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Notes regarding time
Street Fair hours: 11 am-5 pm | Parade 1:00-3:30 pmDescription
The Japan Parade & Street Fair has become an important fixture of New York, not only for the Japanese-American communities it celebrates but for all New Yorkers.
The street fair takes place on West 72nd Street between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue. The parade route goes southbound on Central Park West, beginning on West 81st Street and ending on West 67th Street.
History of the Parade and Street Fair
In 2007, Mr. Motoatsu Sakurai, who was then the Ambassador and Consul General of Japan in New York, called upon leading Japanese companies to create and sponsor a special event to celebrate the local communities, shared heritages, and cherished cultures of the Japanese-American people of New York. This event, named Japan Day @ Central Park, was held every May until 2019, when Japan Day celebrated its thirteenth anniversary.
After 2 years of postponement due to the coronavirus pandemic, Japan Day was reborn in 2022 as the Japan Parade and the Japan Street Fair to celebrate and further promote the cultural exchange and friendship between the United States and Japan and show the local Japanese and Japanese American community’s appreciation towards their home, New York City.
