Building on the great success of last year’s inaugural Japan Parade, the 2nd annual Japan Parade in New York City was on Saturday, May 13, and began at 1 p.m.
Starting on Central Park West at West 81st Street and traveling south to West 67th Street, the purpose of the parade was to celebrate, express, and bring awareness to the friendship between NYC and Japan with a thank you from the Japanese community. Olympic Gold Medalist, Founder of Always Dream, and Author Kristi Yamaguchi was the Parade’s Grand Marshal.
This year’s Japan Parade featured a live performance by the cast of The 2.5-Dimensional show from Japan, “Live Spectacle ‘NARUTO’”. NARUTO is one of the most internationally recognized and popular manga series of all time. The franchise has sold over 250 million copies worldwide to date. Written and illustrated by creator Masashi Kishimoto, NARUTO was first published in Shueisha’s magazine Weekly Shonen Jump in 1999, where it was serialized and ran for 15 years. More performers will be announced in the coming weeks. The Japan Parade is affiliated with Japan Day @ Central Park, an annual event that has taken place in Central Park since 2007.
Concurrently with the Japan Parade, the Japan Street Fair was to be held on West 72nd Street, between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue. The Japan Street Fair is the spiritual successor of Japan Day @ Central Park.
The Japan Street Fair featured tents offering fun and educational cultural activities including calligraphy, water balloon yo-yo fishing, origami, photo opportunities, and a giveaway. In collaboration with JAPAN Fes, one of the largest organizers of Japanese food festivals in the world that hosts over 20 Japanese food fair events a year in New York City, the Street Fair should also feature about 20 tents serving authentic Japanese food. The latest information on Japan’s many tourist destinations was available at several other tents, and as with last year, there will also be a tent where visitors may donate to a charitable cause. The Japan Street Fair is your chance to experience a Japanese festival, or matsuri, unlike any other.
Kristi Yamaguchi served as the parade’s Grand Marshal, and Sandra Endo, news correspondent on KTVV Los Angeles, Fox 11 News, and a feature reporter for Good Day LA, served as Emcee of the parade.
“I am truly honored to act as Grand Marshal for this year’s Japan Parade,” said Kristi Yamaguchi.
“My Japanese heritage is something I’m proud of and I’m happy to celebrate the goodwill of our relationship with Japan and the engagement and solidarity with the Japanese American community.”
Participating groups included Anime NYC (Anime Convention), COBU (Drum), Harlem Japanese Gospel Choir, International Karate Organization Kyokushinkaikan, The Japanese Folk Dance of NY, Katsura Sunshine (Rakugo Comedian), Midori & Friends (Music Education Group), Soh Daiko (Drum), TATE Hatoryu NY (Sword Fighting),Yosakoi Dance Project 10tecomai, Young People’s Chorus of NYC, and many more.
“The Japan Parade is a huge ‘Arigato!’ from the Japanese community to New York City,” said Honorary Chairman, Ambassador Mikio Mori, the Consul General of Japan in New York.
“It will be the second annual celebration of Japanese culture and the many vibrant connections between Japan and this great city. We plan to outdo the inaugural parade in terms of marchers, contents, and food tents all highlighting the uniqueness of Japan, while also solidifying with Asian communities during AAPI Heritage Month. We hope that these festivities bring the Japanese and all of New York City even closer together, adding to our friendship for generations to come.”
“After the huge success of last year’s inaugural Parade, we are very excited to be back in New York City for our second year, demonstrating the diversity and pride of the Japanese community,” said Japan ParadeExecutive Producer Kumiko Yoshii.
“Last year, we had a crowd of over 20,000 with approximately 2,400 participants, marching down Central Park West. We look forward to building on this success and showcasing more groups from New York and Japan. We especially want to thank our sponsors and supporters, without whom this event would not be possible.”
“The Japan Parade’s utmost goal is to be a foundation to forge new connections, and to be an inspiration to strengthen existing relations between Japan and the United States, as well as between the Japanese American community and the people of New York City,” said Japan Day Chairman of the Board of Directors, Daisuke Ugaeri, who represents the notable Japanese and Japanese American companies that make up the Japan Day Inc. Board of Directors.
