Why is February 23rd Mt. Fuji Day? The Fun Story of Japanese Wordplay

2026年2月23日

view from observation deck, arakurayama sengen park chureito pagoda

Hi, it’s Daichi from KOKO Journey!

I’m writing to you today from the beautiful foothills of Yamanashi Prefecture (at the foot of Mt.Fuji).

Do you know what’s special about February 23rd? It’s a day dedicated to Mount Fuji, Mt. Fuji Day (Fuji-san no Hi)!

If you’ve ever wondered why this specific date was chosen, let me explain it.

@kokojourney3776 February 23 is Mt. Fuji Day and a special winter fireworks event held at Lake Kawaguchiko. #mtfujiday #fireworks #kawaguchiko #lakekawaguchiko #reflection ♬ プラネタリウム – BUMP OF CHICKEN

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It’s All About “Goroawase” (Wordplay)

The main reason February 23rd is Mt. Fuji Day is a clever bit of Japanese wordplay called Goroawase (語呂合わせ in Japanese Letters）.

In Japanese, numbers can be read in multiple ways, allowing us to create “puns” that turn dates into meaningful words.

Mt.Fuji is called Fujisan in Japanese and here is how we get “Fuji-san” from 2/23

2 (Fu): From Futatsu (one way to count “two”).

2 (Ji): Ji is a slightly modified sound from Ni (the standard reading for “two”).

3 (San): The standard reading for “three.”

Put them together, and you get Fu-ji-san!

There are tons of ways to read the numbers 2 and 3 in Japanese. It could be hard to understand, but we love it.

Confusing Japanese Numbers

What makes this so fun (and sometimes confusing for learners!) is that Japanese numbers have a huge variety of readings derived from ancient Japanese.

Look at how many ways we can play with just 2 and 3:

The number 2 can be: Ni, Fu, Futa, Ji… (from “two”).

The number 3 can be: San, Mi, Mitsu... (from “three”).

Because of this flexibility, 2/23 can also be read as “Fu-ji-mi,” which translates to “Viewing Mt. Fuji.” February is actually one of the best months to see the mountain clearly because the air is crisp and dry!

You’ll even notice many Japanese companies choose their phone numbers based on these puns to make them easier to remember!

Is it a National Holiday?

The answer is actually…Yes and No!

You’ll notice that February 23rd is a public holiday in Japan, but here’s the twist: it’s not officially a holiday because of Mt. Fuji.

It is actually the Emperor’s Birthday. It just so happens that the current Emperor, Naruhito, was born on February 23rd. “Mt. Fuji Day” was established by local ordinances in Shizuoka and Yamanashi prefectures long before he ascended the throne.