(Clearwisdom.net) On May 4, 2005, Fukuoka's annual cultural festival was held and around 2.1 million residents enjoyed various performances and activities. So that the Japanese people could experience the grace and beauty of Falun Gong, more than 100 practitioners participated in the grand parade and received a warm welcome from spectators along the parade path.
In May in Japan, it is sunny and Spring is in full bloom. Practitioners in Kyushu made careful preparations for the parade, and practitioners from other areas joined them after participating in activities in Hiroshima a day earlier.
Around 6 p.m., the practitioners' procession appeared and caught the attention of spectators. At the forefront was a large banner reading, "Falun Dafa is good" and "Truth, Compassion, Forbearance". The traditional Chinese dragon and lion dance team was next. The team's wonderful performance won the spectators' acclamation and applause. After that, practitioners in ancient Tang costumes danced. Many spectators took photos of the dancing. At the end of the procession was the waist drum team.
After viewing the practitioners' grand procession and touching performances, some Chinese students changed their misunderstanding about Falun Gong and realized that they had been deceived by Chinese Communist regime's media. Many Japanese viewers were excited at the wonderful performances. Local media covered the event on site and introduced Falun Gong and its worldwide spread to their audiences in Japanese and English.
In this cultural festival, there were also stage performances. To the harmonious music, practitioners demonstrated the graceful Falun Gong exercises. At the end, the festival announcer represented the Japanese audience and expressed sincere appreciation to Falun Gong practitioners for their graceful performances.