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©️Masaaki Hori
昨年から開催されているジャパンパレード。
今年も90以上の団体、2500名がセントラルパークウェスト通りをマーチした。
「大阪国際音楽コンクール」のPRも兼ねて、NY支部メンバーで参加。
パレードの趣旨に賛同して急遽参加してくださった助っ人も含めて、
昨年より少し豪華な団体になっていたかなと思うところ。
しかし周囲の団体はもっと華やかで、事前に踊りや演舞の練習を重ね、
当日はまさに発表会のような行進が盛りだくさん。
特に注目された特別ゲストがNARUTO、そしてハローキティというと、
世界における日本文化の見られ方を疑問視する声も聞かれそうだけれど、
そんな日本文化を垣間見ようと、沿道には昨年の倍近い５万人の観衆が集結した。
72丁目で開催されたストリートフェアは人が多すぎて途中で断念したけれど、
友人シェフのチームも、900個の餅ドーナツを３時間で売り切ったほど大盛況。
米国ニューヨークで、日本文化や日本食が完全に市民権を得て久しい。
運営側もまだ手探り部分が多いだろうけれど、さらなる発展を祈るのみ。
©️Masahiro Noguchi
The Japan Parade has been held since last year.
Again, more than 2,500 people from over 90 organizations marched along Central Park West Avenue this year.
New York Chapter members participated in the parade to promote the "Osaka International Music Competition."
As we welcomed some supporters, our group was slightly more spectacular than last year.
However, the surrounding groups were even more spectacular, practicing their dances and performances well in advance of the parade,
The procession was like a presentation of their performances on the event day.
The special guests that attracted the most attention were NARUTO and Hello Kitty.
Some may question how Japanese culture is viewed in the world,
However, 50,000 spectators, almost double last year, gathered along the street to catch a glimpse of Japanese culture.
The street fair on 72nd Street was so crowded that we had to give up visiting halfway through the event,
A chef friend's team sold out 900 mochi doughnuts in three hours.
It has been a long time since Japanese culture and food have gained full citizenship in New York City.
The organizers may still have a lot of work to do, but we can only hope for further development.
