Yokohama celebrates Diwali with fervour

Diwali festivities were organised in Yamashita Park, Yokohama in Japan on October 15 and October 16, 2016. The popularity of the festival is evident from the fact that it attracted over 200,000 participants in two days.
Started in 2002 to promote cultural exchange between India and Japan, this was the 14th consecutive year Diwali was celebrated in Yokohama.Be it people of Indian-origin or the Japanese, everybody looks forward to the annual celebrations.
The event was inaugurated by the Ambassador of India to Japan, Mr Sujan R Chinoy, with Mr Katsunori Watanabe, Deputy Mayor of Yokohama, and Mr. Ryuko Hira, Honorary President of Indian Commerce and Industry Association in Japan (ICIJ).
The event was held over two days from 10:00am in the morning to 7:00pm in the evening. The event commenced with a sitar performance by Tatsumo Hajimesasushi. Since this is the 100th year of Rabindranath Tagore's visit to Japan, a tribute was paid in the form of poetry reading by Haruka Kissho Koremai.
Several Japanese and Indian groups performed Indian classical dance forms such as Bharatnatyam, Kathak, Oddissi and Bollywood. It was wonderful to see Japanese dancers perform Indian dance forms so flawlessly. Their dedication and zeal could be seen in their perfectly synchronised dances.
The Japanese Bollywood dance groups enthralled the audience with some stunning and foot-tapping dance numbers. Bollywood has truly crossed the borders when it comes to entertainment and dancing.
Food stalls of a variety of North and South Indian cuisines and various Indian souvenir shops were also set up. The beautiful Pacific Ocean and greenery of Yamashita Park added to the appeal of the festival.
The main organisers of this 'Diwali-in-Yokohama 2016' were the Indian Commerce and Industry Association Japan and Yokohama International Department. The main sponsors included Air India, Suzuki, and Incredible India, among others.
This truly was an Indian mela in Japan.