Students enjoy Japanese matcha drinks at the festival.
On Feb. 23, the Japanese Student Association (JSA) hosted its highly anticipated annual festival Matsuri, bringing a taste of Japanese summer traditions to Pittsburgh. This event, held in the Rangos Ballroom, featured authentic street food, cultural performances, and interactive games, historically drawing hundreds of attendees from both Carnegie Mellon and the greater Pittsburgh area.
Koharu Matsuki, JSA’s Vice President of Internal Affairs and a sophomore studying mechanical engineering, described Matsuri as JSA’s largest event of the year. “[We] build into Matsuri, and use the first semester as engaging
members, have a few smaller events, and then really hype them up for Matsuri,” Matsuki said.
In Japan, Matsuri festivals are a common summer tradition that features street food, performances, and community celebrations. “Even if you’re just going outside to go shopping or something, when you’re going home, you just run into one sometimes,” said Matsuki, who is originally from the Tokyo area. “They happen in every neighborhood at some point during the summer.”
By incorporating traditional elements such as Japanese street food, taiko drumming, and dance, JSA aims to recreate an authentic Matsuri experience for Carnegie Mellon students and the Pittsburgh community. “This year, we were able to get the performance side as well, mirroring something that you would see in Japan,” Matsuki said.
The planning for Matsuri begins months in advance. According to Matsuki, JSA starts logistical preparations before winter break, outlining schedules and tasks to ensure smooth execution when the spring semester begins. A key part of the preparation are JSA’s “mini-cooks.” “We usually use Fairfax for [its large] kitchen to teach members how to cook authentic Japanese food, like yakisoba [stir-fried noodles] and takoyaki [fried octopus snacks],” Matsuki explained. “We did choco-banana [banana dipped in chocolate] this year, all of which are being sold at our event on Sunday.” They also served cream puffs, udon, scallion pancakes, matcha, and bottled Japanese drinks.
The festival also featured games, which participants could pay to participate in with tickets. These included kingyo-sukui (goldfish scooping), shateki (a shooting game), kan-taoshi (milk bottle toss), mahjong, a Kahoot trivia quiz, and kendama (a game where participants attempt to swing a ball onto a stick).
Sponsorship and partnerships also play a crucial role in making the festival a success. This year, Matsuri is sponsored by and partnered with local businesses like Sushi Fuku, T-swirl Crêpe, Carnegie Mellon University Modern
Languages, Carnegie Mellon Taiwanese Student Association, and Origami Club. “It really depends on who’s available and willing to chip in each year,” Matsuki noted.
Matsuri has expanded significantly in recent years. “Two years ago, they did it down in Connan, and it was just packed with people,” Matsuki recalled. “That was when Matsuri really became big, and that’s why we moved to Rangos.”
Matsuki estimated that in the past couple of years, attendance has been “at least, like, 200, 300 would be a low estimate.”
The event’s growth can be partially attributed to strategic outreach. Last year, JSA invested in Instagram ads, successfully attracting attendees beyond the Carnegie Mellon student body. “I think that really worked out well for us. We were able to pull in more people from Pittsburgh that are interested in Japanese culture,” Matsuki said.
On the day of the festival, attendees were welcomed with free entry, and given the opportunity to purchase food, play traditional festival games using paper tickets, and enjoy live music and dance performances. Pittsburgh Taiko not only performed drumming routines but also led an audience participation segment featuring Tankō Bushi, a Japanese communal dance traditionally performed at summer festivals. There were other musical and dance
performances, including a student band called Arthur and Friends that performed covers of songs by Kirinji, a Japanese band founded in 1996, and a student dance troupe who performed Whiplash by aespa, a South Korean girl group.
As JSA continues to expand the festival each year, Matsuri remains
a vibrant celebration of Japanese culture, offering attendees an immersive experience filled with food, music, and tradition.
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