Category: 5. Entertainment

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Major Japan-Themed Parade Takes Over New York

On Saturday, May 10, the west side of Central Park in New York City came alive with the Japan Parade, a vibrant celebration of Japanese culture. The parade featured 110 groups and roughly 2,800 participants, including a delegation from the city of Toyama, recently named a “must-visit” place to go by the New York Times. The delegation performed the city’s signature Owara Kaze no Bon street dance, captivating spectators who watched with curiosity and reverence. Their expressions reflected a clear sense of respect for a culture both foreign and fascinating.

Toyama’s Owara Kaze no Bon float during the parade. (© Kasumi Abe)

The atmosphere intensified when special guests appeared: Yamamoto Sayaka, a former member of the idol group NMB48, and cast members from the stage musical adaptation of the hit anime Attack on Titan. Cheers erupted from the crowd. The musical, which made its international debut in New York with a four-show run on Broadway in October 2024, had sold out completely—an overwhelming success. Fans from both Japan and the United States lined the streets hoping to catch a glimpse of the cast.

The enthusiastic applause from spectators throughout the route spoke volumes about the growing popularity of Japanese culture in the city. Now in its fourth year, the Japan Parade continues to expand. According to organizers, this year’s event was the largest yet.

A procession of groups showcasing traditional Japanese culture, including dances, kimono, martial arts, and taiko drumming. (© Kasumi Abe)

According to the NYPD, the event drew over 60,000 attendees. (© Kasumi Abe)

Attack on Titan wasn’t the only anime-inspired stage production making waves in New York recently. Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon also drew major attention. The live show toured 21 cities across North America starting in March, wrapping up its final performance in New York at the end of April. Broadway welcomed throngs of manga and anime fans, who came to enjoy this beloved magical girl classic in theatrical form.

A Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon scene at a press event held in New York. (© Kasumi Abe)

The Japanese cultural boom doesn’t stop at the theater. March saw the grand opening of North America’s very first Uniqlo Coffee, located on Fifth Avenue, right in the heart of Manhattan.

Meanwhile, Times Square welcomed a new branch of Tamashii Nations, a specialty store selling collectible figures from hit anime such as Dragon Ball and One Piece. Though compact in size, the store is packed wall-to-wall with figures and related merchandise, drawing crowds of passionate otaku every day. While New York already has a few subculture-oriented shops, the significance of a figure store opening in the center of Times Square, a global tourist hotspot, can’t be overstated.

Tamashii Nations is packed with figures that captivate collectors. Its location attracts tourists from around the world. (© Kasumi Abe)

And the trend continues. In April, I’m Donut?—a sensation among Japanese donut chains—launched its first overseas location, further fueling the Japan craze. Nearby, a pop-up shop dedicated to the globally recognized Sanrio icon Hello Kitty is also slated to open soon.

I’m Donut? in Times Square. (© Kasumi Abe)

Hunter College Students Explore Japanese-American History

One day in April, students at Hunter College, a constituent institution of the City University of New York, gathered for a special lecture by Takeshi Furumoto, a Japanese American veteran with a powerful personal history.

Born in 1944 inside a Japanese American internment camp in California, Furumoto later grew up in Hiroshima in the aftermath of the atomic bombing. Eventually, he served as an American soldier in the Vietnam War.

Drawing from these extraordinary life experiences, Furumoto shared his perspective on the complex history between Japan and the United States, as well as the importance of peace. His audience consisted of students studying Japanese language and culture at the college. With solemn, attentive expressions, they listened closely as he recounted the painful realities of a past that still resonates today.

Hunter College students listen intently to Japanese American speaker Takeshi Furumoto. A stream of questions reflected their deep interest. (© Kasumi Abe)

According to Maayan Barkan, director of the Japanese Studies Program at Hunter College, over 1,300 students enrolled in Japan-related courses at the university last year alone. The curriculum is wide-ranging, with particularly strong interest in areas like Japanese cuisine, manga and anime, video games, and technology.

So what’s driving this surge in enthusiasm for Japan? Barkan explains that pop culture, especially manga, anime, and video games is often the spark, noting that many students watch Japanese dramas and find themselves wanting to learn the language or understand the historical context behind what they see.

Even a casual encounter with a manga can be surprisingly influential. For instance, a student might see a scene involving flower arranging and suddenly become curious about ikebana, the traditional art of floral design. Pop culture serves as an accessible entry point, and for some, that initial curiosity gradually deepens into an appreciation for Japan’s more traditional cultural elements. And in a city like New York, where Japanese restaurants and specialty grocery stores are scattered throughout the boroughs, that cultural exposure often turns into genuine fascination.

