"Let's Dance Happily with Friends from Around the World!" — Nagaoka Festival Peace Festival Grand Folk Dance Parade

On August 1st, a group of 48 people—comprising 26 foreign residents and 22 Japanese residents from 10 different countries—participated in the Nagaoka Festival Peace Celebration’s Grand Folk Dance Parade!

We took part in the Grand Folk Dance Parade! We had been practicing for a total of five sessions since mid-July. Although many participants were dancing the Nagaoka Jinku and Ohanabi Ondo for the first time, seeing everyone improve with each practice session made us eagerly anticipate the actual event! During the fifth and final group rehearsal, we received guidance from the Nagaoka Minyo Sumire-kai, which helped us focus on the finer details of the dance. By the end of that last session, we had truly captured a sense of unity, making for excellent preparation for the big day.

Then came the day of the event! Despite the somewhat cloudy weather, the Nagaoka Festival Peace Celebration went off without a hitch. Amidst the lingering humidity, the Grand Folk Dance Parade began around 7:30 PM, and we danced continuously—with short breaks—until 8:45 PM. Surprisingly, the long duration felt like it flew by, and the look of exhilaration and the smiles on everyone's faces after the event were truly memorable!

Participants shared not only comments like "It was fun!" and "I want to join again!" but also sentiments such as "I'm glad I could learn about Japanese traditional culture!" and "I interacted with people from various countries and made so many friends!" I believe it was precisely because we practiced together for this day that we were able to expand our connections through dance. A huge thank you to all the participants, the dance instructors, and everyone involved who helped make this happen!

A picture of practicing