Oshougatsu Cultural Festival 2018

The festival is annually organized in Viet Nam, aiming to promote cross-cultural exchanges between Viet Nam and Japan. 

Yosakoi is a high energy traditional Japanese dance performed with wooden clappers called Naruko. Yosakoi was part of the Oshougatsu Cultural Festival. 

The Japanese New Year called ‘Oshougatsu’ represents a significant and meaningful time of cleansing and renewal, of being with family, taking stock of the year gone by and of contemplating the year to come. 

The Japanese Cultural Oshougatsu Festival is a non-profit event hosted by Japanese language club HEDSPI Nichibu. 

The program was decorated with the largest Kadomatsu tree in Viet Nam; along with 10,000 cherry blossoms, 5,000 wisteria flowers and a 3D-decorated space for participants to take photos.

At the festival, participants had the chance to explore the unique cultural features of Japan’s Oshougatsu festival through customs, dishes and traditional games such as Yosakoi dance, Japanese calligraphy, Kendama (Japanese toy consisting of a hammer-shaped handle connected by a string to a ball), New Year omikuji (fortune telling), and Yukatawearing (Japan’s traditional costume). 

The event promises to provide a unique and invaluable insight into Japanese culture and the traditional ambiance of the Oshougatsu new year, enhancing cultural exchange between all those attending.

The Oshougatsu festival held in Ha Noi’s University of Science and Technology attracted thousands of Vietnamese as well as Japanese people. 

                                                                                                                                By Vien Nhu