Tokyo goes green
While there may not have been a St. Patrick's Day parade in Dublin this
due to fears of foot-and-mouth disease, that wasn't a problem in Japan.
Tokyo's St. Pat's parade went on as schedule with more than 1,500 participants
parading through the city. Mark Jackson, head of The Irish American
Post's Far Eastern bureau, was there to record the fun and frivolity.
Photos by Mark Jackson
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on photos to enlarge
A member of the Kawashima Bayashi, a Japanese flute and drum troupe,
marched the Tokyo St. Patrick's Day parade.
Ireland's Deputy Prime Minister Mary Harney led this year's St. Patrick's
Day parade in Tokyo. To the left of Harney was Declan O'Donovan, Ireland's
ambassador to Japan.
Chihara Hirabayshi and Yasuke Asai, students of Gaelic at Waseda University,
were among the participants in the Japan-Irish extravaganza on St. Pat's
High Holy Day.
There was a bit o'crying on the part of Sayuri Tanaka, six months old,
who joined the Tokyo St. Pat's Parade. Flanked by her parents, Sayuri
was conceived during her folk's honeymoon in Ireland last year.
The Tokyo Pipe Band made it way down fashionable Omotesando Street during
Tokyo's parade honoring the Irish patron saint.
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