Japan Celebrates Lunar New Year

NAGASAKI, Feb 11 - As China commenced its grand Spring Festival holiday on February 10th, celebrating the Lunar New Year, Japan too embraced the festivities with various events, notably the "Nagasaki Lantern Festival" and the Spring Festival in Ueno, Tokyo. The Spring Festival holiday in China, marking the Lunar New Year, began on February 10th, kicking off a 40-day period where an estimated record-breaking 9 billion trips are expected to be made. In Nagasaki City, the "Lantern Festival" is held to celebrate the Spring Festival, adorning Chinatown and other areas with numerous lanterns. On the second day of the festival, February 10th, traditional Chinese lion dances and other performances entertained the crowds. The Lantern Festival, running until February 25th, will see celebrities Masaharu Fukuyama and Riisa Naka, both hailing from Nagasaki Prefecture, participating in a parade on February 17th. Meanwhile, in Tokyo's Ueno Park, the "Ueno de Panda Spring Festival" is being held to celebrate the Lunar New Year. The festival is supporting the recovery of the Noto Peninsula earthquake disaster area through the sale of sake. The "Ueno de Panda Spring Festival" concludes on Monday, February 12th, wrapping up a weekend of cultural exchange and celebration of the Chinese New Year in Japan.