Today is one of the national holidays called umi no hi(海の日), Marine Day. It was declared a national holiday in 1995 and first observed on July 20, 1996. However in 2003 the Happy Monday System was introduced and the holiday was moved to the third Monday of July. Therefore we have a three day weekend in July.
This is the day to thank for the blessings of the oceans and to hope for the economic prosperity of maritime Japan.
Before 1996, it was known as umi no kinenbi(海の記念日), Marine Memorial Day, but not a holiday. It was established in 1941 to commemorate the Meiji Emperor's (明治天皇) coming back to Yokohama from Tohoku not by the warship but by the lighthouse patrol steamboat Meiji maru(明治丸).
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