Ocean Day

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Ocean Day (umi no hi)

***** Location: Japan
***** Season: Late Summer
***** Category: Observance

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Explanation

umi no hi 海の日（うみのひ） Ocean Day, Marine Day, Sea Day
umi no kinenbi 海の記念日 (うみのきねんび) Marine Memorial Day (until 1996).

National Holiday, the third monday in July.

(It used to be July 21, but has been re-defined in 2003. Now is one of the "Happy Monday Holidays.)

Since 1996, it is the 14th official National Holiday 国民の祝日.
It is a secular holiday with no special rituals to it.
Many families take the chance to spend a long weekend on a beach.



On this day we should show our greatfulness to the sea and the ocean around Japan. Japan has more than 1000 beaches along its coastline.
It should also remind us of the Marine and remember the Emperor Meiji on his trip to Hokkaido, when he returned to Yokohama on a training vessel on n July 20, 1876.


Thanks to the Happy Monday System !
ハッピーマンデー制度, Happii Mandee Seido




The Chinese characters 海の日 can also signify
the sun over the ocean.

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Worldwide use

Tag des Meeres


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Things found on the way


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HAIKU

蒲公英のかたさや海の日も一輪
tampopo no katasa ya umi no hi mo ichirin

a dandelion blossom
so hard ! on Marine Day
one blossom

or (more probable)

a dandelion blossom
so hard! the sun over the sea
also one circle

Nakamura Kusatao 中村草田男


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海の日や療養所には金魚池
umi no hi ya ryooyoojo ni wa kingyo ike

Marine Day -
at the rehabilitation center
there is a goldfish pond

Murakoshi Kaseki 村越化石
Tr. Gabi Greve
source : 海の日 69句

source : 日本海 108句

source : 太平洋 　66句


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Ocean bottom
holds all kinds of things
best left there

Barbara Casterline
(Nagoya, Japan)

Barbara Casterline wrote her haiku in celebration of umi no hi (Marine Day).
source : Asahi com. 2004

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Indian ocean--
the smell of salty water hits
our nostrils

Caleb Mutua, Kenya



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Related words

The simple use of words like SEA, OCEAN, THE ATLANTIC, THE PACIFIC and so on are not kigo but topics for haiku.


***** . . . . . SEAFOOD SAIJIKI

***** Beach Worldwide. Surfing.


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