Mount Wakakusa, also known as Mount Mikasa, is a 342-metre-high hill located to the east of Nara Park in the city of Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan. The mountain's name literally means "young grass".
On the fourth Saturday of each January, the dead grass of Mount Wakakusa is burned in an annual festival known as Yamayaki. The tradition supposedly originated from a boundary dispute between two temples, Tōdai-ji and Kōfuku-ji in 1760; after mediation failed, the entire mountain was set ablaze. Other explanations suggest that the extermination of wild boar or other pests was the original purpose. The festival today begins with a ceremonial igniting by representatives of both temples, followed by a fireworks display. The festival has sometimes been postponed or cancelled because of poor weather or during wartime.
Open from mid-March to mid-December:
Daily: 9 am - 5 pm
JPY 150 per person
Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Wakakusa
Address Japan
Coordinates 34°41'28.222" N 135°51'15.354" E
