Avid fans of Japanese culture got to welcome summer under the stars with an engaging festival that featured an entire evening of traditional and modern Japanese cultural activities and attractions. Natsu Matsuri 2024 brought the community together for a Japanese-themed school event open to everyone last April 5, 2024, at Ateneo de Manila University’s Bellarmine Field.
Natsu Matsuri has become a yearly glimpse into Japanese summer festivals for the community. This year’s Natsu Matsuri, with the theme “natsukashii” or “happy nostalgia,” gave attendees an enjoyable and memorable time with nostalgic games and activities, like kingyo sukui, ring toss, senbonbiki, shateki, taiko no tatsujin, yo-yo tsuri, omikuji, and a tarot booth. Our Correspondents Naru and Yanna and our good friend Sam tried out the games and have attested that they were so much fun.
As bustling and lively as any festival, Natsu Matsuri had an abundance of sellers displaying and hawking the most fantastic merch, collectibles, accessories, crafts, art, and everything in between. Of course, the food concessionaires were a big hit with the attendees too.
One of the best things about Natsu Matsuri was just being able to sit down or lay on the grass while watching the stage performances from some very talented artists. Festivals and entertainment go hand in hand, and there were plenty of live performances featuring bands and groups from various circles throughout that night, which included (formerly Maryknoll), Akatsuki & Sharlla, GUILLOTINE, Joshua Kim, Katori Shinto Ryu Philippines, Midnight Pretenders, Project: MATERIA, and SkyGarden.
In the spirit of a true summer festival, Natsu Matsuri was the time to simply enjoy each other’s company and to create timeless memories worth looking back on. All around the venue, all throughout the evening, you’d see friends, classmates, colleagues, family enjoying themselves amid the fanfare and entertainment under the summer evening sky.
It was amazing how the guests were as colorful as the event, and attendees came in droves dressed in wonderful traditional Japanese fineries and in fascinating cosplays.
A well-deserved congratulations to Ateneo Hinomoto for successfully holding Natsu Matsuri again, and for giving many people a memorable summer experience. We already look forward to their next summer festival.
Natsu Matsuri 2024 has been organized by Ateneo Hinomoto, with partnerships with Mr. Ito and Takanami, with media partners arkadymac.com, Embassy of Japan in the Philippines and Radyo Katipunan 87.9 FM.
arkadymac.com has once again been an official media partner for Natsu Matsuri, covering the event since 2017. Many thanks to our Correspondent Naru for her coverage and photos, to our photographer Kazumi for his shots. with help from our Correspondent Yanna and our good friend Sam.
And thank you for dropping by, and do visit us again for more event features here at arkadymac.com.
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