[Pre-180, My SJI Days] Natsu Matsuri with SJI Japanese Cultural Club (JCC) Members

During my days as a JCC member in SJI, I attended the Natsu Matsuri (Japanese Summer Festival) in 2014 (at Changi Japanese Primary School) with my fellow JCC friends. And I had a great time there as you can see from the photographs below. 

I'd read about Japanese Summer Festivals from various comics like Yotsuba&!（四叶妹妹）, but I'd never had the chance to really go to one. I could imagine the Yoyo Balloon fishing, the candied apples and the bazzar booths, but I'd never got to experience it first hand. This time round, I could finally go to one for real!

Apparently there're lots of booths selling items like ramen, draft beers, pudding, sushi and yakitori.
For me, I got a box of sushi, a corn on cob, a caramel pudding and a couple of yakitori sticks.

   

 There were also lots of game booths at the festivals. However, due to AVA regulations, the traditional gold fish fishing were not permitted. So I had Yoyo water balloon fishing. (Fishing water balloons with paper fishing line) I was so hooked to the game that I splurged $8 into fishing water balloons. (My friends called me crazy :D ) I caught 12 balloons in total! Great catch indeedd! :)

After all the games, we had our food, picnic-styled, over at a field at Changi Japanese Primary School. There were also performances at the centre of the field, ranging from traditional drum performances, traditional dances, all the way to belly dances.

To round off the day, we had a traditional Bon Odori dance :) Do check our the video taken by my JCC friend, Bei Bei! :)

**Credits to Bei Bei for the Photographs above.