Japan Night – Reception & Concert

Japan Night Reception & Concert, a new event this year, will take place the night before the Japan Parade & Street Fair on Friday, May 9 at the Edison Ballroom (240 W. 47th Street). The creation of Japan Night allows more artists, creatives, performers, organizations, and companies to showcase their expressions of modern and traditional Japanese culture.

The evening will begin with a reception at 5:30pm followed by the concert at 7:00pm. Japan Night will be hosted by NBC News Correspondent Emilie Ikeda.

The concert will open with a performance from the cast of the stage version of the popular manga, ATTACK on TITAN: The Musical. Following this, MIYABI Koto Shamisen Ensemble, led by a renowned Japanese koto player, Masayo Ishigure, will perform with this traditional instrument. There will also be a visual presentation of traditional Japanese crafts presented by the title sponsor of the event ASP Group. The event will close with a live performance by Sayaka Yamamoto, former captain of the popular J-pop group NMB48, and now a singer-songwriter.

Prior to the concert, guests will first enjoy traditional Japanese sake brewing and craftsmanship including MIO Sparkling Sake by Takara Sake USA Inc. and passed hors d’oeuvres at a tasting event. Beer and wine will also be served.

Presented by ASP Group, Japan Night aims to provide New Yorkers with a brand new, uniquely Japanese experience.

Tickets for Japan Night, which start at $75 (plus fees).

The next day on May 10, The 4th Annual Japan Parade & Street Fair begins at 1:00PM with Chef Masaharu Morimoto, restauranteur and star of Iron Chef and Iron Chef America, as Grand Marshal and Koji Sato as this year’s Japan Parade Community Leader.

Sandra Endo, news correspondent on KTVV Los Angeles, Fox 11 News, and a feature reporter for Good Day LA, will serve, once again, as Emcee of the parade.

Concurrently with the Japan Parade, the Japan Street Fair will be held on West 72nd Street, between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue.

Japan Night Reception & Concert and the Japan Parade & Street Fair are affiliated with Japan Day @ Central Park, an annual event that has taken place in Central Park from 2007 until 2019.

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Sayaka Yamamoto
Born on July 14th, 1993, Sayaka Yamamoto is a singer-songwriter from Osaka, Japan. She joined the J-pop idol group NMB48 in 2010, and after graduating, she pursued a career as a singer-songwriter. She is engaged in various activities including releasing songs, holding live performances, and media appearances, most recently successfully holding her Asia Tour in 2024. Her activities as a solo artist and musician have garnered both domestic and international attention. On December 25th of last year, she released her first EP, U TA CARTE. APOLLO AMATEUR NIGHT, held at the legendary Apollo Theatre in New York City, known as the gateway talent show to making it big in the entertainment industry with over 90 years of history and counting, was held in Japan as the APOLLO AMATEUR NIGHT JAPAN 24-25. She served as a Main Ambassador and Emcee and played a role in strengthening ties between the music communities of Japan and New York.

ATTACK on TITAN: The Musical
Is the live 2.5D Musical entertainment based on the popular manga series Attack on Titan by Hajime Isayama, was serialized in Bessatsu Shonen Magazine by Kodansha from 2009 to 2021 and has sold more than 140 million copies in total. The comics have been published in 18 languages and over 180 countries worldwide. It won the 35th Kodansha Manga Award and Harvey Award, the most prestigious award in the American comics industry. In October 2024, when the stage production of ATTACK on TITAN: The Musical made its US premiere in New York City, it attracted fans from 47 states in the U.S. and all over the world, and all performances were sold out. The New York Times reported that “’Attack on Titan’ is a novel concept for U.S. stages and is sure to be a visual feast for fans of the series,” and praised the success of the Japanese musical based on manga in New York.

