``If you look like an idiot to a dancing idiot, if you're the same idiot, it's a loss if you don't dance.'' Awa Odori, known for its musical accompaniment, is Japan's largest Bon dance, held every year from August 12th to 15th in Tokushima City, Tokushima Prefecture. The number of visitors during the period is approximately 1.3 million. In 2026, the eve festival will be held in Asti and Kushima on August 11th (Tuesday/holiday), and the actual festival will be held from August 12th (Wednesday) to August 15th (Saturday).
💃 阿波おどりの踊り方
Awa Odori dance is deceptively simple. The basic movement is called ``Nanba-walking,'' in which the right hand and right foot, and the left hand and left foot are brought forward at the same time in time with the rhythm of two beats. However, the movements of skilled dancers are so sophisticated that it is hard to believe that they are all the same basic movements.
Dancers dance in groups called ren. There are approximately 1,000 ren in Tokushima City, of which there are approximately 20 to 30 groups known as famous ren. Famous Ren practices throughout the year and shows off their skills at various dance halls during the festival.
There are two types of dance: ``Otoko Odori'' and ``Onna Odori.'' The Otoko Odori is a dynamic dance where the dancers lower their hips and move their arms and legs. Wear a happi coat or hanten and use a fan or tenugui. The women's dance is an elegant dance in which the dancers stand on their tiptoes, wearing deep woven hats and geta (geta). The unique pose of raising both hands high is a symbol of female dance.
The accompaniment is a shamisen (shamisen), drum (taiko), gong (kane), and flute (fue), and the rhythm of the music called ``zomeki'' reverberates throughout the city.
Awa Odori experience points
- Enbujo:There will be four paid performance halls and a free performance hall located in the city center. The paid performance hall has box seats (reserved seats and non-reserved seats), and tickets go on sale from July every year. If you want to see the famous dancers from the front, you are sure to get a paid seat.
- Dance with “Niwaka Ren”:There is a ``Niwakaren'' group that you can participate in even if you have no dancing experience. There is no need to apply in advance; just go to the meeting place, receive some simple choreography instruction, and then dance around town.
- Time zone:Dancing at the dance hall is from 18:00 to 22:30. There is also a ``Jiyuenbu'', where the ren dance freely outside the dance hall, and the entire town becomes a place for dancing.
- access:It is a 5-15 minute walk from JR Tokushima Station to each performance hall. It takes about 2 hours and 40 minutes from Osaka to Tokushima by express bus. From Tokyo, it is approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes by plane to Tokushima Awaodori Airport. During the festival period, hotels in Tokushima City are almost fully booked, so early reservations are required. Another option is to stay in surrounding cities, towns, and villages such as Naruto City and Komatsushima City.
🏯 阿波おどりの起源
There are multiple theories about the origin of Awa Odori. The most famous theory is that in 1586, Hachisuka Iemasa celebrated the completion of Tokushima Castle by serving sake to the townspeople living in the castle town, and the people started dancing. However, there are no reliable historical materials to support this theory. The current general understanding is that it began spontaneously as a type of Bon dance and evolved into its current form over the course of about 400 years.
Awa Odori is held not only in Tokushima City, but also in Koenji, Tokyo (approximately 1 million visitors on the last Saturday and Sunday of August) and Minamikoshigaya, Saitama. However, the authentic Awa Odori festival, which turns the entire city of Tokushima into a dancing venue and attracts 1.3 million people over four days, is different in size and atmosphere from other venues.
In Tokushima in August, the temperature is around 35℃. Whether you are attending or watching the dance, please make sure you have plenty of drinking water and take adequate precautions against the heat.