Japan Day Project 2020

Bring NEBUTA to NYC from JAPAN!

Japan Day @ Central Park is an annual festival designed by the Japanese community of New York to promote a deeper understanding of Japanese culture to New Yorkers. It’s our way of saying “Thank you, New York City!”

2020 was chosen as the inaugural year of the Japan Day Parade for several reasons—this summer Tokyo will host the Olympic Games; Japan recently enthroned a new emperor, Naruhito; and this year is the 60th anniversary of the Sister City relationship between New York and Tokyo. However, the main reason for hosting the Japan Day Parade is exactly 160 years ago, the first Japanese diplomatic mission visited the U.S. and marched through the streets of New York.

For this year’s Japan Day Project 2020, we would like your help in bringing the  “Nebuta”, a magnificent and ginormous lantern right here to our home, New York City! (*This is a lantern using an electronic lighting system, not fire)

The Goshogawara Tachineputa Festival takes place at Goshogawara, Aomori Prefecture. It is notable for its large lantern floats, standing at 23 meters (75 feet) in height and weighs 19 tons. Every year in early August, you would hear people chant “Yattemare! Yattemare!” while colorful floats “Nebuta”parading through the city accompanied with powerful music blasting and dancers dressed in unique traditional costumes called Haneto. 

We are truly honored to have been able to work with Mr. Hiroaki Fukushi, who has been designing the “Nebuta” for the Goshohawara Tachineputa Festival, in custom creating a “Neputa” that will be parading through New York City this year. We would also like to give our thanks to the Tourism Center of the City of Goshohawara for their support.