A group of Japanese line-dancers show off their skills during American Day on Sunday, June 6, 2010, outside Misawa Air Base, Japan. About 80,000 people attended the annual festival. (T.D. Flack/Stars and Stripes)
A group of Japanese line-dancers show off their skills during American Day on Sunday, June 6, 2010, outside Misawa Air Base, Japan. About 80,000 people attended the annual festival. (T.D. Flack/Stars and Stripes)
A group of Japanese line-dancers show off their skills during American Day on Sunday, June 6, 2010, outside Misawa Air Base, Japan. About 80,000 people attended the annual festival. (T.D. Flack/Stars and Stripes)
Hannah Gunsett, 5, poses in a 'Wanted: Dead or Alive' sign in Misawa City, Japan, on Sunday, June 6, 2010. (T.D. Flack/Stars and Stripes)
About 80,000 visitors packed the streets of Misawa City, Japan, on Sunday, June 6, 2010, for American Day, a military-hosted celebration. (T.D. Flack/Stars and Stripes)
Petty Officer 1st Class Orlando Turnland, right, Petty Officer 2nd Class Joel Gruber, center, and Petty Officer 2nd Class Mario Nunez cook burgers to sell during American Day on Sunday, June 6, 2010, in Misawa City, Japan. About 80,000 people attended the annual festival, which is hosted by the U.S. military at Misawa Air Base. (T.D. Flack/Stars and Stripes)
Japanese girls pose for pictures at the front gate of Misawa Air Base, Japan, during the annual American Day celebration on Sunday, June 6, 2010. About 80,000 visitors attended the off-base event, hosted by the U.S. military. (T.D. Flack/Stars and Stripes)
MISAWA CITY, Japan – About 80,000 visitors flooded the streets of Misawa city Sunday for American Day, the first time in four years that the event was met with sunny skies.
Hosted by the U.S. military from Misawa Air Base and co-sponsored by the Misawa International Center, the annual event is a popular draw in northern Japan.
With a theme of The American Wild West, the event included a parade, horse rides, live music and countless booths offering a wide variety of food and goods.
Many – like Air Force Staff Sgt. Ryan Wade and his wife Abbey - came dressed for the theme in jeans, boots and cowboy hats.
Col. RC Craig, vice commander of the 35th Fighter Wing, said the event is a good way to continue “to forge friendships” in the local community, which he called part of the military mission in Japan.
