OSAKA - A grand maritime parade featuring the iconic Japanese tall ship Nippon Maru and around 50 small yachts took place in Osaka Bay on May 31st near Yumeshima, the man-made island hosting the Expo 2025 Osaka-Kansai.
The Nippon Maru is one of Japan’s most celebrated sailing ships, originally built in 1930 as a training vessel for cadets of the merchant marine. Constructed at the Kawasaki Shipyard in Kobe, the ship measures about 97 meters in length and features four towering masts rigged with 29 sails, earning it the nickname "Swan of the Pacific" for its graceful appearance at sea. For more than half a century, the Nippon Maru served as a training platform, preparing over 11,000 cadets during its active years.
The ship sailed extensively, both in domestic waters and abroad, representing Japan at international maritime events and goodwill visits. In 1984, the vessel was retired from active training duty and later preserved as a museum ship in Yokohama’s Minato Mirai district, where it remains docked today, welcoming visitors aboard. In 1989, a second-generation Nippon Maru was launched to continue training operations, ensuring that the spirit and tradition of the original vessel lived on.
Source: Kyodo
