Marine Day in Japan Jul 15, 2019

Marine Day in Japan

In Japan, the third Monday in July is Marine Day (also known as Ocean Day), a day to show appreciation for the seas and oceans. Other nationalities have similar observances, but as inhabitants of an island nation, people in Japan can claim a particularly strong connection to the waters that surround them. The modern holiday also serves as an official start of summer in Japan, and many folks hit the beach to celebrate the end of tsuyu, the rainy season. The holiday started as Marine Memorial Day in 1941 to mark the anniversary of the return of the Meji Emperor from a voyage in 1876, but it wasn"t observed as a national holiday until 1996. Some also mark Marine Day with environmentally friendly activities. In Okinawa, people throw EM (effective microorganism) mudballs into the sea—these contain bacteria and yeast targeted at eliminating sludge and slime. Other areas host beach cleanups and aquariums host special Marine Day events.

© Tommy Tsutsui/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Jul 15, 2018GOAL!
Jul 15, 2020Who left the tub running?
Jul 15, 2021A river runs through rice fields
Jul 15, 2022Arrone in Umbria, Italy
Jul 15, 2023Castelmezzano, Italy
Jul 15, 2024Marine Day, Japan
Jul 15, 2025Perseid meteor shower over Nevada

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Oct 14, 2018Gone ‘lightseeing’ in Berlin
Dec 12, 2020What are we looking at?
Mar 4, 2020A different kind of dive
Jul 25, 2020Going with the floe
Dec 23, 2025Reindeer, Lapland, Finland
Nov 26, 2022World Olive Tree Day
Dec 6, 2021Computer Science EDU Week
Apr 2, 2020Pascua Florida Day
May 29, 2023Memorial Day
Feb 16, 2026Presidents Day
Nov 21, 2021The Great Glen
Jun 20, 2021Happy Father s Day
Jul 9, 2019Jaguar in the Pantanal wetlands
Sep 10, 2020Hidden beauty in Thailand
Nov 13, 2018Autumn’s swan song
Apr 8, 2018It’s Draw a Bird Day
Aug 26, 2020Spotted Lake emerges
Sep 25, 2020One for the books
Oct 28, 2019A night on the (ghost) town
Sep 23, 2018Ahh-tumn
Mar 9, 2023Waimea Canyon and Waipoo Falls, Kauai, Hawaii
Mar 21, 2024International Day of Forests
May 14, 2025Porto Flavia, Sardinia, Italy
Jan 12, 2019Sailing across the ice
Feb 3, 2024Carnival of Venice
Oct 17, 2024Frost-covered dunes on Mars
Feb 15, 2023Hippo family in Chobe National Park, Botswana
Sep 14, 2020Tiny fliers head south
Oct 12, 2018Venture into a prehistoric gallery of art
Jan 26, 2018Eastern grey kangaroos in Australia’s Kosciuszko National Park