The Japan Parade and Japan Street Fair were held on May 13, 2023, on the streets west of Central Park in New York City. The events were organized by Japan Day Inc., a non-profit corporation comprised of the Consulate General of Japan in New York, the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Japan Club, and many Japanese corporations.
In New York, “Japan Day” had been held every year from 2007 to 2019 in order to promote understanding of Japanese culture as well as to show appreciation to the City of New York and its peaple. After the Covid pandemic, the event was revived in 2022, and this second year’s event was even more crowded than last year’s, attracting approximately 50,000 visitors who enjoyed Japanese culture such as omikoshi, kimono, and anime. The popularity of Japanese culture in New York was especially evident at the Japanese food booth, where a long line of people filled the venue.
Our booth was visited by many people who were making plans to travel to Japan. We also saw firsthand the resurgence of inbound tourism, as visitors who had already visited Japan expressed a desire to return for a one- to three-week, multi-city tour of the country.
