Once a year, Duesseldorf be­comes hardly re­cog­nis­able. On Ja­pan Day it trans­forms it­self in­to a back­drop for Ja­pan­ese cul­ture and life­style

With around 7,000 residents hailing from Japan, Duesseldorf's Japanese community is the third largest in Europe after London and Paris. Once a year, the city hosts a large festival celebration in honour of friendship between Germany and Japan. Every year on Japan Day hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to the cultural festival on the Rhine, which features a diverse programme of stage performances and hands-on activities. For example, the Rhine promenade is transformed into a promenade of Japanese culture and way of life.

More than 400 contributors present a nine-hour stage programme on the main stage at Burgplatz alone. Around 55 information and demonstration stands between Burgplatz and the Landtag allow visitors to practice their calligraphy skills, learn the secrets of the boardgame “Go” or participate in manga drawing workshops and kimono fittings. Japan’s diverse cuisine is showcased in 20 tents dedicated to gastronomy. And the sake tasting is not to be missed.

Japan Day is rounded off every year with a Japanese themed fireworks show, the largest example outside of Japan.