Two stamps were issued by Japan on 19 July 1996, commemorating the fact that this Maritime Day was celebrated for the first time on 20 July 1996.
The sea gives prosperity and happiness to many Japanese people, and is also a place for vacation and pleasure for Japanese residents. This day is a new public holiday for Japan. It is a day to thank and remember the prosperity that Japanese residents receive from the sea, and to pray and thank for the continued prosperity of the lands surrounded by the sea.
The 50 yen stamp represents it symbol of the Maritime Day, it is a stylized sea ship made of Origami the so-called paper folding. It is depicted on seigaiha-monyo a traditional blue woven pattern in the background of the stamp.
The 80 yen stamp shows a Nihon Maru a sailboat sailing in the sunshine. The ship depicted is the NIPPON MARU which is depicted on several postage stamps, viewtopic.php?f=2&t=9061&p=15911&hilit=nippon+maru#p15911
The date of 20 July was chosen because it coincided with the date of arrival of Emperor Meiji, who returned to Yokohama aboard the MEIJI MARU (this ship also appears on a stamp of 1965 sg1006 ) of his first trip to the Northeastern districts after he took the throne.
The journey that was a direct demonstration of his political power and tranquility, he started the trip on 02 June 1876, when he traveled from Tokyo overland to Hakodate, Hokkaido via Utsunomiya, Fukushima, Sandai, Morioka and Aomori, after which he went back via the sea, aboard the MEIJI MARU.
Japan 1996 50 and 80 yen. Sg 2424/25, scott 2530/2531