Broadway in New York City. The sesquicentennial parade recalled the procession of horse-drawn carriages bringing Japan's first diplomatic mission uptown from the Battery. In 1860, the route ended at a reviewing stand in Union Square where dignitaries were seated. The Museum of the City of New York organized an exhibit, "Samurai in New York: The First Japanese Delegation, 1860," continuing from June through October. Rare 19th-century photographs and newspaper engravings document the two weeks. Also on display are a unique group of objects lent by Japanese institutions; and these both record and recall the experience in New York as it appeared from the Japanese viewpoint. In partnership with the Weatherhead East Asian Institute at Columbia University, the Museum presented a lecture by Prof. Naoyuki Agawa, who discussed the significance of the 150th anniversary of the diplomatic mission. His special focus on the two weeks that the delegation visited New York. The Empire State Building in New York City was lit up in red and white on Wednesday night, June 16, 2010. This marked the 150th anniversary of the arrival in the city of Japan's first diplomatic mission to the United States on June 16, 1860. The top part of the 443.2-meter skyscraper was lit up in the colors of the Japanese flag at sunset to celebrate the occasion. Bilateral relations Events focusing on bilateral relations were encompassed conferences which brought together scholars, businessmen and policy-makers: 150 Years of Amity & 50 Years of Alliance The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) organized a two-day conference, "150 Years of Amity & 50 Years of Alliance: Adopting an Enhanced Agenda for the U.S.-Japan Partnership." The conference was developed in partnership with the Nippon Foundation, the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, and the Ocean Policy Research Foundation. The meeting brings together leading American and Japanese policymakers and experts to discuss the military, economic, political, and strategic elements of the alliance. Featured speakers include: Richard Armitage, former Deputy Secretary of State and member of the CNAS Board of Directors Joseph Nye, University Distinguished Service Professor, Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government Patrick Cronin, Senior Advisor and Senior Director of the Asia Program, CNAS Robert Kaplan, Senior Fellow, CNAS Abraham Denmark, Fellow, CNAS Yoichi Funabashi, Editor-in-Chief, Asahi Shimbun Kazuya Sakamoto, Professor, Osaka University Michael Green, Senior Advisor and Japan Chair, CSIS Victor Cha, Senior Advisor and Korea Chair, CSIS G. John Ikenberry, Professor of Politics and