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Manhattan Celebrates Japanese Culture with Third Annual Japan Parade

Manhattan Celebrates Japanese Culture with Third Annual Japan Parade

NEW YORK, May 12, 2024 (News On Japan) - New York hosted the "Japan Parade" for the third time on Saturday, with around 100 groups showcasing Japanese culture, featuring traditional cultural performances such as taiko drumming and martial arts, along with pop culture themes, celebrating Japanese culture.

Japanese companies and organizations also participated in the parade, including the city of Yamaguchi, which was listed in the New York Times' "52 Places to Go This Year," promoting tourism and cultural exchange.

"Although I am not very familiar with Japanese dance and music, I found them beautiful and thoroughly enjoyable," said one attendee. "Japan has many beautiful places, and I would love to visit Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka," added another.

This year's parade featured Shingo Kunieda, a former professional wheelchair tennis player, who served as the grand marshal.

Source: TBS

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A section of stone wall at Hikone Castle, one of Japan’s few surviving original Edo-period castles and a National Treasure whose main keep remains intact more than 400 years after its construction, collapsed after heavy rain caused by Typhoons No. 7 and No. 8, Hikone city officials said.

The Japan Meteorological Agency said at around 2 p.m. on June 29 that the rainy season appeared to have ended in Okinawa, marking a later-than-usual start to summer after an especially wet period.

Japan’s weather agency carried out field inspections in Yamanashi Prefecture on June 28 after a powerful earthquake struck the Fuji Five Lakes area late on June 26, registering a lower 6 on Japan’s seismic intensity scale in Fujikawaguchiko and injuring six people.

According to updates on June 28, the double-typhoon system that brought record rain, flooding, landslides and fallen trees to parts of Japan has moved away, but Kanto remains under cloudy rainy-season skies, with intermittent rain still possible and saturated ground keeping the risk of landslides high in areas hit by heavy rain.

The Kanto region is experiencing an unusual June, with three typhoons approaching the area during the month and rainfall totals already reaching record levels in some locations.

Damage was reported across the Kansai region after a stationary seasonal rain front and an approaching typhoon brought torrential rain on June 26, triggering landslides in Seika, Kyoto Prefecture, flooding homes in Nara, and disrupting roads and railway services in Osaka and surrounding areas.

A powerful earthquake with a maximum seismic intensity of upper 6 struck off Iwate Prefecture at around 7:30 a.m. on June 25, shaking parts of Aomori Prefecture and leaving Hachinohe, which was hit by a similarly strong quake last December, facing fresh damage.

Rice field art depicting Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and his dog Decoy is nearing its best viewing period in Oshu, Iwate Prefecture, Ohtani’s hometown.