Jenko's Japan: Awa Odori 2013 - 12th

So for those of you who have been following my blog for a while now, you may remember the post I wrote on Awa Odori last August (posted in September). Well guess what, as Awa Odori is an annual thing, and I am still in Tokushima, I got the chance to watch/participate in it once again!
I'm not going to go into any detail about the festival itself as I have already written about it before. However, I did just want to write a quick post about my experience of it this year.

So as I didn't help out at English camp this year, I was able to spend more time enjoying the sights and sounds of Tokushima during it's busiest time of the year. This year, Todd and I decided that we wanted to get as much out of the event as possible, but we didn't just want to dance, we wanted to spend some time seeing it from the other perspective - that of viewers enjoying the atmosphere of the festival.

The festival started on Monday and I found myself signed up to dance with a different dance troupe than I had last year. This ren was TIA (Tokushima International Association) and Todd, as well as some other friends, had danced with them last year. It was a really good night starting off with getting into our happi (short yukata-like coats) and spending some time eating and drinking and getting to know the other dancers. Then we had a quick practice dance in the park opposite before it was time to head out to dance and the three stages we were scheduled to do. It was a great night as it was just a smaller number of my JET and non-JET friends who participated. It was extremely hot but so much fun as you can't help getting wrapped up in the buzzing atmosphere and I had a constant grin on my face the entire night!

Simon, Todd and I in the food and drink area

Colin getting some practice in!

Todd, Simon, Peter, Colin and Jansen (I love the happi!)

A cheeky photo mid-dance!

With the ren's lantern

Quite a large group of us wandering through the lantern lit streets towards our next stage

Tuesday night was the night that Todd and I had put aside for us to go and watch Awa Odori. We got into the city around 4:30 and proceeded to wander around the various streets stumbling onto different rens performing their choreographed dances. We also took this time to soak up the atmosphere in a different way by trying out some of the wonderful festival food that was on offer. It was a fantastic night and probably my favourite of the three. It was great to have the freedom of moving around wherever we wanted and staying in one spot for however long we wanted. What was also nice was how many of our friends we bumped into on our wanderings - especially those that participate in their local rens (not just the foreigner ones where anyone can join). We were excited to see them perform as they had been practicing for months previous to the event so we wanted to go and support them and see their hard work pay off. A highlight of the evening came in the form of Todd and I getting tickets to sit at one of the stages where you can watch various rens walk through. It was really fun to watch from the stage, as previously we had only seen them from the ground as we walked through with our own rens. It was a great evening and really fun to see the more professional rens go past and perform. The main reason we went to this particular stage was because I knew my JTE would be coming through with her ren. They were the last group to go through so we had to wait a long time before we got to see them, but it was definitely worth the wait! Unfortunately because she was in the traditional female costume with her hat pushed low over her face, I couldn't actually make out where she was. However, the whole group was an absolute spectacle to see and it was fascinating watching all the woman dance in perfect timing. It was beautiful and we're glad we stuck around to watch.

Our friend Mark dancing with his ren

Some of the costumes are so colourful and beautiful

Bella dancing with Kabuki ren


Anna in Kabuki ren

Another friend Monica in a different ren!

2013 Awa Odori

Watching from the stands

My JTE's ren

Finally, Wednesday night saw us back in the ren that I had danced with last year - Arasowaren. This year I did not go for the woman's outfit (one time was more than enough thank you!) so instead I went for the new shorter happi. We went into the main conference room where we had some food and drink and got to talk to some of the new JETs that had arrived. Then it was out on the (extremely hot and humid) streets ready to start dancing. Unfortunately we were only scheduled to dance through two stages, which was a shame, but it meant there was more time just to hang out with everyone out on the streets, soaking up the atmosphere, and getting in some spontaneous dancing. I can't emphasise enough just how amazing this festival is. You get so much adrenaline by participating, and even if you're not dancing you can't help but get carried away with the festive vibe that hits the city. It's just a shame the festival can't go on longer, or that we can't have more festivals like this during the year. However, after three days of going into the city I can safely say that I have had my fill of Awa Odori this year, and I am looking forward to having a bit of a break for the next few nights.