April Goehrke, an adjunct lecturer who teaches Japanese culture and subculture at Hunter, agrees that for many students, the journey begins with anime during childhood. They might start out watching something without even knowing it’s from Japan, she explains. But once they find out, it opens the door to broader interests—Japanese language, customs, and even the country’s history.

Entertainers’ Perspectives on Sharing Japanese Culture

How do Japanese performers themselves perceive their culture when they bring it overseas? After making their debut appearance at the Japan Parade, Yamamoto Sayaka and members of the stage adaptation of Attack on Titan reflected on what they observed and hoped for Japan’s cultural future abroad.

NMB48 alumna Yamamoto Sayaka argues that Japan’s unique cultural assets—like anime and cuisine—are real strengths. “So many people came up to say they genuinely love them,” she recalls. In Japan, she notes, being an otaku still carries a bit of a negative image, but overseas it’s embraced in a largely positive way. People proudly say “I’m an otaku”—a form of confidence she feels the Japanese themselves could learn from. “I really hope Japanese culture continues to spread in a positive way.”

Tatemichi Riona, who plays Hange Zoë in the Titan stage adaptation, agrees that anime and manga are incredibly powerful cultural forces. “I hope that momentum just keeps growing without limits and spreads even further across the world. I’m a huge anime fan myself!”

Matsuda Ryō, who plays Levi, says, “We were born and raised in Japan, and I truly believe we have a culture we can be proud of.” He wants the world to get to know and appreciate these things—and, he adds, “if we can bring a smile to someone’s face through that, even better.”

And Ōno Takurō, who plays Erwin Smith, argues that Japan’s most celebrated anime and manga often carry with them the beauty of tradition and spiritual depth, giving them passion and storytelling power that truly resonates worldwide. “Attack on Titan: The Musical takes those elements and transforms them into a living, breathing form of art,” he says. “The dancing, kendō, martial arts, these all blend visual and auditory beauty with deeper spiritual meaning. I hope that through these performances, more people can sense what makes Japanese culture special and come to love it even more.”

(Originally written in English based on a Japanese text provided by Kasumi Abe. Banner photo: The Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, taken during the Hanami Nights event held in the spring. © Kasumi Abe.)

Key Facts

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Key Background

The origin story of the Birkin bag has fallen into fashion legend. Jane Birkin, considered a French icon and muse thanks to her unique Parisian style, was reportedly carrying a plastic bag as a purse on a plane in the mid 1980s. The bag broke, and she audibly complained that Hermès, the French design house, didn’t design a bag that would hold all her things. Jean-Louis Dumas, the CEO and head designer of Hermès at the time, happened to be sitting next to her. Birkin then sketched the design of the now-famous handbag on an airplane sickness bag, and Dumas went on to create a chic leather bag meant to be suitable for everyday use. The first Birkin bags were released later that year and have since become a symbol of status. The bags range in price, but on average cost between $10,000 and $60,000 and waiting lists for rare bags can extend for months or years. Customers must be personally invited to purchase a Birkin by sales associates of Hermès, and the invitation often isn’t extended until a customer has spent thousands on other merchandise. Customers also aren’t usually permitted to request a specific bag—they’re offered what’s available on a take-it-or-leave-it basis. Because of their scarcity, Birkin bags have a crowded resale market. Today, Sotheby’s has 239 Hermès Birkin bags listed for resale on its website ranging from an $8,000 orange Birkin 42 to a $220,000 white crocodile Himalaya Birkin.

Big Number

$2 million. That’s the price of the most expensive Birkin ever designed. The Sac Bijou Birkin bag, unveiled in Hermès’ 2012 collection, was designed by the brand’s fine jewelry director. The mini bag included 2,712 diamonds and was intended to be worn as a bracelet, according to Sotheby’s. Only three diamond Sac Bijou Birkin bags were made.

What We Don’t Know

Who placed the winning bid. The auction was open to individual collectors and institutions, like museums. The largest known Hermès collection belongs to Singaporean socialite Jamie Chua, who keeps it in a fingerprint-secured, 700-square-foot closet. Her bags are kept behind glass and her collection includes what’s called a Himalayan diamond Birkin, which is estimated to be worth as much as $500,000. Stars like Victoria Beckham, Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner and Jefree Star are also known to have large collections, while other high-profile lovers include Pippa Middleton, Kate Moss, Jennifer Lopez and Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.

