Natsumatsuri
“Make new friends, but keep the old. Those are silver, these are gold.�?
This can be said of our culture as well. As the world gets smaller and cultures blend, life gets more colorful and exciting. But if you don’t hold on to what you’ve got……
We attended a Natsumatsuri (Summer Festival) at the Osaka University of Foreign Studies where we were treated to a unique view of how the younger Japanese respond to cultural influences from without. Being a university dedicated to the understanding of outside cultures, the festival was a showcase of what the students have taken from the world outside Japan. It was a dazzling display, but we chose to focus.
These Philippine Studies majors sold what looked like…….
Yes, that’s what they were. The price? Just about the same as what our legislature would budget for this favorite congressional snack.
How would the Japanese cook turon? Deep-fried and with chopsticks, of course!
Another group went around the grounds advertising what they claimed was halo-halo. Aaaah, the perfect pinoy summer cooler. The halo-halo did turn out to be a mixture of different fruits, but the shaved ice was conspicuously missing. The generous amounts of ice cream mixed-in with the fruits however, made us forget about the ice altogether.
Notice the Philippine flag? They weren’t aware what the red over the blue signified. But at the current state of Philippine affairs, they probably were right painting our flag the way they did.
What we considered the highlight of our visit was the concert by the school’s jazz club. Before starting her set, this kimono-clad sax player gently apologized in advance for her playing. She said it was just her hobby, then she thanked the crowd profusely for the attendance. It was classic Japanese modesty. After that, she blew the audience away with her masterful performance. She really is a Product of Japan.
Her name is Rina Hayashi, my wife’s student who provided us with tickets to the concert. She has a black belt in Kendo, the ancient Japanese martial art of sword fighting. After we saw and heard her play, I concluded she had a black belt in saxophone as well.
Bob Dylan did say, ‘the times they are a-changin.’ In Japan however, the past runs parallel to the present.
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