Japan: Falun Gong Practitioners Participate in the Kyoto Cultural Festival Parade

The 18th and 19th of September, 2004 marked the 11th anniversary of the annual Kyoto Cultural Festival. As a highlight of the cultural festival, a parade with 44 entries and 5,400 participants was held on the 19th. Participants included middle school and high school marching bands, citizens' clubs and different public and private organisations.

Japanese Falun Gong practitioners also took part in the parade. The practitioners' procession included a traditional fairy dance performance, a decorated float, a Tang Dynasty costume show, a waist drum troupe, as well as young children and practitioners of all ages walking in the procession. This was the second year in a row that the local Falun Gong practitioners participated in the Kyoto Cultural Festival's parade.

The organiser of the Cultural Festival said that he considered the Falun Gong practitioners' procession last year to be truly magnificent adding colour to the parade. The organisers also included practitioners' photos of last year's parade in the promotional leaflet for this year's parade.

After the parade, when practitioners were dismantling the float, several Chinese people passed by and cried with surprise, "Look! Falun Gong!" A young lady from Shanghai was astonished to see Falun Gong practitioners taking part in a festival parade in Japan. After talking with the practitioners, she understood the real situation of Falun Gong and encouraged them to continue with their efforts.