Tangent

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals U.K. has sent a letter to Benier asking she donate the proceeds from the auction to wildlife charities “to make up for at least some of the harm caused to animals by the production of Birkin bags.” Hermes is one of a handful of luxury brands that have faced criticism for their use of exotic animal skins, particularly crocodile, alligator and snake, to make their products. PETA has said three crocodiles are killed to make a single exotic Birkin bag, and Jane Birkin herself once asked Hermès to remove her name from the bag, specifically the crocodile version, due to concerns about animal welfare. She later dropped the request after Hermès responded by threatening to end its affiliation with a crocodile farm in Texas found to not be following international production standards.

Further Reading

ForbesHermès Surpasses Growth Estimates, Nears $5 Billion In The First QuarterBy Kevin RozarioForbesThe Hermès Man Proves Quiet Luxury Sometimes Raises Its VoiceBy Roxanne RobinsonForbesWhat Makes Hermès: A Tapestry Woven In Leather And LegacyBy Gustaf Lundberg ToressonForbesHermès Heir Giving Billions To Gardener Isn’t Alone: Here Are Other Shock Inheritance Choices From The Super-RichBy Mary Whitfill Roeloffs

Julian McMahon, who has died of cancer aged 56, was one of a select band who graduated from Australian soap actor to Hollywood star. Guy Pearce, Alan Dale and Margot Robbie were among those who conquered Tinseltown after regular roles in Neighbours – which also helped to launch Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan’s singing talents on both sides of the world – while Home and Away could boast McMahon, Isla Fisher and Chris Hemsworth.

McMahon’s appearances as a model in 1987 Levi’s commercials, which included him teasingly pulling up a pair of the brand’s famous 501 jeans over his briefs, brought his clean-cut good looks and sex appeal to the attention of producers at the Seven Network.

They cast him in a new daytime serial, The Power, The Passion (1989-90), as Kane Edmonds, a medical student and grandson of the wealthy but nasty business executive surrounded by a family of vultures waiting to pounce once he dies.

When the soap was dropped after a year, McMahon joined Home and Away, broadcast in the evening in Australia. After four auditions, he had a 16-month run as Ben Lucini (1990-91), a relaxed, easy-going soldier with Italian ancestry arriving in the fictional Summer Bay and grappling with whether to sign on for a further five-year term in the army.

Within two weeks, Ben proposed to Carly Morris (Sharyn Hodgson), a teenager with a troubled past. He rejoined the army and she moved to Perth with him. More than 12 million ITV viewers tuned in for the wedding in Britain, where McMahon and Hodgson were among the cast during a 1991 stage tour of Home and Away: The Musical.

McMahon also met Dannii Minogue, sister of Kylie, through the soap. When she launched her music career, he appeared as her boyfriend in promotional videos for her 1993 hits This Is It and This Is the Way, before they married in 1994.

They divorced a year later, with Minogue claiming that her mother-in-law, the socialite Lady Sonia McMahon, refused to speak to her. “I was never accepted,” she said.

The couple were also separated for long intervals by McMahon spending time in the US as Hollywood opened its doors to him. He eased himself in through another soap, playing Ian Rain, a gardener, then restaurant manager, aiming to take revenge on his father’s killer, in the long-running daytime serial Another World. “Here I was, this 22-year-old dude from Australia, and the first scene I had to shoot was in a Speedo, getting out of the Cory [family] pool,” he told Soap Opera Digest in 2020.

Further roles came his way in US peak-time programmes before he found worldwide fame as the playboy plastic surgeon Dr Christian Troy in Nip/Tuck. He and Dylan Walsh, who played Dr Sean McNamara, starred as the owners of the McNamara/Troy plastic-surgery centre in a drama reflecting a new real-life obsession with beauty and looking young.

Nip/Tuck’s first series, screened on FX in the US, was the most-watched cable programme of 2003 and by its second run was dubbed the “coolest show on television” by TV Guide. The drama was finally axed in 2010 after 100 episodes.

McMahon was born in Sydney shortly before his father, the Liberal politician William McMahon, became Australia’s 20th prime minister. Julian and his sisters, Deborah and Melinda, were left in the care of a nanny while William and his wife, Sonia (nee Hopkins), stayed in Canberra, the seat of government. On leaving Sydney Grammar, a private school, McMahon spent several months studying economics at Wollongong University before dropping out to become a model.

One of his earliest TV roles on settling in the US was the crusading Detective John Grant in all four series of Profiler (1996-2000). He followed it by playing Cole Turner, a half-demon who marries Phoebe Halliwell (Alyssa Milano), one of the three leading witches, in the supernatural drama Charmed, between 2000 and 2005.

