137th Tournament of Roses Parade (January 1, 2026) – Minō-Jiyū Gakuen (MJG) “Golden Bears”

Posted on by under All, Events, Events/Other, Rose Parade, RP26

Golden Bears’ new crowdfunding project is now live!
Click here for details, and here to donate.

Minō-Jiyū Gakuen’s official website for their 2026 Rose Parade activities is here, in Japanese.

Click picture to watch video


(full length video of the announcement meeting is above, shorter version is here; Kumagai-san’s speech is translated to English here by Tetsuya T -san)

Contents:
– Announcement of Participation
– School Introduction
– Introduction of the Golden Bears
– Expected Program in the US
– Events before the Expedition
– References

ANNOUNCEMENT OF PARTICIPATION:

It has been announced that the Japanese participant under the auspices of Green Band Association (GBA) in the 137th Tournament of Roses Parade on January 1, 2026 will be the marching band and cheerleading team “Golden Bears” from Minō-Jiyū Gakuen Senior High School (MJG), collectively called “Minō-Jiyū Gakuen Golden Bears Green Band”, with the target of 250 members (largest ever Japanese band in the Rose Parade). In the video from early October 2024 by GBA above the band members receive the information of their acceptance, including welcoming address by Mark Leavens (the President and Chairman of the Board for the 2026 Pasadena Tournament of Roses).

This will be the first time Golden Bears will appear in the Rose Parade, and they will provide a unique combination of a marching band and a cheerleading team. Below is their joint performance at the “Brass Band of 3000” -event at Kyocera Dome, Osaka on June 24, 2023 (video by Yoshiyuki.H):

Click picture to watch video

Click here for the announcement by the band, and here for the announcement by the cheerleading team (both in Japanese). Announcement text in English by GBA is here.

Click the picture for the official announcement video by GBA

Click also here and here for news reports on the matter (in Japanese).

Invitation letters from Pasadena Tournament of Roses

SCHOOL INTRODUCTION:

The school is private co-ed school, founded in 1926 (celebrating therefore their 100th Anniversary in 2026) and located in Toyonaka, Osaka Prefecture. From the total of 2200 students about 1600 are in the Senior High School.

INTRODUCTION OF THE GOLDEN BEARS:

Both the Golden Bears marching band and cheerleading team were founded in April 1991 to support the school’s (American) football team, which is also called “Golden Bears” (click here for the interesting history of the “Bears”).

The marching band has about 100 active members led by Band Advisor Daisuke Fukusato (福里大輔) and Marching Coach Kazuo Hata (秦 和夫). The band has earlier performed in Italy, Germany and Taiwan. They have won 8 National Gold -awards at the All-Japan Marching Contest (2024) and are currently on a three-year run at the top. Don’t be surprised if Fukusato-sensei stops conducting and breaks into song…

In the video below the band is marching at the Flower Parade of the 63rd Hakata Dontaku Festival on May 4, 2024 (video by Tsubame Planning).

Click picture to watch video

Cheerleading team has about 60 members led by Kazue Noda (野田一江). They are one of the most successful teams in Japan having won 41 national level titles (2024), including 24 times the Japan Cup (the leading cheerleading championships event in Japan). They are currently on a dominant five-year winning streak in the Cup. They were also selected to play at the halftime show of a NBA basketball match Atlanta Hawks vs Orlando Magic at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia on February 25, 2024 (click here for their show, here for a news report, and here for the school’s digest video on the expedition). Apparently they also performed in a halftime show of a NCAA Division I basketball match Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs Florida State Seminoles at McCamish Pavilion on February 26, 2024, click here for a high-quality video.

Fukusato-sensei and Noda-sensei

The winning performance of the cheerleading team in the Japan Cup 2024 on September 1, 2024 at Yoyogi National Gymnasium in Shibuya, Tokyo is below (video by cheerちゃん):

Click picture to watch video

Collectively Golden Bears have been appointed as Special Ambassadors of Minō (Ambassadors of Energy, Courage, and Smiles).

