Two-day Japan Summer Festival at National Stadium aims to connect Japanese and local communities

SINGAPORE - Those who wanted a taste of Japan did not just get to sample food from the Land of the Rising Sun but they also got to experience other elements of Japanese culture at the National Stadium on Saturday (Sept 7).

The first day of the Japan Summer Festival, held in conjunction with the quarterly Sports Hub Community Play Day, drew a crowd that included 11-year-old Shalini Murugappan, who came to the festival to "play games and win prizes".

She was there with her 13-year-old sister Nandhini, father Arunachalam and mother Sivagami Somasundaram.

Homemaker Sivagami, 39, who was looking forward to enjoying the Japanese dishes on offer, said: "We lived in Tokyo for five years (from 2007 to 2012), so we really wanted to see the festival again as we like the Japanese culture."

Banking technology manager Arunachalam, 42, added: "One thing about Japanese culture that is very nice is the people are very polite. Even though their lifestyle in Tokyo is very busy and stressful, they still take the time to talk to people when you go to them for help."

The two-day festival features more than 100 booths featuring Japanese food, games and merchandise. There are also activities such as the Bon-Odori dance, musical stage performances, the Pokemon carnival and Pikachu dance parade.

Now in its second year, the festival, which is organised in collaboration with the Japanese Association of Singapore (JAS), aims to harness better cultural understanding between both the Japanese and local communities.

The two-day event ends on Sunday.

JAS president Masato Sugahara, who has lived here for two years, noted the event would allow those in Singapore to take a "deeper dive" into Japanese culture.

"For example, we can see many Singaporeans (trying on) the yukata and dancing together in the Japanese way - the Bon-Odori dance is a very traditional Japanese dance," he said.

"We are very happy to see that it is not only Japanese people who are coming to the festival, but more Singaporeans as well."

For more information, visit www.sportshub.com.sg/japansummerfest.