Sunday, August 25, 2013

Otsuka Awaodori 大塚阿波おどり


On Saturday evening I went out with a friend to the Otsuka Awaodori festival. The festival consisted of over a thousand dancers in the street, most belonging to local companies or neighborhood groups (like the PTA). The dancers were accompanied by drummers, flutes, and chanting, and each had their own distinctive costuming. It seems that the festival is related to Obon, comes from Tokushima, and was brought to Tokyo by migrants. The dancing style was distinguished by gender for the most part, but some of the groups seemed to mix up the styles. Also in true Japanese fashion, there was plenty of open drinking and street food stalls, making for a great night out.





No comments: