US military community in Japan celebrates Fourth of July holiday

A woman dressed as the Statue of Liberty holds up a prop torch during an outdoor festival.

Dressed as the Statue of Liberty, a stilt walker entertains visitors during the Celebrate America festival at Yokota Air Base, Japan, on July 4, 2025. (Juan King/Stars and Stripes)

YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — The U.S. military community at this airlift hub in western Tokyo gathered Friday on the Samurai Training Grounds for the annual Celebrate America festival, marking the Fourth of July holiday with food, games and live entertainment.

Th event featured carnival rides, a farmers market and performances throughout the day. However, the scheduled nighttime fireworks display was canceled due to a thunderstorm in the area.

Two children travel down a large inflatable slide on the left of the frame, while a child in a harness climbs up the hand-holds of an inflatable climbing wall on the right side of the frame.

An inflatable slide and climbing wall keep children entertained during the Celebrate America festival at Yokota Air Base, Japan, on July 4, 2025. (Juan King/Stars and Stripes)

A man in a cowboy hat and dark sunglasses tosses a yellow bean bag with his right hand while holding another yellow bean bag in his left hand at an outdoor festival.

A cornhole player takes aim during the Celebrate America festival at Yokota Air Base, Japan, on July 4, 2025. (Juan King/Stars and Stripes)

A woman in camouflage uniform and sunglasses sings into a microphone on a stage, while two men in camouflage uniforms and sunglasses play guitars on either side of the woman. A large strand of red, white and blue balloons runs the edge of the stage at their feet.

Members of the U.S. Air Force Band of the Pacific-Asia entertain festivalgoers during Celebrate America at Yokota Air Base, Japan, on July 4, 2025. (Juan King/Stars and Stripes)

A close-up view of a pair of hands behind a clear glass partition scooping shaved ice into a cup for a snow cone.

A vendor prepares a refreshing snow cone during the Celebrate America festival at Yokota Air Base, Japan, on July 4, 2025. (Juan King/Stars and Stripes)

A man in an orange University of Texas hat poses next to a man dressed as a statue with a silver suit and tie and silver body paint.

A festivalgoer poses with a living statue during the Celebrate America festival at Yokota Air Base, Japan, on July 4, 2025. (Juan King/Stars and Stripes)

A child in shorts and T-shirt wears a harness around her waist with large bungee cords attached to either side of the harness and blue sky behind.

A child is catapulted above Yokota Air Base, Japan, on bungee cords during the annual Celebrate America festival on July 4, 2025. (Juan King/Stars and Stripes)

Three people sit in red go-karts in a line on an outdoor track.

Festivalgoers strap into go-karts during the Celebrate America festival at Yokota Air Base, Japan, on July 4, 2025. (Juan King/Stars and Stripes)

A woman on stilts and dressed as the Statue of Liberty poses with two children standing on either side of her as another woman, seen from behind, stands in front of them to take a photo at an outdoor festival.

A stilt walker dressed as the Statue of Liberty poses with visitors during the Celebrate America festival at Yokota Air Base, Japan, on July 4, 2025. (Juan King/Stars and Stripes)

A man dressed as a clown stands and points to a man on the left in camouflage uniform posing as a statue at an outdoor festival.

Sandman, a living statue, and Imagawa the Clown entertain festivalgoers during Celebrate America at Yokota Air Base, Japan, on July 4, 2025. (Juan King/Stars and Stripes)

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US military community in Japan celebrates Fourth of July holiday

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