, also known as "Ocean Day" or "Sea Day", is a

public holiday in Japan were established by the of 1948 (as amended). A provision of the law establishes that when a national holiday falls on a Sunday, the next working day shall become a public holiday, known as . Additionally, any day that falls between two other na ...

usually celebrated on the third Monday in July. The purpose of the holiday is to give thanks for the

ocean The ocean (also the sea or the world ocean) is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of the surface of Earth and contains 97% of Earth's water. An ocean can also refer to any of the large bodies of water into which the wo ...

's bounty and to consider the importance of the ocean to Japan as a maritime nation. Many people take advantage of the holiday and summer weather to take a beach trip. Other ocean-related festivities are observed as well. The date roughly coincides with the end of the

rainy season The rainy season is the time of year when most of a region's average annual rainfall occurs. Rainy Season may also refer to: * ''Rainy Season'' (short story), a 1989 short horror story by Stephen King * "Rainy Season", a 2018 song by Monni * '' ...

(梅雨 ''tsuyu'') in much of the Japan mainland. In 2020, the holiday was observed on Thursday, July 23, a one-time move that was made as a special accommodation to support the opening of the Tokyo Olympics. Due to the postponement of the Olympics, the 2021 date was moved to July 22, also on Thursday as a one-time holiday.

History

The day was known as until 1996. Communications Minister Shozo Murata designated the day in 1941 to commemorate the

Meiji Emperor , also called or , was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession. Reigning from 13 February 1867 to his death, he was the first monarch of the Empire of Japan and presided over the Meiji era. He was the figure ...

and his 1876 voyage in the ''

Meiji Maru is a Japanese sailing ship that serves as a museum ship in Tokyo. It is displayed at the Etchujima Campus of the Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology. Construction The ship was constructed for the Japanese government in Govan (now ...

'', an iron steamship constructed in Scotland in 1874. The voyage included a trip around the

Tōhoku region The , Northeast region, or consists of the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. This traditional region consists of six prefectures (''ken''): Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi, and Yamagata. Tōhoku reta ...

, embarking on a lighthouse boat in Aomori, and a brief stop in

Hakodate is a city and port located in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture. As of July 31, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 279,851 with 143,221 households, and a population density of 412.8 ...

before returning to

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of T ...

on July 20 of that year. However, it was not designated a national holiday until 1995, when it became the first holiday in the summer months. First observed on July 20, 1996, the Happy Monday System legislation moved the date to the third Monday of July beginning in 2003. As special arrangement for the

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the 1 ...

, the 2020 date for Marine Day was moved to July 23. With the Olympics and Paralympics postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the government left this change in place for 2020 and passed an amendment to the Olympic and Paralympic Special Measures Act to make a corresponding change to the holiday in 2021.

Celebration

On this day, families may visit beaches such as Isshiki Beach in

Hayama 260px, Morito Beach is a town located in Kanagawa Prefecture, on central Honshū, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 32,961 and a population density of 1900 persons per km². The total area of the town is . Since 1894, the Japan ...

and swim, snorkel, surf, or dive. People may also participate in an event called 'mud-ball throwing'. National aquariums also host special water-related events on this day.

References

External links

Book entry about the Meiji MaruMarine Day Celebration
{{Japan Holidays Public holidays in Japan Water transport in Japan July observances Environmental awareness days Holidays and observances by scheduling (nth weekday of the month)