Annually, the Japanese Association in Singapore organizes a special event for Japanese living in Singapore and local Singaporeans; Yes, it is the Summer Festival or Natsu Matsuri which is a funfair-like event where everyone can try out authentic Japanese food and games, and perhaps also gain a better understanding of Japanese people and their culture.
This year, the event is again held at the Japanese School situated in Changi and many turned up in the traditional Japanese summer wear, Yukata and Kimono.
As usual there were a huge crowd at the event even thought it was raining pretty heavily on that day; just look at the queue. Well what can we say, so the weather may not be perfect for the ocassion, but nevertheless, everyone were still pretty much enthusiastic about it.
After managing through the queue, we made our way to the open area where the Matsuri was held. Well rain or no rain, there was only one thing in our mind, lets go grab some food.
There was a pretty wide range of Japanese Cuisines available, from Sushi, Takoyaki, Yakisoba, Onigiri to Okonomiyaki and many more Japanese summer favorites. We took quite some time, holding on to our umbrellas, walking through all the stalls and trying to decide what to eat. When we were done, we made our way back to the building for shelter and to fest. Here's a glimpse of what we had for dinner that day.
After finishing our food, we noticed that the rain has pretty much stopped. So, no wasting of time, we quickly made our way back to the open area where the crowd has already started to gather.
As the Natsu Matsuri started only around 6pm, it soon got dark when the performance on the stage began. Throughout the night, there were various preformances such as Taiko or drum performances by JAS (Japanese Association of Singapore) Taiko Group and Clementi School Taiko Group, modern dance performances from Changi School and JAS Dance Group, and also folk dances from JAS Folk Dance Group.
Besides the food and performances, Natsu Matsuri is also a time for some special games. One of the favourites and very well-known one is Kin-Gyo-Su-Kui, which can be directly translated to "Scoop a Goldfish".
If you have not heard of this game, it basically involves an individual trying to "scoop up" goldfish using a very thin piece of paper which breaks easily. This game is very popular among Japanese kids, though adults loves it too. Just look at the queue for the KinGyoSuKui Stall, it is exceptionally long.
Nearing the end of the Matsuri, there was also a mass dance where people were invited to form circles around the stage and join the performers on stage in a traditional japanese folk dance.
