Awa Odori

The Awa Odori (“Odori” is Japanese for dance) Festival is held during 12th to 15th August in Tokushima and is part of the Obon festivals held all over Japan during that time. Obon (お盆) is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the departed spirits of one’s ancestors.

Dancers from the region are chanting and dancing to the tones of shamisen lute, taiko drums, shinobue flute, and kane bell. The song they sing goes like “It’s a fool who dances and a fool who watches! If both are fools, you might as well have fun dancing!”. It’s a very active festivals with the crowd often getting drawn in to dance on the streets with the performers.

The dance dates back to 1587 when the feudal lord Hachisuka Iemasa (1558-1638), in celebration of newly-built Tokushima Castle, offered sake to the people of the castle town; the citizens became so drunk they started to dance in an unsteady gait.

Transport: The festivals are close to the Tokushima railway station and plenty of parking is available too. The festival attracts over 1.3 million tourists every year. If you come by car then make sure you arrive well before 6pm (the time the festivals kicks off each day).

Website: The official website (all Japanese) is here … and Wikipedia has some good info too as always!