EXPECTED PROGRAM IN THE US:

Their program in the US is expected to generally follow the typical Green Band itinerary (obviously details are not known yet):
– Parade at Disneyland Park (December 28, 2025),
– 45th Annual Pasadena Tournament of Roses Bandfest (December 29 or 30, 2025)*,
– Benefit Concert (Green Band Festival) (late December 2025 or early January 2026),
– 137th Tournament of Roses Parade on January 1, 2026 at 8am,
– Field show at Rose Bowl on January 2, 2026**.

* – the crowdfunding documentation does NOT include reference to this event which typically is attended by all Rose Parade bands
** – however the documentation HAS a reference to this event which is completely new and unprecedented for any Green Band program

After returning to Japan the Golden Bears will arrange “Report from the Rose Parade” -concert for the backers of the crowdfunding project at their school in Toyonaka, Osaka (tentative date January 31, 2026, reference).

EVENTS BEFORE THE EXPEDITION:

Contents:
– New crowdfunding project by Golden Bears
– Thank You -message by Band Advisor Daisuke Fukusato
– Support video by Tachibana
– Pin badges for the attendees of the Report Concert
– Highlighting selected encouragement messages
– Support video with Tachibana
– Hashtag campaign
– Coverage of the expedition in “news Okaeri”
– Meeting with Japan Airlines
– Article on Asahi Shimbun on former Presidents joining the Rose Parade
– New composition by Jun’ichi Naitō “Mothers”
– Mark Leavens visits the school
– Meeting with the Mayor of Toyonaka
– Brass Expo 2025
– Coverage in Pekopa’s Maru Spo
– Rose Parade Information Session
– Crowdfunding project
– Official Announcement of the bands participating in the 137th Tournament of Roses Parade
– Tachibana “Report from the Rose Parade” -concert
– Support message from Tachibana
– Tachibana send-off party

– New crowdfunding project by Golden Bears:

Golden Bears launched a new crowdfunding project to support their 2026 Rose Parade expedition, click here and scroll down for the project page. The funding period is from July 23 to November 11, 2025. The main return gift is a ticket to the “Report from Japan Cup” -event which will be held on November 30, 2025 (two sessions in one day) at Katsuramon Hall of Minō-Jiyū Gakuen High School in Toyonaka, Osaka Prefecture. The event will also be livestreamed, and you can get a ticket with a donation of ¥5,000.

Project coverage by Osaka Nichinichi Shimbun is here, in Japanese. Announcement by the band is here, in Japanese.

– Thank You -message by Band Advisor Daisuke Fukusato:

Click picture to watch video

Golden Bears Marching Band Advisor Daisuke Fukusato published a Thank You -video on the penultimate day of the crowdfunding project (June 12, 2025). Reference is here, in Japanese.

– Support video by Tachibana:

Tachibana recorded a support video on the penultimate day of the Golden Bears’ crowdfunding project (June 12, 2025), click here.

– Pin badges for the attendees of the Report Concert:

On June 11, 2025 GBA revealed the pin badges which are made available for the attendees of the Report Concert on January 31, 2026. Click here for the note, in Japanese.

– Highlighting selected encouragement messages:

Between June 10 and June 13, 2025 the Golden Bears published selected messages of encouragement they have received, click here, here, here, here, here and here (all in Japanese).

– Support video with Tachibana:

Click picture to watch video

Golden Bears recorded a crowdfunding support video with Tachibana on June 8, 2025, the final days of the crowdfunding project (video by the Official YouTube-account of the Cheerleading team and Marching Band).

– Hashtag campaign:

To help reach their 30 million yen stretch goal of the crowdfunding campaign in the final seven days, the Golden Bears launched a hashtag campaign on June 6, 2025 on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Facebook, click here.

– Coverage of the expedition in “news Okaeri”:

Click picture to watch video

The Rose Parade expedition of the Golden Bears was covered by news TV program “news Okaeri” by Asahi Broadcasting Corporation Television on June 2, 2025 (video by the Official YouTube-channel of the News Bureau of the TV-station). Click here and here for reference.

