The freshness of the air, the scent of the earth, flowers and other plants, the rushing of a clear river and the sight of forested hills and snowcapped mountain peaks on the horizon, nothing refreshes one’s mind and body like a trip to the countryside and spending time outdoors. Japan understands this well and has made May 4th, part of the April 29th-May 5th Golden Week holiday period, into Greenery Day. A time to take a break from modern life and commune with nature.
Although the 3rd and 5th of May had been holidays in Japan since the middle of the 20th century and the 7th century respectively, May 4th did not become a holiday until 1985 and it didn’t become Greenery Day until 2007. In 1985 Japan’s Public Holiday Law was amended to say that, “Any working day that falls between two holidays will be converted to a holiday.” Sandwiched between Constitution Memorial Day on May 3rd and Children’s Day on May 5th, the 4th of May became “The National Day of Rest.” Greenery was first established in 1989 following the death of Emperor Hirohito. From 1926 until 1988 Emperor Hirohito’s Birthday, the Tennotanjobi holiday, was observed on April 29th. His death in 1989 and the subsequent changing of the date of the Tennotanjobi to December 23rd, the birthday of present day Emperor Akihito, left the Golden Week holiday period one day short. Rather than force the public to adapt to a shorter Golden Week the government made April 29th into Greenery Day, or Midori no Hi in Japanese, in accordance with Japan’s Public Holidays Law. The precedent for this practice was set in 1912 when the birthday of the Meiji Emperor, November 3rd, was converted to Culture Day following his death. The name Greenery Day was selected to honor Emperor Hirohito’s love for plants and biology without directly mentioning his name or the name of his era due to his roles in WW2 and the events in the run up to it, and to encourage people to commune with nature and be grateful for the blessings it provides. In 2005 the Public Holidays Law was amended again to establish that, from 2007 on, Greenery Day would be moved to May 4th and April 29th would be Showa Day, Showa being both Emperor Hirohito’s posthumous name and the name of the era in which he ruled, a day to reflect upon the events of Hirohito’s reign. Emperor Hirohito’s love of plants lead him to author several books on biology and 9 scientific papers on marine hydrozoans. During his time on the throne people would plant trees and other plants on his Birthday to honor him and his interest. This practice is continued on Greenery Day today. On May 4th the Emperor and Empress offer their greetings to the nation and participate in a commemorative tree and seed planting planting event. Throughout the country people take advantage of both Greenery Day and the long Golden Week period to escape from Japan’s cities and spend time in the countryside. If you haven’t yet escaped to Japan’s wild outdoors be careful! You may not want to come home.