New York City’s Japan Parade Showcases Japanese Culture

By Yasushi Kaneko / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

15:27 JST, May 15, 2023

NEW YORK — The second annual Japan Parade that celebrates Japanese culture was held in Manhattan on Saturday.

Approximately 2,500 people from about 90 groups, including Yosakoi dancers and wadaiko Japanese drummers, marched down a 1-kilometer street along Central Park, inviting applause and cheers from tens of thousands of onlookers.

The parade was inaugurated last year to mark the 150th anniversary of the visit to the United States of the Japanese diplomatic mission led by statesman Tomomi Iwakura in 1872.

An associate professor and New York resident, 43, participated in the parade while dressed in the colorful attire of the Heian period (794 – late 12th century). “Audience response to the parade was positive so it helped to promote Japanese culture,” she said.

There were also stalls selling Japanese food such as ramen and okonomiyaki set up in the area.