Turning Japanese
MANILA, Philippines - Get a chance to explore Japanese culture, language and music at the 2010 Nihongo Fiesta on Saturday, Feb. 27 at SM Mall of Asia, Pasay City.
The highlight of the Saturday event is a free concert featuring Japan’s girl punk-pop rockers, Shonen Knife at 7:30 p.m. at San Miguel By the Bay, part of its J-Rock concert series, with opening act Pedicab.
Nihongo refers to the Japanese language, and the Nihonga Fiesta is a fun festival presented by the Japan Foundation of Manila and SM Supermalls to further study of Japanese culture, as well as having fun!
From Feb. 22-28 at the MOA Main Mall Atrium, check out the Japanese & Filipino Street Fashion Exhibit — a brazen blend of current and traditional trends put together and individualized by young people to express the dynamic and varied lifestyles of Tokyo and Manila’s contemporary generation presented by the Japan Fashion Association, Cecile van Straten and Jujiin Samonte, curated by Team Manila.
Feb. 27 is the day to “dress to express and impress” at SM Mall of Asia with a Japanese & Filipino Street Fashion Contest. Contestants are invited to sport the looks that embody the freewheeling, street-smart attitude of urban youth in Tokyo and Manila. The winner will get a cash prize and a round-trip ticket to Osaka, Japan!
Interested in brushing up on your Japanese? Attend the 37th Nihongo Speech Contest at Cinema 2, 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., where Filipino students show off their linguistic skills by delivering their own compositions in Japanese on a given theme. Contest winners will get a weeklong expense-paid study tour of Japan. From 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the same venue, it’s the Second Nihongo Quiz Bee for high school students — a fun and exciting challenge for Filipino Nihongo learned to showcase their knowledge of Japanese culture and language.
Finally, spend the night rocking with the seasoned all-female power-punk trio, Shonen Knife. Fresh from a US tour, the Osaka group has a cult following in the US, England, Canada, Singapore and Hong Kong — and now Manila!
All 2010 Nihongo Fiesta events are open to the public, with free admission. For inquiries, contact the Japan Foundation, Manila at 811-6155 to 58, email@jfmo.org.ph or log on to www.jfmo.org.ph for more details.
