Midori no Hi : Japanese Greenery Day

Emperor Showa, posthumous name of Emperor Hirohito, was a great lover of plants and greenery.

Emperor Hirohito had a keen interest in marine biology and he continued pursuing it during his reigning years. His work included the classification of sea animals and plants at the Biological Institute in the Imperial Palace and the collecting of plants at Nasu and Hayama. He published many scholarly works dealing with his scientific research.

Traditionally, the reigning Emperor's birthday is celebrated as a national holiday in Japan. When Emperor Hirohito died - his birthday, April 29, was renamed Greenery Day, to show his love for plant life in general.

Midori no Hi is a day to commune with nature and to be thankful for blessings.

Between 1989 and 2006 Greenery Day was celebrated on April 29. In 2007 Midori no Hi was moved to May 4, and April 29 renamed Showa no Hi.

The Japanese love for nature and the sense of closeness to it comes - in a major part - from the noble principles of Shintoism. The Shinto ideal of harmony with nature is the driving force behind traditional Japanese flower arrangement, architecture, and garden design.

Natural forces like mountains, trees, rivers, lighting, rocks, and waves are considered Kami (deities) in Shintoism and revered. Mount Fuji, the highest mountain in Japan, is a very good example of this.

The mountain is mentioned in Japanese literature throughout the ages and is the subject of many poems. A mountain believed to house a kami is known as Shintai Zan - (Shintai - Body of the Kami). Asama Shrine is the type of Shinto Shrine in Japan centered around the worship of the Kami of volcanos in general, and Mount Fuji in particular.