Japan Day

On Sunday, May 31st, Central Park’s East Meadow will blossom into a Japanese village, offering a day-long celebration of Japanese traditions and “Japan cool.” With a stage show featuring top entertainers from Japan, tents offering family-friendly activities like origami, calligraphy and miniature “robot battles,” and samplings of popular Japanese cuisine, Japan Day at Central Park will mark its third year as a New York City tradition.

At 10 a.m. the public is invited to visit East Meadow (enter on Fifth Avenue and 97th Street) where tents with activities ranging from a tea ceremony to children’s games and a photo op with Hello Kitty herself, in person. The stage show begins at 10:15, featuring karate demonstrations and performances from top Japanese musicians and dancers from New York City and Tokyo, including Cobu, award-winning hip hop dancer Kenichi Ebina, J-pop star Ai Kawashima and violinist Taro Masuda.