Follow us for updates
© 2021 reportr.world
Read the Story →

Japan Message in a Bottle Washes Up in Hawaii After 37 Years

One of the 750 bottles washed up in the Philippines.
by Agence France Presse
23 hours ago
Photo/s: Shutterstock
Shares

TOKYO -- A message in a bottle released 37 years ago by Japanese high school students has been found -- around 6,000 kilometers away in Hawaii.

Members of a natural science club at Choshi High School in Chiba, east of Tokyo, released 750 bottles into the sea between 1984 and 1985 to investigate ocean currents.

The bottles -- which contained messages in English, Japanese and Portuguese asking the finder to contact the sender -- have washed up in places as far-flung as the Philippines, Canada, and Alaska.

None had been found since the 50th bottle was discovered in 2002 in Japan's southwestern Kagoshima Prefecture.

The 51st bottle was discovered by a nine-year-old girl on a beach in Hawaii in June, the school announced, with the postcard-sized messages still largely legible.

"I was really surprised," school vice principal Jun Hayashi told AFP on Friday.

"The 50th bottle was found 19 years ago, so I thought it was finished. I didn't think any more would be found -- I thought they had all sunk.

Continue reading below ↓

"It's really exciting that the 51st has been found."

Hayashi is "hoping someone will find the 52nd now".

The club that released the bottles ended wound up in 2007.

But the school said two student representatives plan to send a letter and a miniature flag to the finder, who was named by the Hawaii Tribune Herald newspaper as Abbie Graham.

Mayumi Kondo, a member of the natural science club in 1984, said the discovery had "revived nostalgic memories" of her schooldays.

"Thirty seven years is a long time for human beings, but on the other hand, it really drives home just how big and mysterious the Earth and nature really are," she said.

Continue reading below ↓
Recommended Videos

Reportr is now on Quento. Download the app or visit the Quento website for more articles and videos from Reportr and your favorite websites.

Latest Headlines
Read Next
Recent News
The news. So what? Subscribe to the newsletter that explains what the news means for you.
The email address you entered is invalid.
Thank you for signing up to On Three, reportr's weekly newsletter delivered to your mailbox three times a week. Only the latest, most useful and most insightful reads.
By signing up to reportr.world newsletter, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.