Japanese language and culture enthusiasts enjoyed a day of activities and contests in this year’s NCF & PIJLC Open House event held last October 7 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Manila. The line-up of activities included on-the-spot contests like cosplay, Kana writing, anime drawing, and karaoke while cultural activities included Origami making, Yukata wearing, Omikuji (fortune telling), and free Nihongo lessons.
With over 100 registered guests, the Open House started the morning with the Kana writing contest where participants presented their skills in writing Hiragana and Katakana characters. The Yukata wearing activity was also opened and visitors had the experience of wearing the traditional Japanese summer kimono complete with accessories like the Uchiwa (Japanese paddle-shape, non-folding fans) and Geta (traditional wooden sandals) with the help of NCF staff. Some participants brought along their whole family and took fun selfies while wearing the colorful outfit.
The afternoon was reserved for the very popular Karaoke contest, where contestants sang their best versions of Jpop songs to the delight of the crowd. Ma. Romina B. Arizapa bagged the top prize for the Karaoke contest while other contest winners were also announced in the afternoon including first place winner for Cosplay and Kana writing, Ms. Kesselyn Joy Piamonte and Drawing contest top winner, Joanne Christine Masing. All winners received gift certificates and giveaways.
For this year, the Open House event also welcomed various partners who set up booths such as a VR gaming booth by Tek-Info VR, and other food and merchandise concessionaires. Jellyfish Education, which provides consultancy services for living and studying in Japan, also had a booth to accommodate interested applicants while Professional Staffers under John Clements Consultants, a global recruitment firm, joined the event to offer available positions for job seekers with Japanese language skills.
NCF teacher trainees also offered free Nihongo lessons during the morning while teachers and students gave a special Yosakoi (festival dance) performance after lunch. A raffle for visitors was also held towards the end of the program.
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Resources:
2017 NCF&PIJLC Open House Photo Album
2017 Open House List of Winners
