Awa Odori - One of Japan's Three Great Bon Festivals

Awa Odori is Japan's largest bon dance festival held annually during the Obon period in August in Tokushima City, Tokushima Prefecture. With over 400 years of history, it is believed to have originated from the celebrations when people in the castle town danced to celebrate the construction of Tokushima Castle in 1586 (Tensho 14). The festival centers around teams called "ren," consisting of dancers in vibrant costumes and live musicians playing shamisen, taiko drums, flutes, and gongs. The beautiful contrast between the dynamic "men's dance" and the graceful "women's dance" performed by dancers wearing braided hats, combined with the two-beat rhythm accompanied by the chants "Yatto sa, Yatto yatto," envelops the entire festival in a whirlwind of excitement. The city streets become performance stages at night, where ren parade through the streets in "nagashi odori" (flowing dance). Spectators can join as "niwaka-ren" (impromptu groups) and dance together, making it an open festival where viewers and dancers unite in enjoyment. More than one million visitors come from across Japan and around the world, making it a major cultural event that colors Tokushima's summer.