George Takei

STORY: New York's Japan Parade returns after 162 yearsled by Grand Marshal George Takei[George Takei, Actor]“What we are celebrating is the bond of friendship and mutual dependence between Japan and the United States.”Over 2,400 participants danced to Japanese folk musicdressed as anime charactersand drummed along to the beat of the processionIt marks over a century since the original Japan Parade in 1860which welcomed the first Japanese delegation to the U.S.Source: The New York Times[Tom Burnett, Photo Collector / Tom Burnett Collection]“It's a way to memorialize the relationship between Japan and America, which is a very important relationship that goes all the way back to the visit. The first visit in 1860, which was a very important time for both Japan and America, was right before the civil war in this country and before the deposition of the Shogun and the Restoration of the Emperor eight years later in Japan.”