I was glad it was finally the day that I get to wear my yukata after all that hunting for the perfect pair. I was also glad that it was so near to Rafdi’s house, and that was probably the only reason that he agreed to come along with me. I arrived at his house at about 430 pm and procrastinated a great deal before taking a cab down to The Japanese School. It was a 2 minutes ride. I didn’t wanna put on my yukata before that, because I’m shy that way and I figured I could change at the school itself.
Upon arriving at about 530 pm (the gates were supposed to open at 5), there was already a roaring atmosphere from the crowd, half of whom are Japanese. After putting on my yukata, I started to realise how warm the combination of being in a crowd dressed in a yukata was making me feel. We started by casually looking at the booths and taking random photos of the attendees. There were plenty of food and drinks available but the queue was insane for most, so apart from the Asahi beer stand that I couldn’t do without and a chocolate mint ice cream that we just couldn’t finish, we didn’t really bother with the rest. Another booth that we noticed was the JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching programme) booths flanked by ex-JETs telling us about their experiences as an English teacher in Japan.
There were performances that were borderline entertaining, but we kept ourselves occupied mainly with people watching. It was pretty much a family affair with plenty of Japanese families with the cutest kids chasing each other around. I don’t like kids, but if they wear a yukata, I’ll make an exception. About 70% of the girls in the festival wore or rented a yukata as compared to the 25% of guys who were sporting enough to do so. And some Singaporeans even wore wigs (which I just can’t stand) to enhance the look. We made the observation that you could tell a Japanese from a Singaporean in a yukata almost immediately. It wasn’t so much about the garment or the way they wear it, but more the way they carried themselves. Not that it mattered, because everyone was just there to experience a true Japanese summer festival.
Takanori and his wife
Takanori and his wife joined us at about 6 pm and he was spending most of the time looking for his wife in the crowd. They didn’t stay long, but we were joined by Stella and her group shortly after. I’d have to say they looked a lot better than most of the other Singaporeans in the yukatas I helped them to get from Rakuten. We were largely non-participative in the activities due to the long queues and even when the crowd started dancing near the stage in the finale performance, I was way too engrossed in photo taking. Nearing the end of the event at about 9 pm, Rafdi and I left the group to have one last beer before we called it a night.
It was my first Natsu Matsuri and while it was a decent event, it only made me look forward to experiencing the true Natsu Matsuri in Japan.
Stella and Vanessa in their yukatas from Rakuten
See more photos here.
