Happy Marine Day!

Next Monday is a "Marine Day" a national holiday. Why make it a national holiday to celebrate the sea you ask? Well the practice began in 1942 to commemorate a 1976 cruise of the Meiji Emperor in a British built steamship.

The voyage included a trip around the Ou district, embarking on a lighthouse boat in Aomori, and a brief stop in Hakodate before returning to Yokohama on July 20 of that year. "Marine Day" was declared a national holiday in 1995 as a day of gratitude for the blessings of the oceans and to hope for the economic prosperity of maritime Japan.

Since the new "Happy Monday" system was inaugurated in 2003 the day was moved to the 3rd Monday of July. Interestingly this July is rare in that it has five Fridays, five Saturdays and five Sundays.

If you are looking to celebrate this auspicious holiday in Nagoya be sure to turn up this Sunday evening for at Gen’s 2nd featuring some of the city’s hottest DJ’s. Marine Day is the following Monday so you can party late and hit the beach the next day!