Held on the last weekend of August, Koenji Awa Odori is one of the largest Awa Odori dance festivals outside Tokushima, drawing around one million spectators over two days. More than 10,000 dancers and musicians from hundreds of ren (dance troupes) parade through the shopping streets of Koenji in rhythmic formations. The festival began in 1957 as a local merchant promotion and has grown into an unmissable Tokyo summer event. The infectious chant of 'Yattosa!' and the clatter of shamisen, taiko and fue fill the warm summer air.
- Type
- Festival
- Category
- Matsuri
- Season
- Summer
- Month
- Late August
- Region
- Kanto
- Prefecture
- Tokyo
- City
- Koenji, Tokyo
Highlights
- ◆Over 10,000 performers in traditional costumes across multiple street stages
- ◆Roughly one million spectators over two evenings
- ◆Lively street food stalls throughout the Koenji shopping district
- ◆Free viewing areas alongside ticketed elevated stands
- ◆Easy access from central Tokyo via Chuo Line