NEW YORK – The fifth Japan Parade event to promote Japanese culture was held in Manhattan, New York, on Saturday.

About 100 organizations including companies, schools and groups of Japanese nationals from various prefectures took part in the event. Participants marched through the streets, performing dances, martial arts and taiko drumming.

Festival-style stalls were also set up, offering Japanese food. According to the organizer, about 50,000 people attended the event.

Defying heavy rain, participants in the parade delivered their performances, such as a board-breaking karate demonstration, drawing cheers from the crowd.

At the end of the parade were cast members from a stage adaptation of the popular manga and anime series "Jujutsu Kaisen." A woman living in New York wearing Japanese anime merchandise said she was happy to see cast members because she loves anime.

Lines formed in front of stalls selling such items as yakitori (charbroiled chicken skewers) and taiyaki fish-shaped pancakes containing…