Archive for August, 2007
Natsu Matsuri (Aug) 2007 at The Japanese School (Changi)
Last Saturday, 25th August, the Japanese Association of Singapore held the annual Natsu Matsuri at The Japanese School, Changi Campus.
Natsu Matsuri (夏祭り), also known as Summer Festival, is held annually in Singapore. We are sooo GLAD (^___^) to know that the venue is opened to the public this year, which means Japanese and Non-Japanese alike can come and experience the fun and excitement together.
PS: Put your Mouse over the photos to see hidden Captions!
Most of the participants will come dressed in the traditional Yukata, to celebrate the occasion.
As usual, there is a gigantic platform that takes centre-stage in the middle of the Japanese school campus’s field. This stage is where all the performances take place. There are huge mats placed strategically around the stage. These are where families and friends gather to chat, eat and enjoy the festive atmosphere.
There will be various performances like traditional dance, Hip Hop, Taiko(drum) as well as the grand finale Bon Odori, the Japanese Folk Dance.
Unlike previous years, the food and game stalls are located over at the halls and walkways in the school building itself. Most of these food stalls accept only tickets that you would have to purchase beforehand. There are quite a variety of food you can go for, from main courses like Teriyaki Chicken Bento to finger food like Soramame Bean and Croquette.
The main games of the night are, “Basketball”, “Yo-Yo” and “Scoop a Goldfish”. What you have to do for both Yoyo and Goldfish game is that you have to either pick the Yoyo up or scoop the goldfish without getting your tools snapped or torn by the water.
Of course, what makes this event interesting is not only the food and games, but also the people who make up the whole festival, dressed in their array of colourful and eye-catching Yukatas.
As soon as it became darker, the festival began to liven up. You can see people participating in the Bon Odori, the Japanese Folk Dance. Here’s a video to it:
O ya, how can we forget the presence of JCA in all these celebrations?! Let’s take a look at some of them…
See, it’s really all about having fun and enjoying yourselves. We hope to see YOU at next year’s Natsu Matsuri!
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