Umi no hi
The Umi no Hi ( Jap. 海の日 ) and World Oceans Day , one's holiday in Japan on the third Monday in July .
occasion
The public holiday was introduced in 1996 to break up the holiday-free period between May and September. On this day, the sea and the navy are celebrated, both of which are of great importance to Japan. Many water sports competitions , shows and exhibitions related to sea and seafaring are held at Umi no hi .
background
The day was only made a national holiday in 1996 and was previously known under the name umi no kinen-bi ( 海 の 記念 日 , dt. "Sea Memorial Day "). The Japanese Minister of Communications Shōzō Murata introduced this holiday in 1942 to commemorate the visit of Meiji- Tennō (Mutsuhito) and his imperial tour of Tōhoku, which was carried out in 1876 with the steamship Meiji-Maru built in England in 1874 . The journey included many different stops before the expedition reached Yokohama again on July 20, 1876 . Until 2003, the day of remembrance was therefore always observed on July 20, after which it was postponed to the third Monday in July.
Web links
- Azure Global Network Services: Marine Day website (Japanese)
- Ottmar Schäuffelen: Chapman Great Sailing Ships of the World. (English translation of The Last Great Sailing Ships. Delius Klasing 2002), Hearst Books, New York 2006, p. 187: Meiji Maru, limited preview in Google book search