Held every year at Yoyogi Park in Tokyo, the Thai Festival returned for its 26th edition this year. Blessed with beautiful weather, the venue was packed with visitors enjoying the lively atmosphere.
With around 250,000 to 300,000 visitors annually, the festival offers delicious Thai food such as Pad Thai and Gapao Rice, tropical fruits like mangoes, pop music, and traditional crafts from Thailand.
Thai Massage and Tuk-Tuks Welcome Visitors
At the entrance of the festival, colorful tuk-tuks—sometimes seen driving around Japan—immediately created a Thai atmosphere.
At the booth run by the Thai Massage Association in Japan, visitors could experience Thai massage while glamorous Mrs. National Universe representatives dressed in golden traditional outfits welcomed guests with warm smiles.
From the very entrance, the space already felt like Thailand.
Indigo Blue
Beautiful indigo-dyed clothing and handmade accessories lined the booths.
Indigo dyeing, which is also popular in Japan, seems equally loved in Thailand. Thai indigo dye is made using natural pigments from a legume plant called “Kram.” It is a traditional craft from Sakon Nakhon Province.
To preserve these traditional crafts for future generations, universities in Thailand work together with local communities to produce dyed fabrics and woven products.
The students from THANKSIN UNIVERSITY who participated in the festival shared with us, smiling, that they would love to study at a Japanese university someday.
“Thai students really love Japan,” they said warmly.
Traditional Weaving Familiar to Japanese Visitors
Another craft that feels familiar to many Japanese visitors is traditional weaving.
Thai silk from Khon Kaen Province is known for its high quality and rich weaving traditions. At the festival, visitors could casually try weaving themselves.
The small tabletop looms were easy enough even for children to use, and many families enjoyed the experience together.
The smiles of children happily weaving were especially memorable.
“OTOP” – Thailand’s One Tambon One Product Project
The festival also featured many products from Thailand’s “OTOP” project, including indigo crafts and woven goods.
OTOP, which stands for “One Tambon One Product,” was launched by the Thai government in 2001. More than 7,000 villages across Thailand’s 76 provinces are registered in the program, each promoting one signature local product.
Among them are beauty products such as Thai herbal massage balms.
An Influencer Studying in Japan
While taking a short break and buying a drink at a shop called “Chabaa,” we met a Thai university student studying in Japan who works as an influencer for the brand.
He studies business at a university in Nagoya and told us, with sparkling eyes, that he hopes to pursue both acting and business in the future.
He has only been in Japan for one year and said her Japanese is still not very good, but she is studying hard every day.
He also happily shared that she already has Japanese friends and enjoys life in Japan.
The Meaning of the Festival
The stage performances featuring traditional dance and Thai pop culture artists filled the venue with excitement.
One Japanese visitor trying on Thai traditional clothing told us that one of their favorite artists is half Thai, which sparked their interest in Thailand.
Although they have never visited Thailand before, they said they could still experience the country through the festival.
That is one of the wonderful things about international festivals.
People can casually experience another country’s traditional culture, pop culture, and delicious food.
And perhaps even more importantly, Thai people and Japanese people can naturally talk and connect with one another.
Seeing people enjoying the festival together in Japan creates a heartwarming feeling.
If you someday come to Japan to work or live, places like this may become wonderful opportunities to make new friends and connections.
By Hajime Saito
X: @hajimesaitoYJC