– Meeting with Japan Airlines:

GBA went to the Japan Airlines headquarters in Shinagawa, Tokyo on May 27, 2025 to discuss about the airfares for the remaining GBA Rose Parade expeditions. Reference is here, in Japanese.

– Article on Asahi Shimbun on former Presidents joining the Rose Parade:

A May 25, 2025 Asahi Shimbun article covered the story of two former Golden Bears presidents who, after experiencing the devastating impact of COVID-19 on the clubs’ activities, will now be rejoining the band in the Rose Parade. Click here for the article (in Japanese). The same article was published in the Osaka morning edition of Asahi Shimbun on July 1, 2025 (reference).

The impact of COVID-19 on Golden Bears was featured in a NTV variety show “24 Hour Television / Love saves the earth” broadcasted on August 23, 2020, culminating in a joint virtual performance of Kyū Sakamoto song “Ue o Muite Arukō” with singer/songwriter Hitomi “Yaiko” Yaida.

– New composition by Jun’ichi Naitō “Mothers”:

Click picture to watch video

Golden Bears performed the premiere of the new composition by Jun’ichi Naitō “Mothers” which serves as the theme song of the Bears’ crowdfunding project (video above by GBA was published on May 24, 2025). In the video below by GBA (published June 9, 2025) there is the vocal version of the song (lyrics and vocals by Kaho Kodama (児玉かほ). Note by Kodama-san is here, in Japanese.

Reference is here, in Japanese. Note by Naitō-sensei is here, in Japanese. Note by the crowdfunding project is here, in Japanese. Note on the vocal version is here, in Japanese (the same note was published by the crowdfunding project here).

Click picture to watch video

– Mark Leavens visits the school:

Click picture to watch video

Mark Leavens (the President and Chairman of the Board for the 2026 Pasadena Tournament of Roses) visited the school on May 14 or 15, 2025 (video by the Official YouTube-account of the Cheerleading team). Their program included also a parade at Katsuō-ji in Minō, famous for its connection to victory-celebrating Daruma dolls. While there they took also part of the World Daruma Challenge (WDC), a social media initiative to foster international connections.

More details about President Leavens’ expedition to Japan can be found also here (in Japanese).

– Meeting with the Mayor of Toyonaka:

Golden Bears met with the Mayor of Toyonaka Shigeki Osanai (長内繁樹) on May 12 or 13, 2025 to express their determination and excitement for the upcoming Parade, and received encouragement and message of support from the officials of their hometown. They were accompanied with Mark Leavens (the President and Chairman of the Board for the 2026 Pasadena Tournament of Roses), school officials, and representatives of the Green Band Association. Reference is here, in Japanese.

– Brass Expo 2025:

Click picture to watch video

This year the Brass Expo was held on May 11, 2025 – unusually at an artificial Yumeshima island in Osaka bay where the Expo 2025 was taking place. In the video above by the Official YouTube-account of the Cheerleading team the Golden Bears recount their activities of the day. Also Toyonaka City Official Public Relations published a short digest video, click here.

The day started with an attempt to break the Guinness World Record of the largest marching band performance which involved first marching 400 m / 5 minutes (while the band was playing “The Stars and Stripes Forever“) followed by a standstill performance of “Furusato“. New record is now 12’269 band members from 333 bands (reference). Schools which participated in the record attempt are listed here, in Japanese.

Certificate of the new Guinness World Record

Click picture to watch video

Thereafter the Golden Bears performed at the USA Pavilion and met there also with Mark Leavens (the President and Chairman of the Board for the 2026 Pasadena Tournament of Roses). Video of their visit above is by the Official YouTube-account of the USA Pavilion. References are here and here, in Japanese. Later they performed also at the Australia Pavilion.

