Every year our festival Japan Day @ Central Park celebrates Japanese culture, art, tradition, and food at Central Park. Our event is designed to introduce our culture to New Yorkers and to connect with the local Japanese community. In 2022, Japan Day is organizing the first-ever Japan Parade in New York City on Saturday, May 14.

The year 2022 marks the 150th anniversary of the visit of the Japanese mission led by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Iwakura Tomomi in 1872, which resulted in the remarkable development of Japan-U.S. relations, including the establishment of the consulate in New York. This year also celebrates the 150th anniversary of the introduction of baseball to Japan from the U.S., which remains very popular to this day.

In New York, ethnic groups from around the world have long held parades to showcase the rich culture and lifestyles of their communities. The Japan Parade will be the first parade in New York to honor the Japanese people and their heritage.

Initially, a parade was planned for 2020 to commemorate the 160th anniversary of the first Japanese delegates’ visit to the U.S. in 1860, as well as the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, but was sadly canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are delighted to bring this two-year project to fruition. The purpose of the Japan Parade is to further promote friendship between the U.S. and Japan, to express gratitude to New York City, and to strengthen the solidarity of the Japanese-American community on this milestone anniversary.