Somewhere Among  takes place in Japan 2001. Anniversaries, holidays, solstices, and historical events that Japan and the United States share were woven throughout the story. For verification and further study, I have included links to English sources. Links to other sources are included in each post on this website. It is important to note that Sea Day and Respect for the Aged Day now fall on the third Monday of July and September respectively. That was not the case in 2001. Also note that moon-viewing is traditionally mid-September but it depends on the year  Check here for the holiday calendar for 2001. Space/moon data and weather charts for west Tokyo were used as reference for the scenes. For Japan 2001 http://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/japan/2001 Thurs. June 21, 2001 summer equinox                                           http://wwp.greenwichmeantime.com/longest-day/equinox-solstice-2000-2009.htm Sun. July 1, 2001 Hawaii raising Ehime Maru, Star Bulletin                  http://archives.starbulletin.com/2001/07/01/news/story5.html Thurs. July 5, 2001 12 pm Japan; …