The Japan Day (German: Japan-Tag) (Japanese: 日本デー) is a German-Japanese festival celebrated every year in May or June at Düsseldorf in Germany. The celebration can be seen as the successor of the Japan Week (German: Japan-Woche), which was first held in 1983 and again in 1993, as well as of the Japan Year (German: Japan-Jahr) 1999/2000. It is the largest festival of its kind in the world. North Rhine-Westphalia is the home of the biggest Japanese community in continental Europe. According to German media in 2014 and 2016 Japan Day attracted about 750,000 visitors, while the Japanese Consulate in Germany claims for the 2007 event a record figure of more than one million spectators.

Program

Every Japan Day features the sale of Japanese food and drinks, as well as an extensive stage and sports program. Previous events have had performances by Japanese musicians, including koto players, choirs, J-Pop, and J-Rock groups, as well as martial artists. In addition, several stalls are showcasing Japanese culture, such as kimono-fitting and a sake-seminar. Another attraction was a samurai army camp. Late in the evening, a Bon dance marks the final event of the day. Spectators are invited to take part in the dance and Happis and Japanese fans are distributed to those participating. The celebration closes with Japanese fireworks, consisting of several parts, each dedicated to a different topic.

2020 Cancellation

For the first time since its inception, the 2020 Japan Day event scheduled for 16 May was canceled with no plans for a postponed event to take place later in the year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is expected to resume as normal by the next planned event, taking place on 29 May 2021.

2021 Cancellation

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic also the edition for 2021, which was originally scheduled for 29 May 2021, will be postponed to May 2022. As an alternative, there will be a series of smaller Japan events that will be organised later this year.

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