More than 10,000 New Yorkers flocked to Central Park Saturday afternoon to celebrate the 5th annual Japan Day festivities. Japan Day is a large festival alongside the western edge of Central Park that celebrates Japanese Culture in New York. Each year, the festival includes a parade and a large street fair. Under the threat of rain throughout Saturday afternoon, this years festival was a success.
The parade began at 1PM EST, and stretched from West 81st Street to West 67th Street. In total, more than 100 floats, performers, and organizations marched down Central Park West. Legendary manga artist Acky Bright designed the first official mascot for the parade and served as the Grand Marshall. If you’d like to learn more about him, you can read an interview here.
Some of the highlights of the parade included the The Japanese Folk Dance Institute of NY, the NYC Otaku Choir, and Bandai Namco Toys & Collectibles America. Significant Japanese American organizations were present as well. This included the Japanese American Veteran’s Association, the Japanese American United Church, and the Japanese American Association of New York. You can view photos here, here, and here.
The main highlight of the parade was the final float, which featured JUJUTSU KAISEN The Stage
-Hidden Inventory/Premature Death-. It served as the official float of the parade and is the fourth installment of the stage play adaptation of Jujutsu Kaisen. The official cast members were present in the float.
The parade wasn’t the only festivity. The street fair took place along 72nd Street from Central Park West to Columbus Avenue and featured more than 30 vendors and activities. There was a merch booth where you could take photos with the official mascot, a tent where you can try on Yukatas, and a space to play traditional Japanese games. Food options included Yakisoba, Onigiri, Takoyaki, cream puffs, sweet potato ice cream, and more. Bottles of green tea and boxes of Pocky were given out for free as well.
This was my third time attending the parade. It was the most fun that I’ve had, despite the rain. This kind of parade is always a blast compared to regular NYC parades because of the added benefit of the street fair. Plus this parade is always a more intimate and personal experience for anyone attending. If you didn’t attend the festivities this year, hopefully you will next year because it’s always worth it.