Yamayaki(the mountain burning) and open burning are done all over Japan in early spring.  Yamayaki of Wakakusa-yama in Nara, which is held in January, is a famous event that thousands of spectators visit every year.  In addition, it is a major sightseeing event such as Izu Omuro-yama in the photo, Hakone Sengokuhara, Yamaguchi Akiyoshidai, and Kyushu Aso.  Originally, it was directly related to daily life such as shifting cultivation.  It had many advantages such as burning weeds, exterminating pests, promoting grass germination, and using burnt ash as fertilizer.  However, larger shifting cultivation and open burning that are being carried out all over the world are also the cause of global warming.  It is said that the large fires that occur every year in the Amazon basin and the Austrian wilderness also affect the concentration of carbon dioxide and oxygen on the earth.

山焼きや野焼きは春先に日本各地で行われます。一月に行われる奈良若草山の山焼きには毎年数千人の見物客が訪れる名物行事です。その他、写真の伊豆大室山、箱根仙石原、山口秋吉台、九州阿蘇など一大観光行事になっています。元は焼畑農業など生活に直結するものでした。雑草を焼き払い、害虫を駆除し、牧草の発芽を促し、焼けた灰を肥料にするなど多くの利点がありました。しかし世界各地でも行われているもっと大規模な焼畑や野焼きは、地球温暖化の元凶にもなっています。アマゾン流域やオーストリア原野で毎年のように発生する大火災は、地球の二酸化炭素や酸素の濃度にも影響を与えていると言われているほどです。