Masayo Ishigure
Masayo Ishigure began playing the koto and jiuta shamisen at the age of five. Graduated from Takasaki Junior College, Department of Traditional Japanese Music, after majoring in Koto and Shamisen. Ms. Ishigure moved to the U.S. in 1992 and performed at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and other venues. She has had numerous guest appearances with multiple Symphony Orchestras around the U.S. and has performed concerts in various countries around the world. In 2005, she participated in the recording of the soundtrack for the Academy Award-winning film Memoirs of a Geisha with John Williams, Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, and others. In 2016, the Consul General of Japan in New York honored Ms. Ishigure with the Consul General’s Commendation. She has taught koto shamisen classes at Wesleyan University and Columbia University and also has taught private lessons and organized the MIYABI Koto Shamisen Ensemble in Manhattan.

Emilie Ikeda
Emilie Ikeda is an NBC News Correspondent based in New York. She reports for all of the network’s platforms, including “TODAY,” “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt,” NBC News NOW, NBC News Daily and MSNBC. Since joining NBC News in July 2021, Emilie’s reporting has carried her from coast to coast, covering California wildfires, deadly tornadoes in Arkansas, and a racially motivated supermarket shooting in New York. Emilie has spotlighted efforts to prevent the erasure of Japanese American history, reporting on Japanese incarceration camps from Amache, Manzanar, and the Japanese American National Museum. Previously, Emilie worked as an MMJ/reporter and fill-in anchor at FOX 5 Atlanta, as well as a multimedia reporter for Fox News. Emilie grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia and holds a degree in broadcast journalism from American University’s Honors College.

ASP Group (Title Sponsor)
ASP Group collaborates with Asuka Cruise, regional banks, and Japan’s Living National Treasures to preserve and promote Japan’s rich history and culture. Through exclusive cruise experiences, ASP Group offers unique journeys showcasing Japan’s hidden gems. Together, ASP Group brings authentic Japanese cuisine, art, hospitality, and traditions to the world, sharing the true essence of Japan. https://www.anchor-ship.com/

About Japan Parade & Street Fair
Japan Parade & Street Fair is one of the largest Japanese American parades in the United States, organized by the non-profit Japan Day Inc. (Honorary Chairman: Mikio Mori, Ambassador and Consul General of Japan in New York; President and Chairman: Shinichi Okamoto, Managing Executive Officer and Deputy Head of Global Business at Nippon Life Insurance). For two consecutive years, in 2023 and 2024, the event has attracted approximately 50,000 New Yorkers and is becoming a staple of early summer in Manhattan. Last year’s 3rd Japan Parade & Street Fair was a great success as approximately 100 units and 2,500 people marched in a spectacular procession through Central Park West and was covered by over 150 media outlets in both the U.S. and Japan. The 2024 parade celebrated the “U.S.-Japan Tourism Year,” and the Japan National Tourism Organization’s float attracted much attention. Yamaguchi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, which was ranked third on the The New York Times’s list of “52 Places to Go in 2024,” was the first Japanese local government to participate. The Grand Marshal was the legendary wheelchair tennis player Shingo Kunieda, a Paralympic Gold Medalist and People’s Honor Award recipient, and special guests from Japan was the cast of the stage production of Demon Slayer. On the same day, Japan Street Fair was also held on 72nd Street, adjacent to the parade route. Twenty-four food tents were set up to promote Japanese foods, one of Japan’s major attractions, and they drew many visitors. In addition, booths promoting tourism in Japan, a photo booth with the popular mascot Hello Kitty, and activity tents for origami, calligraphy, yo-yo fishing, and other activities provided New Yorkers with opportunities to enjoy and learn about Japanese culture. As for charity activities, we raised $7,000 to Noto Peninsula Earthquake relief.

About Japan Day
Japan Day Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, is the primary organizer of the Japan Day @ Central Park festivals since 2007, and of Japan Parade and the Japan Street Fair since 2022. Japan Day Inc.’s activities are made possible by the support of the local leading Japanese American companies that compose Japan Day Inc.’s Board of Directors, the Consulate General of Japan in New York, and all the individuals, organizations, and companies that sponsor, donate, or volunteer and be a part of this great celebration.