“To that end, I am humbled and empowered by the invaluable support of our sponsors, the trust placed in us by our parade participants, and the tireless efforts of our staff and volunteers who all truly believe in the good our event is capable of achieving. It is my greatest hope that all who visit, experience, and immerse themselves in Japan Parade 2023 will not only enjoy themselves to the fullest, but also walk away with a newly cultivated or renewed appreciation of the unique wonder and beauty of Japanese culture.”
The very first Japan Parade and the Japan Street Fair were held in 2022. Actor, author, civil-rights activist, and influencer George Takei was the Grand Marshal for the inaugural parade. The parade’s participants included the cast of “Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon” The Super Live, as special guests from Japan, a children’s choir, taiko performers, bon-odori dance and kimono groups, Karate and other martial arts groups, and many more. Activists protesting against attacks targeting Asian citizens and anti-Asian rhetoric also marched in the parade.
The Diamond Sponsors of this year’s Japan Parade (as of 4/5) include ANA (All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd.), Hisamitsu America, Inc., Japan Airlines Co., Ltd., and Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, Limited. The Platinum Sponsors (as of 4/5) include ITOCHU International Inc., Marubeni America Corporation, Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas), Mitsui & Co. (U.S.A.), Inc., Nomura America Foundation, Sumitomo Corporation of Americas Foundation, and Tokio Marine America.
MORE ABOUT KRISTI YAMAGUCHI
Kristi Yamaguchi captured the gold medal in the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France in figure skating. She is also a 2-time World champion and U.S. National Champion. Kristi is a member of the US Figure Skating Hall of Fame, the World Figure Skating Hall of Fame, and the US Olympic Hall of Fame. She recently received the USOPC’s Jesse Owens Olympic Spirit Award for “serving as a powerful force for good in society” as well as the 2019 Heisman Humanitarian Award for the work of her Always Dream organization. Following a long and successful career in professional figure skating including 10 years of touring with Stars On Ice, Kristi took to the dance floor to win the mirror ball trophy with partner Mark Ballas in season 6 of the popular TV show “Dancing With The Stars.” In 1996, she founded Kristi Yamaguchi’s Always Dream whose mission is to give children from low-income families access to high-quality books in the home environment. Aiming to close the opportunity gap and digital divide with an innovative, family engagement literacy program. www.alwaysdream.org. In 2012, Kristi added New York Times Best-Selling author to her list of achievements by introducing her first children’s picture book, “Dream Big, Little Pig!”, and then following up with “It’s A Big World, Little Pig!” and a third title “Cara’s Kindness”. Kristi resides in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, 2-time US Olympian and Stanley Cup Champion, Bret Hedican, and their daughters Keara and Emma.
MORE ABOUT SANDRA ENDO
Sandra Endo is a television news correspondent on KTTV Los Angeles, Fox 11 News. Endo covers breaking news in feature reports for a Good Day LA. She moved back to her hometown of Los Angeles after spending most of her career on the East Coast. Before making the move to LA, she worked for CNN based in Washington DC. Her stories have appeared on primetime shows such as AC 360 with Anderson Cooper. She also reported on the devastating tsunami and earthquake that struck Japan in 2011, as well as the international conflicts in Egypt and the US involvement in Libya. Prior to joining CNN, Endo was a political reporter, host, and anchor for NY1, covering a wide array of campaigns, the transit strike of 2005, and reporting around the clock after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. A California native, Sandra is a second-generation Japanese American whose grandfather was interned during WWII. She believes it is important to teach her two young children their cultural heritage to keep traditions alive and to learn from the past.
MORE ABOUT JAPAN DAY
Japan Day Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is the primary organizer of the Japan Day @ Central Park festivals since 2007, and of the Japan Parade and the Japan Street Fair since 2022. Japan Day Inc.’s activities are made possible by the support of the local leading Japanese American companies that compose Japan Day Inc.’s Board of Directors, the Consulate General of Japan in New York, and all the individuals, organizations, and companies that sponsor, donate, or volunteer and be a part of this great celebration.
