Akihabara News (Tokyo) — A major Japan-themed festival in Germany brought hundreds of thousands of people out onto the streets last weekend.
Japan Day 2023 took place in Dusseldorf, a large industrial city, and attracted over 650,000 visitors from Germany and other countries.
The festival featured over seventy booths related to Japanese culture, including traditional clothing and street foods.
There was also a sports stage upon which martial arts exhibitions and other entertainments were performed.
Attendees had the opportunity to test their skills at kyudo, a 16th century form of archery.
Anime fans were also not forgotten. There was a cosplay competition and manga drawing displays.
To enhance the celebratory mood, there was also the drinking of sake and a fireworks show.
Dusseldorf is known for its Little Tokyo, where over eight thousand inhabitants of Japanese origin reside. It is the largest Japanese community in Europe.
Almost six hundred Japanese companies are based in Little Tokyo.
The Japan Day festival is held on an annual basis.