Hi! This is Morgan from NY branch.

On Saturday May 13^th employees from the New York Branch, SMTAMA, and SMTBUSA came together with hundreds of other participants to celebrate the Japan Day Parade!

Every year the Japan Day festival @ Central Park celebrates Japanese culture, art, tradition, and food at Central Park. The event is designed to introduce Japanese culture to New Yorkers and to connect with the local Japanese community. 

This year, our General Manager, AD, Mr. Atsushi Ueda was the Vice Chairman and participated in the planning of this wonderful event. Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi was the parade’s Grand Marshal. In addition to her athletic success, the figure skater also founded “Always Dream” designed to give children from low-income families access to high-quality books at home. We also welcomed our special guests from SMTB Japan, Shinjuru and Takuseru who joined us in the parade. 175 of our employees participated and were able to talk to coworkers and their families to form deeper connections while enjoying the beautiful day.

Following the great parade, participants and spectators were able to enjoy a Japanese street fair with delicious food, drinks and desserts from prominenet vendors. Participants enjoyed the selection so much that many of the vendors sold out very quickly.

Our employees had an amazing time showcasing the Japanese communities appreciation to their home city of New York and we know their participation will go a long way in building a bridge of cultural understanding between the people of Japan and the U.S.