Japan Marine Day

Japan Marine Day

Third Monday in JulyWhat began in Japan as a celebration of an emperor's historic sea voyage has broadened to become a day of awareness for marine environmental issues. A national holiday, Marine Day (or in Japanese, Umi no hi ) was established in 1991 by several organizations devoted to ocean conservation. The event's original name was Marine Commemoration Day .
This holiday was established in 1941 to mark the return of Meiji the Great (1852–1912), Japan's 122nd emperor, from the northern island of Hokkaido in 1876. The vessel that transported the emperor on the historic voyage, the Meiji-Maru, has been preserved as a national treasure and is open for public viewing on Marine Day. Special lectures on other historic ships have been presented at the Tokyo University of Mercantile Marine in conjunction with Marine Day festivities.
With the festival's new focus on marine environmental issues, organizations take advantage of the day to raise awareness by scheduling seaside cleanups and other special events. For Japanese schoolchildren, Marine Day also marks the beginning of their summer vacation.
CONTACTS:
Japan Information Network, Japan Center for Intercultural Communications
web-japan.org/kidsweb/explore/calendar/july/marineday.html