Later, he was Jonah, an Australian doctor, in Runaways (from 2017 to 2019); a special agent, Jess LaCroix, in FBI (from 2019 to 2021) and its spin-offs, FBI: Most Wanted (from 2020 to 2022) and FBI: International (in 2021); and the Australian prime minister in the Netflix comedy-mystery The Residence (2025).

McMahon was best known in films as the Marvel Comics villain Doctor Doom in Fantastic Four (2005) and its sequel, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007). He also played Sandra Bullock’s husband in Premonition (2007) and the corrupt US vice-president, alongside Bruce Willis, in RED (2010).

Returning to Australia occasionally, he appeared in the films Bait (2012) as a supermarket robber, the 1970s beachside partner-swapping comedy Swinging Safari (2018) and the leader of a group of beach bullies, opposite Nicolas Cage, in The Surfer (2024).

McMahon’s second marriage, in 1999 to the Baywatch actor Brooke Burns, ended in divorce in 2001. In 2014, he married Kelly Paniagua. She and Madison, the daughter from his second marriage, survive him, along with his sisters.

Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom have promised to remain close despite their split, but one relationship expert doesn’t think that’s the best idea.

Following weeks of speculation, representatives for the pair confirmed their split last week. In a statement, they said they would “continue to be seen together as a family.”

Orlando and Katy are now focusing on raising their daughter, Daisy Dove Bloom. Putting on a united front, the Lord of the Rings actor even posted a photo on Instagram as he posed alongside Katy, Daisy and his son Flynn from his relationship with Miranda Kerr. However, relationship expert Louella Alderson has suggested Katy and Orlando should spend some time apart.

Speaking exclusively to The Express US, she explained, “Remaining friendly after a breakup can definitely lead to mixed signals. While a healthy co-parenting relationship is important, being too close too soon can blur the lines and delay the healing process.”

While Alderson doesn’t believe Katy and Orlando should cut each other off forever, she suggested there should be “a period of little or no contact” to help them move on.

While Orlando and Katy navigate their split, Alderson urged them to remember “this phase will pass.”

She added, “It’s clear that they are both thinking of their daughter already, but they also need to take time to focus on their own healing too. It’s easy to get caught up in being strong for their daughter or the public, but they are also grieving the end of their relationship.

“It’s common for people to avoid painful emotions after a breakup, so Katy and Orlando should be mindful to give themselves space to process what they’re feeling. Escaping reality and keeping themselves busy with work or social engagements may feel easier in the moment, but it can just delay the healing process and come back to bite them.”

She also encouraged the former couple to “tune out the noise and focus on what they need as co-parents and as individuals.”

Alderson concluded, “Protecting their privacy is key to moving forward in a healthy way.”

Louella Alderson is a relationship expert who spoke to The Mirror on behalf of So Syncd dating app.

Bob Dylan will play for three shows in Swansea in November as he returns to the UK and Ireland for 13 shows.

The 84-year-old will be doing more shows in the city’s Building Society Arena than anywhere else on this leg of the tour, which takes place in November.

He will also visit Brighton, Coventry, Leeds, Glasgow, Belfast, Killarney and Dublin on the Rough And Rowdy Ways tour, which will be entirely phone-free with attendees asked to lock away their devices in pouches on entry.

The US singer-songwriter took his surname from the Welsh poet Bob Dylan, who hailed from Swansea.

The gigs will take place four years into the tour, which began in November 2021, and fans will be asked to put their phones in a Yondr pouch, which closes automatically when in the venue and unlocks on the venue’s concourse.

Dylan has won 10 Grammys and been nominated for a further 38, as well as six UK top 10 singles and nine UK number one albums.

He began his career in 1962 but shot to fame with a string of successful singles in 1965, including The Times They Are A-Changin’, Subterranean Homesick Blues and Like A Rolling Stone.

He was also the first songwriter to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016.

Tickets for the tour go on sale on 18 July.

Interactive music concerts for babies are to be held across Wolverhampton this summer, the council says.

The eight Babies’ Adventures in Music (BAM) events will see music performed from around the world, involving an array of instruments at or near several family hubs in the city.

The aim of the concerts is to support the wellbeing of babies and their families or carers through a “special musical experience” and “to connect families to services that can support them”.

They will run from 11 July until 20 August and offer an opportunity for people to relax and have an enjoyable experience with their baby, arts organisation Curiosity Productions added.

The group has received government funding through Wolverhampton Family Hubs to put on the BAM events.

They will involve “gentle movements and stimulating sounds”, featuring singing, harp, accordion and stringed instruments.

