(VNF) - Under a brand new theme “Monogatari – Once upon a time”, the Japanese Culture Fair Ichigo Ichie 2017 attracted a large number of visitors, particularly youngsters and students, on the opening hour at the Hanoi Children Palace on August 20^th.

Participants are also invited to take photos and discuss with Vietnamese cosplays.

Inspired by fairy tales, an essential part in everyone’s childhood memories, the one-day festival re-enacted the many folklores of Vietnam and Japan with theatrical sets made by the organizers and volunteers of the fair themselves.

The opening ceremony featured martial arts performances of kendo and yosakoi (Japanese traditional dance).

The festival offered visitors an opportunity to try on yukata (summer kimono), and try paper folding (kirigami, origami), water balloon scooping and furin (wind chime) making as well as Japanese cuisine at 20 booths.

Visitors, especially young people, were very fond of Japanese summer traditional dance shows – Yosakoi; cosplay performances; Japanese singing; Vietnamese and Japanese traditional games like Hanetsuki (battledore and shuttlecock, one of the Japanese traditional games played in a new year), Kendama (Japanese toy consisting of a hammer-shaped handle connected by a string to a ball), Suikawari (smashing watermelon game) as well as the fashion show.

Children playing water balloon scooping at the festival.

Ichigo Ichie 2017 took its name from ‘ichigo ni ichido’ meaning "one chance in a lifetime" in Japanese. The term reminds people to cherish any gathering that they may take part in, citing the fact that many meetings in life are not repeated. Even when the same group of people can get together again, a particular gathering will never be replicated, and thus, each moment is always once-in-a-lifetime. ‘Ichigo Ichie’ is Japanese life philosophy of “Live everyday as though it were your last”.

The festival aimed to create a playground for young people and enhance friendship between the Vietnam and Japan./.

Minh Phuong