Band posing with Mark Leavens at the USA Pavilion

– Coverage in Pekopa’s Maru Spo:

The Golden Bears’ crowdfunding project was featured in the Asahi Broadcasting Corporation‘s sports variety program “Pekopa’s Maru Spo” on May 4, 2025. Reference is here, in Japanese.

– Rose Parade Information Session:

Rose Parade Information Session was arranged at the school on April 27, 2025. Reference is here, in Japanese.

– Crowdfunding project:

Click picture to watch video

Band launched a crowdfunding project to cover some of the costs of their Rose Parade expedition on April 16, 2025 with the initial target of 20 million yen and campaign end date on June 13, 2025. Above is the appeal video of the leaders of the brass band and cheerleading team. The initial target was reached on June 4, 2025, and a new stretch goal was set to 30 million yen, click here and here. The final result of the project was 25.7 million yen from 783 backers (click here), making it most likely the 2nd highest crowdfunding achievement of any Japanese high school. Celebratory note by the band is here, and by GBA here.

Click here for the original official announcement of the project by GBA. Warming up videos are here, here and here.

They also announced that the traditional “Report from the Rose Parade” -concert after the expedition for the backers of the campaign will be held tentatively on January 31, 2026 with Tachibana as the Guest Star. Two concerts on the same day are held at Katsuramon Hall of Minō-Jiyū Gakuen High School, Toyonaka, Osaka Prefecture.

Article in Asahi Shimbun Digital on the project published on April 18, 2025 is here, in Japanese. The same story was published in the Asahi Shimbun’s Osaka morning edition on April 25, 2025 (click here).

– Official Announcement of the bands participating in the 137th Tournament of Roses Parade:

Official announcement of the bands participating in the 137th Tournament of Roses Parade published on March 4, 2025 is here, and further details of the bands are here. Brief introduction of the bands at the Official Instagram of the Rose Parade is here.

– Tachibana “Report from the Rose Parade” -concert:

A contingent of “Golden Bears” were invited to the “Report from the Rose Parade” -concert of Tachibana on January 26, 2025 at the Festival Hall of Tachibana.

– Support message from Tachibana:

Tachibana at Victory Park, Pasadena after their Rose Parade performance

After their Rose Parade performance on January 1, 2025 Tachibana sent a support message to “Golden Bears”, click here.

– Tachibana send-off party:

Click picture to watch video

“Golden Bears” were attending the send-off party on November 24, 2024 at Tachibana School Festival Hall, held for Tachibana band members participating in the 136th Tournament of Roses Parade on January 1, 2025 (click here for more information of that expedition). In the video above by GBA the joint band is playing “Takarajima” by T-Square.

Note at the Facebook of the “Golden Bears” cheerleading team is here, in Japanese. This event was also reported by Mainichi Shimbun (Kyoto morning edition), click here and here. Article is translated to English by Tetsuya T -san here.

REFERENCES:

(all in Japanese)

School’s Homepage is here.
School’s Wikipedia is here.

Marching band’s introduction at the School’s Homepage is here.
Cheerleading team’s introduction at the School’s Homepage is here.

Marching band’s Instagram is here.
Marching band’s Twitter is here.

Cheerleading team’s Facebook is here.
Cheerleading team’s Instagram is here.
Cheerleading team’s Twitter is here.
Cheerleading team’s Wikipedia is here.
Cheerleading team’s YouTube-channel is here.

6 thoughts on “137th Tournament of Roses Parade (January 1, 2026) – Minō-Jiyū Gakuen (MJG) “Golden Bears””

  1. https://www.nikkansports.com/premium/sports/news/202501060000495.html

    This is an article about Noda Kazue, the cheerleading coach at Minoo Jiyu Gakuen. To be honest, the writing is a little difficult for me to read, but there is one interesting piece of information about her that is not yet on Wikipedia. The fact is that she joined the brass band club at Ikeda Municipal Kureha Elementary School from the 4th grade. This means that she was a junior of Tanaka-sensei, the former advisor to the Kyoto Tachibana High School brass band club.

    Liked by 1 person

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