Asakusa Awa Odori

Revived for the first time in 14 years — what a break — Asakusa Awa Odori is a festival celebrating a popular traditional summer dance.

What is Awa Odori?

The dance festival (odori means dance) has its origins as a summer Obon festival. ‘Awa’ was the pre-Meiji name for the area in which Tokushima City is located. The festival was renowned as a raucous and drunken event and over the years a distinctive dance style emerged. There are a variety of styles of dress for men and women and they typically dance separately or together in large choreographed groups. Many of the female dancers wear distinctive hats which are made from tatami.

It’s a chance to see participants donning traditional Obon outfits, singing, chanting, and dancing throughout the neighborhood — a summertime classic.

What happens?

10 dance groups will participate outside Asakusa Yokocho and along Asakusa Rokku Broadway (from Annex View Hotel to Uniqlo Asakusa) between 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Schedule

Each dance group will have its own schedule of where they will be at any given time and what particular choreography they will perform, so make sure to check each individual group’s social media accounts. For example, Asakusa Kaminari Ren (Asakusa Thunder Ren) will perform Nagashi Odori at 4 p.m. outside Annex View Hotel.