While You Were Sleeping, Women Marched in Tokyo
The Women's March on Washington is scheduled to begin tomorrow morning, but last night, one of the first of 616 sister marches in 60 countries took place in Tokyo, spreading the march's mission and providing an early glimpse of what's to come these next couple of days. The turnout was of course nothing close to the 200,000 people who will take to the streets in D.C., but it was never expected to be. In fact, the 648 people who came out on a chilly Friday night in Tokyo's Hibiya Park-mostly ex-pats, mostly women-far exceeded the 150 who initially registered.
The march in Tokyo was a late addition to the global lineup, and may never have happened if organizer Erica Summers, 30, had not been gifted a birthday trip to Japan by her girlfriend, Illma Gore, a gender-fluid political artist (you may have heard of her-she painted an unflattering nude of Donald Trump last year and more recently, a mural using human blood). Gore, 24, booked the getaway for the Los Angeles-based couple in October, back when a Trump presidency was considered unlikely, according to almost every poll. When the Women's March was organized and scheduled for the dates of their trip, Summers decided she couldn't sit this one out. "Even if it was just the two of us and a sign, we were going to be there in solidarity with those in Washington, DC," she said.
After reaching out to everyone she could think of to ask the big question-Sooo…how do you plan an inclusive, public march in a country you're visiting for six days?-she connected with Democrats Abroad, the official Democratic Party arm for U.S. citizens living outside the States, and began speaking with organizers across the Pacific. Summers also created a Facebook event to see who else in Tokyo might want to join the grassroots movement, and the Women's March organizers "reached out in two seconds," she said. She was invited to chat with other coordinators for sister marches, and was quickly brought into the fold. "There's a secret society on Slack of all the amazing coordinators. It is the most organized group of humans I have ever been a part of," she said.
"There's a secret society on Slack of all the amazing coordinators. It is the most organized group of humans I have ever been a part of."
With Democrats Abroad helping with logistics and working with the Japanese government, Summers and Gore arrived in Tokyo the day before the march. Those joining them included a steady stream of Americans, while Australian and British accents could also be heard up and down the marching line. Japanese marchers were also mixed in with the moving crowd, but most non-foreigners watched from the sidewalks, a few stepping close to the street to read the signs and ask what the march was about. Only one small group of men chanted, "Don-ald Trump, Don-ald Trump," at a distant intersection, although some protestors were hopeful that they were saying, "Down with Trump" instead. (Not so.)
Marchers occasionally chanted as well, from "Build Bridges, Not Walls" to "Together We Stand," but at the respectful volume required by the Japanese police. Marchers generally abided by the other rules: walking two-by-two or four-by-four along the side of the road and not displaying outwardly "anti" signs (i.e. anti Trump), since the event was technically apolitical. That rule was mostly followed, although when asked why they marched, participants were less concerned with falling in line.
"I am so appalled by this election, and I want to be in solidarity with men and women who were attacked," said Alexis Craddock, 35, from Australia. Audrey Koontz, a 20-year-old exchange student from the U.S. studying in Tokyo, said her motivation for showing up was, "the whole political situation in the U.S. Even though I took part by voting, it wasn't enough to make the effect I wanted. So it's nice to have something to participate in." Other marchers cited threats to Planned Parenthood, threats to minorities, immigrants, and the LGBTQIA community, and the Affordable Care Act as major issues that prompted them to put on their hats, gloves, and comfy walking shoes. Jocelyn Gluck, a 22-year-old college student who has lived in Tokyo for the past three and a half years, also expressed concern about comments targeting Muslims and other religious groups. "As a Jew, I have found it disconcerting, the thought of living under Trump," she said.
Women accounted for most of the marchers, but a noticeable number were men. James Li, a 20-year-old exchange student from Singapore, held a sign that read, HERSTORY. For him, the fact that the march was allowed to happen at all was reason to join. "For me, where I come from in Singapore, this would never be allowed to be organized, and I think people should hear what women have to say," he said.
Another male participant held a sign written by his 10-year-old daughter, Eleanor. It read, "Women and men are equal!! We deserve RESPECT." Other signs by marchers-male and female-said, "Women March for Our Future," "When Women Thrive Nations Thrive," "Women and Cats Will Do as They Please," "Hate Is Not an American Value," and "Be Kind and Compassionate," among others.
During the march, Summers was struck by the number of people who approached her to express how glad they were that an event was organized in their city. "People were saying, 'Thank you for the opportunity, thank you for doing it," she said. "My mind is blown."
"No one knew each other, and everyone was like, 'Hold hands! Let's chant together! Everyone was a family and I was brimming with pride not only for [Erica] but for everyone there," Gore added.
More than two million people are registered to march around the world by the end of the weekend, and if the event in Japan is any indication, many more could show up. For weeks now, people have been sharing their reasons for marching on social media with #whyimarch. Now is the chance to take those messages of hope and solidarity and put them into action. As Summers stated, "I wanted to do something bigger… This action, it was more than a re-tweet."
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