Singing praises of the oceans Jul 22, 2021

Singing praises of the oceans

In Japan, mid-July brings an excuse to head to the beach. That"s because this time of year marks Marine Day (aka Ocean Day), an observance recognizing the close bond the island nation shares with the seas and ocean that surround it. Because Marine Day roughly coincides with the end of the rainy season, it has, over the years, become a sort of unofficial kickoff to the hot summer season. One place sure to attract visitors is the picturesque Minokake-Iwa rock formation seen here, lying off the island of Honshu and its mountainous 31-mile-long Izu Peninsula.

© Krzysztof Baranowski/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Jul 22, 2018Travel Sunday: On the Ganges in Varanasi, India
Jul 22, 2019Let’s go mothing
Jul 22, 2020Wildebeest on the move
Jul 22, 2022Our Lady of the Rocks
Jul 22, 2023National Hammock Day
Jul 22, 2025Badlands National Park in South Dakota
Jul 22, 2026Coral Reef Awareness Week

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Apr 11, 2022Fiddlehead fern fronds
Jun 18, 2024Lupine fields, Snæfellsnes, Iceland
Mar 24, 2018Crimson-rumped toucanet in the Refugio Paz de Las Aves, Ecuador
Sep 13, 2022Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
Oct 8, 2018Float on
May 1, 2018The Sky Over Nine Columns in Venice, Italy
Dec 30, 2020Winter in the Wild West
Nov 12, 2021Beavers Bend
Jan 2, 2021A universe underground
Sep 15, 2020For Hispanic Heritage Month: Out of Many, One
Jun 12, 2025Big Bend National Park in Texas turns 81
May 16, 2025Endangered Species Day
Jul 30, 2020International Day of Friendship
May 23, 2022World Turtle Day
Jul 9, 2021A center of antiquity on the Mediterranean
Dec 3, 2021Frost on autumn leaves
Mar 5, 2026Evening over Göreme, Cappadocia, Türkiye
May 2, 2024Craters of the Moon centennial
Nov 19, 2021Zion National Park, Utah
Nov 3, 2020Vote!
Nov 2, 2019A national icon
Apr 18, 2018A crested partridge
Dec 7, 2023National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day
May 7, 2024A duckling swimming in a water meadow, Suffolk, England
Sep 24, 2025Devils Tower National Monument, Wyoming
May 25, 2026Memorial Day
Jul 27, 2026Tiffany Dome, Chicago Cultural Center, Illinois
Apr 5, 2019A day of death and rebirth
Aug 22, 2019Dancing waters of Dubai
Dec 17, 2023Bohemian waxwings in Canada