Latest Posts

Screenshot

Bella Hadid’s Beauty Must-Haves? Just Four Products She’ll Use Forever

Screenshot

Inside Carla Abellana’s Bag – You Won’t Believe #3!

Screenshot

Why Christians Are Called to Turn from Sin

2023 Marks the Comeback of Japan Fiesta After 4 Years

japan

SHARE

Last February 18, ‘Japan Fiesta’ had its first onsite event after 4 years at the Glorietta Activity Center in Makati.

Photo from Buzz Beat Media

The event aims to strengthen the friendship between Japan and Philippines, as well as attract tourists from the Philippines by giving them a glimpse of Japan’s culture, tourist attractions, food, etc. Christina Frasco, the country’s Tourism Secretary, attended the event’s opening after having participated in a business meeting in Japan, with the aim of engaging Japanese investors to boost Philippine tourism. 

She thanked and congratulated the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines headed by Ambassador Kasuhiko Koshikawa, and reaffirmed the bond between

Philippines and Japan as both countries strive to cultivate their respective regional tourism sectors.

Photo from Buzz Beat Media

There were a multitude of booths to visit that an hour’s not enough for exploration. For those who love costume-playing or cosplay, there’s a booth where visitors were able to cosplay Japanese traditional attire and take pictures with the costumed staff.

Visitors were also able to experience the katanuki, a Japanese festival game that was in danger of going extinct because of the pandemic. Those who played the game at the booth got random patterns which they had to shape via pieces of paper. The available designs were: boat, tulip, fish, mallet, gourd, kendama, umbrella, rabbit, plane, scarecrow, top, and water gun. To have been able to win, the cutting board should’ve stayed intact and the available thumbtacks were used to keep them in place.

Photo from Buzz Beat Media

Another available game was shooting via toy rifles and corks. The prices were fans, naruma toys, traditional plastic balloons, and origami.

Kids had so much fun having their photos taken with the Yakult bottle mascot. The brand also had another mascot, which would have reminded one of younger Yakult auntie, a monicker for Asian women who sold Yakults as independent distributors. Their booth featured a beer pong game which used Yakult bottles instead.

Photo from Buzz Beat Media

For a foodie, the biggest steal in Japan Fiesta 2023 would have been the Fuwa Fuwa custard, choco, and matcha buns for just Php45 each.

Some of those who performed during the event were MNL 48, a Filipino idol group, and Namahage Satokagura, a group of taiko players which are making waves in the culture and arts scene because they embody beings called namahage, which originate from the Oga Peninsula in the Akita Prefecture.

Photo from Buzz Beat Media

The event was hosted by Aisaku Yokogawa, a Japanese performer, Sharla Cerilles of ‘The Voice Kids’, and Yuki Horikoshi, a Japanese comedian who’s a member of HPN 3, who made it to the semifinals of ‘It’s Showtime’s The Funny One’ in 2017. The event was held virtually in 2021, while its last onsite edition was held in 2019.

Photo from Buzz Beat Media

The current edition of Japan Fiesta is organized by the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines, in partnership with Japan National Tourism Organization, The Japan Foundation, The Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Philippines Inc. and The Japanese Association Manila, Inc., which completes the Japan Fiesta Council.

*Cover Photo/Thumbnail Photo from Buzz Beat Media

RELATED ARTICLES

Screenshot

Why Christians Are Called to Turn from Sin

Turning from sin isn’t just a suggestion in the Christian life—it’s a spiritual milestone, a quiet revolution of the soul. Just as a fashion house...
Screenshot

Inside Carla Abellana’s Bag – You Won’t Believe #3!

Carla Abellana is the epitome of grace and glamour, and that shows not just in her work as an award-winning Kapuso actress, but also in...
Screenshot

Bella Hadid’s Beauty Must-Haves? Just Four Products She’ll Use Forever

Bella Hadid is no stranger to the world of beauty and glamour. A supermodel, entrepreneur, and now the founder of the Ôrebella fragrance line, Hadid...
Screenshot

Need a Boost? These Pastors Speak Life and Truth

Sometimes, what we need most is a voice that speaks life into our faith. These living pastors—grounded in Scripture and powered by the Gospel—offer spiritual...
Screenshot

Hailey Bieber Celebrates $1B Sale of Rhode to e.l.f. Beauty

This week, Hailey Bieber marked a major milestone in the beauty world as her skincare brand Rhode was acquired by e.l.f. Beauty in a landmark...
Screenshot

A Stylish Crowd Descends on the Frick for the 2025 Young Fellows Ball

Over 600 guests gathered in an elegant convergence of style and culture at the Frick Collection on a radiant spring evening for the 2025 Young...
Screenshot

Why Christians Are Called to Turn from Sin

Turning from sin isn’t just a suggestion in the Christian life—it’s a spiritual milestone, a quiet revolution of the soul. Just as a fashion house...
Screenshot

Inside Carla Abellana’s Bag – You Won’t Believe #3!

Carla Abellana is the epitome of grace and glamour, and that shows not just in her work as an award-winning Kapuso actress, but also in...
Screenshot

Bella Hadid’s Beauty Must-Haves? Just Four Products She’ll Use Forever

Bella Hadid is no stranger to the world of beauty and glamour. A supermodel, entrepreneur, and now the founder of the Ôrebella fragrance line, Hadid...

Don't Miss

Screenshot

Watch: Kim Kardashian Plays Power Lawyer in Teaser for ‘All’s Fair’

Screenshot

After 6 Years, Kim Kardashian Celebrates Law School Graduation

Screenshot

Who Wore What: Top Fashion Moments from the 2025 AMAs Red Carpet

winners

The Biggest Winners of the 2025 American Music Awards Night