Koenji Awa Odori Festival

The 60th Koenji Awa Odori Festival takes place over two days on the last weekend of August.  While a surprisingly high number of events at this time of year take place during the scorching daytime heat, this festival is a bit more sensible with festivities kicking off during the cool of evening. Everything starts just as the sun is setting at 5pm and the procession finishes promptly at 8pm – on both days.  Organisers tout 10,000 dancers and musicians and an expected 1 million people turning up to watch.

The procession of dancers takes place along the wide road that runs to the south of JR Koenji Station, with two distinct performance zones – one next to the JR station and another located closer to Shin-Koenji Station on the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line.

(Greg Lane)