One of Japan’s largest Thai cultural exchange events, which has drawn around 300,000 visitors in recent years, was held over the weekend under sunny skies at Tokyo’s Yoyogi Park amid the growing interest among Japanese people in the Southeast Asian country’s culture, including modern entertainment.
Among the highlights of the Thai Festival Tokyo 2026 were performances by popular Thai artists and actors featuring Thai pop music, or T-pop.
The area around the stage was packed with a huge crowd, leading to temporary entry restrictions due to congestion. Thai artists and actors introduced themselves and greeted the audience in Japanese. As they performed songs, some with Japanese lyrics, lively call-and-response interactions with the audience energized the venue.
“I came to see a performance by Tay-New,” said a woman in her 50s from Osaka Prefecture, western Japan, referring to the popular actor pairing Tay Tawan Vihokratana and New Thitipoom Techaapaikhun. (PNA)