BUZZ BEAT MEDIA

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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