Awa Odori
Awa Odori is Japan's largest dance festival, staged in Tokushima over several days in mid-August during the Obon period. Its history in the region runs past four hundred years. Dancers perform in troupes called ren — companies, neighbourhoods, universities and schools each field their own — moving down the street in a loose two-step to the shamisen, flute, bell and taiko rhythm known as zomeki. The women dance upright on the toes of geta in tall arched straw hats; the men move low and loose, closer to comedy than to ceremony. The festival's signature chant translates roughly as "fools dance and fools watch, so you may as well dance", and that spirit shows: after the ticketed stages finish for the night, open dance areas let anyone join in. Performances run at both paid grandstand venues and free street stages, and the city draws well over a million visitors across the run, several times its own population.
Event information
| When | Usually held in mid August; check the official site for the latest schedule |
|---|---|
| Where | Tokushima |
| Access | The dance venues are spread through central Tokushima within about ten minutes' walk of JR Tokushima Station. Tokushima has no shinkansen: most visitors come by highway bus from Osaka or Kobe across the Akashi Kaikyo bridge in roughly two and a half hours, by limited express from Okayama or Takamatsu, or by air to Tokushima Awaodori Airport. |
| Schedule status | Check the official site |
| Official information | Open the official site |
Practical tips
- Tokushima has limited hotel capacity for the size of the crowd. Book as early as you can, or plan to sleep in Osaka, Kobe or Takamatsu and travel in — highway buses run late during the festival.
- Reserved seats at the main paid venues are sold in advance and the good sections go quickly. Free street stages need no ticket and are the easier option if you decide late.
- Wear clothes you can move in and stay for the open dance sessions after the ticketed shows: visitors are genuinely welcome to join, and the ren members will show you the step.
- Mid-August is peak domestic travel season across Japan, so reserve long-distance seats and buses at the same time as accommodation.
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