“As parents as well as musicians, we know how positive it is for children to experience live music at a very early age,” Sam Fox, a BAM musician said.

“We have also been researching the impact of our concerts on parental wellbeing with the Public Health Research Officer at Midlands Arts Centre, and will be sharing our findings at the Music & Parental Wellbeing Symposium at the Royal College of Music, London at the end of July.

“It’s great that we can work with the family hubs to bring this special experience to Wolverhampton families, and also help to connect them to services and support.’

Jenny Martin, creative director of Curiosity Productions, said the team had been working in the city on various projects for eight years

“Kids in Wolverhampton have so much imagination and creativity, we feel honoured to have the opportunity to help them to discover their creative potential.

“It’s fantastic to be giving parents and carers some special experiences with their very little ones too.”

Oasis fans have been warned that the band’s homecoming gigs at Heaton Park in Manchester will be protected by a double fence with security patrolling in between after TikTok users offered advice on how to break into the concerts.

Suggestions in videos on the social networking site included climbing trees to scale the fence, and swimming across a boating lake at the park.

“We’ve got to climb over this fence here, you know by the boating lake, and then you’re just in there for Oasis,” a man says in one video. “It’s fucking piss easy, so go there in the morning.”

A man says in another video: “You get in the water, you’ve got to swim north-east and then you’ll get into the concert. It’s the only place that’s not surrounded by fences.”

The five Oasis dates at Heaton Park are the only UK shows not in a stadium, with the others held at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, Wembley in London and Murrayfield in Edinburgh.

Thousands of people are expected to head to the park to listen to the concerts from outside the gates, despite warnings from the council and the promoter for ticketless fans to stay away.

The 600-acre park in north Manchester was the venue for Oasis’s last performance in the city, on 7 June 2009, and hosts the yearly Parklife festival.

Oasis are due to play five sold-out shows there between 11-20 July, with about 80,000 people attending each gig.

Last year, Greater Manchester police (GMP) imposed a dispersal order across the festival site during Parklife to try to crack down on ticketless fans gaining entry. The force did not respond to a request for comment on whether similar measures would be imposed during the Oasis gigs.

One Manchester hospitality boss said he feared Friday’s concert could be called off if thousands of ticketless fans managed to get into the venue. “I think Friday will be feral. With the weather and all the kids jumping over the fences – there might even be a chance they could call it off.

“All the young lads that I’ve spoken to, none of them have got tickets [but] they’re all having a go. You could get 20,000, 50,000 turn up and that’s a real security risk,” he said.

He added: “There’s videos all over TikTok of the best places to get in and I could see them compromising the security of the venue. Cardiff was quite middle class. It was quite tame. It was like a fucking tea party compared to what ours will be like.”

The concert’s promoter said 2,000 stewards, as well as a “significant number” of police officers, would be patrolling the boundary to prevent ticketless fans from gaining entry.

“We have been working for more than a year alongside the various councils and emergency services to ensure these Oasis shows in Heaton Park are safe for all ticket holders. Anyone without a ticket should not travel to Heaton Park,” said Rob Ballantine, the director of SJM Concerts.

“We are aware of the TikTok videos but what they don’t show is the 2,000 stewards, plus a significant number of police who will be patrolling the area, and the double fence line around the entire site with mobile security in between the fences.”

GMP said officers all over the site would be “working with event security staff to prevent crime and disorder”. The force said officers would also be patrolling off-site, in the surrounding areas and the city centre.

“Our priority is to ensure everyone’s safety. We have worked closely with event organisers and partners to make sure the event is safe and enjoyable for those attending, while minimising any crime or antisocial behaviour impacts on local residents,” said Matt Boyle, an assistant chief constable.

“We will have a large and highly visible policing operation in place in Heaton Park, the city centre and on routes into and out of the venue to help people enjoy the event.”

He added: “Our advice to fans attending is to enjoy yourselves but to remain vigilant. Keep your belongings safe and report anything suspicious to police or security staff so we can act on it.”

The videos posted by TikTokers have been condemned by Manchester city council, which runs the park, with the advice condemned as “irresponsible”.

“It’s concerning and irresponsible of individuals to be encouraging this kind of reckless behaviour in others, and also encouraging people to put their safety at risk in this way,” said John Hacking, a councillor and executive member for skills, employment and leisure.

“Ticketless fans shouldn’t travel to Heaton Park. They should get themselves to the city centre instead where they’re going to find a brilliant atmosphere and loads of things happening on gig days to get involved in and enjoy.”

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