dance like fools

Awaodori

Awaodori is a dance performed at summer festivals throughout Japan, but originates from Tokushima prefecture on the southwestern island of Shikoku. Shikoku is one of the four main islands of Japan, but the one that is often forgotten, because it does not have a major city like Fukuoka or Nagasaki in Kyushu, or Sapporo in Hokkaido. Shikoku’s largest city is in Kagawa Prefecture, Takamatsu, the 41st most populous city in Japan. Tokushima city is the third of the 3 Shikoku cities in the top 100 list and 86th place is not very high on that list.

However, despite its lack of population, Tokushima is the source of one of Japan’s main holiday traditions. In fact, the name Awaodori itself is based on Tokushima’s feudal period name, Awa. Odori, which means dance, completes the name, which is what the dance is called throughout Japan.

Awaodori, although the dancers wear costumes that are not dissimilar to those worn at Japan’s many festivals and is danced to music played on common shamisen lutes, taiko drums, shinobue flutes, and kane bells, is extremely distinctive. Not only the dance itself, but also the signature songs (chants, really) are alluring, charming, and fun. However, what the dancers sing (there are some minor variations) is quite wonderful:

Odoru ahou ni The dancers are fools

Miru ahou Observers are fools

Onaji ahou nara They are both fools so

Odorana son, son Just dance (or you miss it)

Koenji Awaodori

The Koenji Awaodori is one of several held in Tokyo and one of many held throughout Japan. Celebrated for 58 years, Koenji Awaodori has a tradition that makes it a great event in its own right. In fact, with around 1.2 million revelers enjoying the celebration each year, it rivals some of Tokyo’s biggest annual events. The crowds, for the most part, remain on the sidelines. However, as the dance troupes march through the city’s many squares, many of the spectators hear the calls of the dancers and join in the daydream, becoming fools together.

Koenji is in the Tokyo district of Suginami. With a population of over half a million people, it is one of the most populous in Tokyo. Still, it’s highly unlikely that the Koenji area has more than, say, a tenth of the total Suginami population. However, with over 500,000 people visiting each Awaodori day, it is surprising that there is room to watch the dance. However, it is even more surprising that the Tokushima event itself attracts around 1.3 million tourists each year, allowing it to remain the oldest and largest. For a city with fewer than 300,000 inhabitants, this is no small feat.

The men and women who perform in awaodori perform a series of similar steps, drawing triangles in the air with their hands, but with different postures. Women tend to stand more upright, while men stoop and twist more. Some of the men dance in wild twirls, reminding me of dervishes of Persian origin.

beauty and power

The things that make the Awaodori more attractive are their beauty and power. The beauty is quite obvious. The costumes, the fancy dancing, and the young women are gorgeous.

The power of the music, the rhythms, the spinning hands and the constant spinning in the summer heat make the temperature rise. Good food and good drink make for a glorious night. I always hope it never ends.

One of the best dance groups I saw this year was Bikkuri-ren. Bikkuri, which means surprise, was a great surprise. Their synchronized athletic movements were a joy to watch. Each of the groups of dancers within the company – the children, the young women, the young men, the frantic and comical dancers, and the musicians and percussionists – in turn made the crowd gasp with their performance. .

With over 150 dance groups and 12,000 dancers, performing on eight different parade routes, I only got to see a fraction of the performances. But the great food, the raw power, the mesmerizing music, and ultimately the incredible beauty will draw me back again next year.