#NICE2018: One hot Cultural Day

I have landed in Davao this Saturday to see the second day of the Nippon Industrial and Cultural Exchange as well as the 2018 National Finals of the World Cosplay Summit Philippines.

After arriving at Davao International Airport, I went directly to the Almendras Gym (Davao Recreational Center). It’s still 6 in the morning, and the gym’s not yet open. I am greeted by a few staff including Nico, of which I assume is the event’s floor director.

There’s not that much happening in the first few hours, but once the program has started around 2:00pm, things went in full swing. Demonstrations of Japanese martial arts Aikido, Karate and Kendo (the Kendo performance was wilder than the practice session I attended a long time ago).

Following that are the cosplay-related segments, such as the on-stage discussion of World Cosplay Summit Philippines alumni, as well as a brief stage appearance of Reika and Tae Yeon (Minemes).

From left to right: WCSPH alumni Vincent Estapon, Team Symphony of Swords, and Yukari Nina Guerzon (of Team Starseeker).



In one of my live updates on Facebook, you should see this:

Awesome. If I may, Tae Yeon also helped translate what Reika was saying on stage. It’s her third time in Davao, and nothing has changed: She’s still Reika.

I wonder if she has watched Wotakoi already. Mmmmmmmm I need to watch that. Maybe I’ll ask her that question.

Let’s not forget that there’s also activities outside the Gym — one of the people I featured on keepsakes., Sofia Abigail Sanches, sang on stage along with other Jpop fans.

The band Morning Star had a much bigger impact though, because the vocalist is WCSPH alumni Ping Ong. On the other side of the bleachers are two people with light sticks, which made them stand out from the rest of the crowd.

The last part of Day 2 is the Cosplay Pop-out. Here, the cosplayers do specific skits from various series they are representing. This one photo of a cosplayer donning Haise Sasaki should reflect what it’s all about.

More stories and photos will come your way soon.