Over 40,000 persons joined the Matsuri Festival on Saturday and Sunday at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila City.

Matsuri is a new outdoor Japanese festival organized by OtaCutE in partnership with The Japan Foundation that showcases the crossover between the culture of the Philippines and Japan through music, pop culture, tradition, food, and entertainment.

In an interview, OtaCutE CEO Kenzaburo Kobayashi said that the event was held to promote Japanese culture to Filipino people.

"We want many matsuri (festivals) to take place in the Philippines, where many young people enjoy Japanese culture," Kobayashi said

Kobayashi also hoped that festivals like the Matsuri Festival would be an annual event.

Filipino and Japanese cosplayers Maria Ozawa, Myrtle Sarrosa, Kitz Cua and Arin-sama among others held paid meet-and-greet events for fans during the festival.

Around 150 exhibitors featured various products from the Philippines and Japan, including the Daily Manila Shimbun.

Various artists and performers from the Philippines and Japan graced the event, among them were former Pinoy Big Brother housemates James Reid and Fumiya Sankai (also known as singer Fumi), anime theme song singer Maki Otsuki, and Japanese artist Diana Garnet.

A cosplay competition also took place on the second day of the festival, where the grand champion was awarded a trip to Tokyo sponsored by ZipAir.

Other activities such as drift driving, taiko drumming, karate, kimono shows, and karaoke contests also took place in the two-day event. Yzabela Velez-White/DMS