Parade marks 400th anniversary of Japan-Mexico ties+

MEXICO CITY, Nov. 21 Kyodo -
A two-day event to mark the 400th anniversary of relations between Japan and
Mexico began Saturday in Mexico City with a parade featuring Japan from
traditional arts to to-up-date technologies and subculture.

Led by a ''mikoshi'' portable shrine, the parade marched through main streets.
It features members of an association of people from Okinawa beating drums,
young Mexicans in ''cosplay'' dress-up, new-look cars and performers dancing a
mix of traditional Japanese ''yosakoi'' and ''soran'' dances.
''I got into it as Mexican people cheered me on, although the thin air made me
breathe hard,'' Satomi Yamada, one of the yosakoi-soran dancers, said.
Concerts of traditional Japanese music such as performances with a 13-stringed
harp called the koto and a karate demonstration are also part of the event
through Sunday.
==Kyodo