Natsu Matsuri and Bon Odori 2008

Fariz Asuka — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 15:01:00 +0000

It has been a day since the Natsu Matsuri & Bon Odori 2008 was held at the Singapore Japanese Primary School at Changi.. It was a very fun festival where you could see people wearing Yukatas, both males and females and later on dance together with the beat of the drums..

However, the weather was not in favour, as what most of us did not expect..

Anyway, I met up with Chibihien and Sam (Squeex) at Bedok MRT Station where we took a direct bus service (Bus Service No. 2) to the school.. There we met with the rest of the people who were also going for the festival..

The entrance ticket is about SGD$2.. Well, that wasn’t the worrying part.. The worrying part is the huge queue, splitted up into 5 queues.. I feel this is like the Comiket, but smaller.. xD

While Sam and Chibi was queueing, I sneak away to see some shops that are already opened to the public.. Enjoy the pics.. ^^

The shop selling Geta which goes together with the Yukatas..

The many Getas on sale..

However, I do find the price of the Getas abit expensive.. But hey, at least it is cheaper compared to what you can find outside..

77th Star Pte Ltd did make an appearence in the festival, promoting their anime, Gacha Gacha..

If you did not buy your own Yukata, you can rent one from the school itself.. However, I did not know the price of the rental nor did I want to try one..

The queue for the Yukata Rental.. It opened at about 4.30pm(+GMT and if I remember correctly closed 50 minutes after the end of Bon Odori..

SPOTTED THE CI in TIS PICTURE.. xD

More pictures of the shops..

When the queue for the festival began to move, we head towards the food section to get our dinner..

We got our spot under the clouds though it was just a slight drizzle.. We couldn’t care less about the rain because we are just very hungry..

My Teriyaki Set.. Very delicious with the Seaweed and a slice of apple..

More shots..

A Promotion of Asahi Beer anyone?? xD

Now this is where the fun comes in; Games Galore.. Well, Natsu Matsuri would always come with games where families and friends can come and have fun.. It isn’t just shopping for food and merchandise..

Well, there are some games to play during the festival.. However, you need to purchase some tickets to play the game, about SGD$2 per game ticket.. Quite a reasonable price for a game ticket..

So what kind of games can be found there? Well, there is this so-called “bowling game” where you have to hit every pins at the end..

Then there is the “Goldfish Scooping“, however, they aren’t really goldfish but small toys and bouncing balls..

Then there is the “Pick-Your-Prize-By-Luck” game.. Seriously, I do not know what they called it.. Gomen..

The crowd is huge.. I almost got lost within the crowd when I was searching for Chibi and Sam..

Anyway, Chibi bought himself 5 game tickets so he had no choice but to try out every single games that are there..

Chibi in Action..

Now this is the best part of the Festival, the concert and also the one we were waiting for, the BON ODORI… The event started at about 8pm and since we played every single game and went shopping, we couldn’t resist and attended the show..

Sadly, the Bon Odori was held indoor at the sports hall due to the heavy rain.. The field was muddy and there was no way to bring the drums onto the outdoor stage.. But hey, indoor is still as refreshing right??

Anyway, enjoy the pictures.. Pictures speak a thousand words.. ^^

Well, there is more.. It is not like it is the end of the entry yet.. Other than just the pictures, there are some videos I recorded during the festival, including the Bon Odori..

Theses videos are recorded using my dad’s N82 and I would like to say sorry for its lousy quality.. So enjoy the videos everyone.. ^^

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

Well, even with the heavy downpour, the event was a great success ~~other than the many lolis there~~.. It was a great sensation attending such an awesome annual event..

I would like to come again for next year Bon Odori, though it would be better it doesn’t rain.. ^^

Kyouran Kyōdai » Bon Odori

Natsu Matsuri and Bon Odori 2008