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Professionally, I’m a retired professor of accounting and former chair of the School of Accounting at the University of South Carolina’s Moore School of Business. My academic work explored how people make decisions in complex systems, especially when information is imperfect or overwhelming. I’ve published in a fair number of journals that few people read voluntarily, and I spent decades thinking about how technology shapes human behavior. These days, my time is divided between managing a small flock of chickens, herding goats, chatting on amateur radio (KO4LMP), and living just on the edge of the grid—literally and metaphorically. I’m a father to five daughters, a grandfather to 17, and a great-grandfather to three. Somewhere along the way, I realized that what I enjoy most is simply talking about the world we live in—and how to make sense of it.

⛰️Today is Japan’s National Mountain Day Celebration

My calendar today says that it is Mountain Day. Can you please tell me what on earth that is?

ChatGPT said:

It is indeed a thing—and unless you’re Japanese, it would be perfectly reasonable to wonder why it appeared on your calendar.

Mountain Day (山の日, Yama no Hi) is a Japanese national holiday. It is normally observed on August 11 each year. Its stated purpose is essentially to give people an opportunity to appreciate Japan’s mountains and recognize the benefits they provide. It became an official public holiday in 2016.

There’s an amusing bit of history behind it. Japan already had Marine Day, celebrating the sea, and advocates pointed out that a country roughly three-quarters mountainous really ought to give the mountains equal billing. The Japanese Alpine Club and other organizations pushed the idea, and the government eventually agreed.

The date August 11 doesn’t commemorate a major historical event. One explanation commonly given is that the written number 11 resembles two trees, while the 8 in August was associated with the shape of a mountain—although the practical considerations of the summer vacation season also played a role.

And if you’re wondering why your calendar says Mountain Day today, August 12, that’s probably a calendar/holiday-feed issue. In 2026, Japan’s Mountain Day was Tuesday, August 11. Today is Wednesday, August 12 in South Carolina. Some calendar feeds can display foreign holidays on the wrong local date because of time-zone handling, or you may have a Japanese/international holiday calendar enabled.

So no, South Carolina has not quietly declared a holiday requiring you to go stand on Sassafras Mountain. 😄

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