Last month, the Esplanade-Theatres on the Bay added a new festival to its already packed calendar – the “Super Japan-Japanese Festival of Arts” – packing out the bayfront arts centre and delighting the crowds who simply couldn’t keep away.
Indeed, the last three days of the 10-day festival were so popular that I thought I had taken the wrong MRT exit and ended up in a department store taking part in the early Great Singapore Sale. I was later informed that it was partly because of the Matsuri, a street food bazaar and a Singaporean journalist colleague was quick to point out that whenever “street” and “food” are put in the same phrase in a country where street hawkers are never seen, this kind of response is only to be expected.
Of course, most people were not there just for food – the queue was too long and the food ran out soon anyway – but for the variety of ticketed and free-admission dance, theatre and music programmes, from traditional to contemporary, at all corners of the Esplanade. Even Pikachu, the short, chubby rodent who used to be called Pokemon, flew in from Japan to meet and greet fans.
The festival made sure that there was something for anyone and demonstrated that there’s a lot more to Japan and its culture than what is already so familiar. And like with so many cultural festivals, it provided an opportunity for me to go out of my artistic comfort zone and learn more.
The programme also drew on connections with Singapore, as evidenced in the “Music with Scenery” concert at the Recital Hall, featuring Japan’s Haruka Nakamura Piano Ensemble and it frequent collaborator, Singapore’s ASPIDISTRAFLY. Tickets for the show sold out so quickly that one more performance needed to be added.
The Singaporean duo appeared on the low-lit stage first and was followed after the intermission by the Japanese ensemble. The two acts then joined up for a set of their collaborative numbers, playing contemporary jazz compositions filled with ambient sounds and rhythms that didn’t differ much from one song to another. And even though their collaboration sounded like they were completing each other rather than creating something new from their encounter, the experience was enchanting.
Three evenings later at the same venue, the mood completely shifted at another sold-out concert “Songs of the Ryukyu Islands” by Unaigumi. The ensemble represented Okinawa, a part of Japan with a distinctive culture with which few of us are familiar. Okinawan goodies bags, with a map and souvenirs, were also handed out at the door. Performing both traditional Okinawan and new folk songs, the four women singers also played on the three-stringed sanshin (lute) with backing from their producer Kazuya Sahara, who was on the keys. Thanks in part to the fact that three out of four were members of the internationally renowned Okinawan group Nenes in the 1990s, Unaigumi exuded both the spirit of their sisterhood and their islands, and the new folk songs showed the audience how folk music traditions continue to develop. The fact that member Misako Koja is married to Sahara also made his introduction of songs and their conversation hilarious at times. And like in many traditional music concerts, the audience was invited to get up and dance along at the end.
Originally planned as a one-off festival, the popular and critical success of “Super Japan” might well make the Esplanade change its mind.
Next big hit
– As part of the Esplanade’s da:ns series, Sir Matthew Bourne’s “The Sleeping Beauty” will be at the Esplanade Theatre from August 4 to 7. Tickets are from SGD 40 to 125 (SGD 30 and 55 for students and seniors), at www.Sistic.com.sg. For more details, visit www.Esplanade.com.
This source first appeared on The Nation Life.