Home • ホーム > Japanese Autumn Festival 2011
Japanese Autumn Festival 2011
The Autumn Japanese Cultural Festival or Shichi-Go-San festival was held on 19 & 20 November
2011 at Gurney Plaza, Penang. The Shichi-Go-San is an annual festival thanking the Gods for the
growth of children aged three (‘san”) and seven (“shichi”) year-old girls and three (‘san”) and five (‘go”)
year-old boys. The odd numbers of the age are considered lucky in Japanese numerology.
The Pink Hibiscus Cheer Dancers performing during the opening ceremony
The festival featured a children’s kimono fashion parade. The visitors also had a chance to try on the
kimonos and take photos of themselves wearing the traditional wear against the breathtaking autumn themed backdrop.
A parade of children in traditional kimono
Other exciting activities and contests throughout the event included the Ramen and Wasabi Eating
Competition, Totoro Under-the Umbrella Competition, children’s face painting, Japanese game
consoles and camera display and many others. The Ramen and Wasabi Eating Competition attracted
a number of participants to test their ability to gobble down the ramen as quickly as possible and their
endurance on tasting the extremely strong flavour of the Wasabi. Parents and their children had a fun
time playing the Totoro Under-the Umbrella as the competition requires the parents to identify their
own children hiding behind umbrella by just looking at the children’s bare feet.
A Cosplay competition was also held during the two day festival. The competition was co-organized
by the Malaysia Cosplay Toshokan. Participants were seen parading around the mall in their favourite
anime and manga characters attracting the visitors to pose with them.
Cosplayers parading in their costume
The festival was held to introduce Japanese festivals and events to the locals as well as to create
more Japanese based events for the growing number of Japanese people residing in Penang. The
festival was attended by Ms. Hiroko Taniguchi, the Deputy Consul-General of Japan in Penang.
The festival is co-organized by Gurney Plaza, Pink Hibiscus Club, Malaysia Cosplay Toshokan and
the Consulate-General of Japan in Penang.
|
