climb the highest mountain peak in the country, Mt. Fuji. “In the mood for some peaceful time in the great outdoors? Visit a hot spring for an all-natural hot tub, or paint a landscape while you take in the views.

To summit all up, there are many ways to celebrate the treasures that nature and mountains offer. Happy Mountain Day, Japan!" the search giant added. Mountain Day 2023 is different from International Mountain Day which is a UN-designated day meant to ‘promote gender equality and contribute to improving social justice, livelihoods and resilience’.