On February 23, the Japanese Student Association (JSA) hosted its popular annual festival, Matsuri, in the Rangos Ballroom, bringing a slice of summer in Japan to Pittsburgh. This vibrant event showcased authentic street food, cultural performances, and interactive games, attracting crowds from Carnegie Mellon and the wider Pittsburgh area.
Koharu Matsuki, the JSA’s Vice President of Internal Affairs and a sophomore in mechanical engineering, called Matsuri the group’s biggest highlight of the year. “We build up to this event,” she shared. “During the first semester, we engage members with smaller events, then create excitement for Matsuri.”
Matsuri festivals are common in Japan during the summer, featuring street food, performances, and community celebrations. Matsuki, hailing from the Tokyo area, said, “In Japan, you can stumble upon these festivals while shopping. They pop up in every neighborhood throughout the summer.”
The JSA aims to replicate this lively atmosphere by incorporating traditional elements like taiko drumming and dance. “We worked hard this year to mirror the authentic performances you would find in Japan,” Matsuki said.
Months of planning go into making Matsuri a success. JSA starts preparing well before winter break, setting schedules and tasks for a seamless event. A key part of this preparation involves cooking sessions using Fairfax’s large kitchen. “We teach our members how to make classic Japanese dishes like yakisoba and takoyaki,” explained Matsuki. “This year, we also made choco-bananas, which will be sold at the festival alongside cream puffs, udon, scallion pancakes, matcha, and Japanese drinks.”
The festival also featured a range of fun games for attendees to enjoy with ticket purchases. Games included kingyo-sukui (goldfish scooping), shateki (shooting game), kan-taoshi (milk bottle toss), mahjong, a Kahoot trivia quiz, and kendama (a game where you catch a ball on a stick).
Sponsorships are vital to the festival’s success, with local businesses like Sushi Fuku and T-swirl Crêpe partnering with JSA this year. “We always rely on the support of local businesses,” Matsuki said. “Who joins in can change each year.”
The festival has seen significant growth in recent years. Matsuki recalled, “Two years ago in Connan, it was packed. That’s when Matsuri really took off, which is why we moved to Rangos.” She estimated that attendance has reached at least 200 to 300 in recent years.
Strategic outreach has also played a role in this growth. Last year, JSA used Instagram ads to widen their reach, effectively drawing a more extensive audience from Pittsburgh interested in Japanese culture. “It worked well, and we saw a lot more local attendees,” Matsuki noted.
On the day of Matsuri, attendees enjoyed free entry, the chance to buy food, participate in traditional games, and watch live performances. Pittsburgh Taiko led the way with a drum performance and even invited the audience to join in on Tankō Bushi, a communal dance often seen at summer festivals. Other performances included a student band covering songs by the Japanese band Kirinji and a dance troupe performing a hit by aespa, a South Korean girl group.
With each passing year, Matsuri strengthens its role as a lively celebration of Japanese culture, offering an immersive experience filled with delicious food, music, and cherished traditions.
