Hatsudai Awaodori Festival 2015

This year’s two day Awaodori festival in Shibuya Ward’s Hatsudai was just as great as usual. Lots of great dancers and a splendid effort from all the organizers and volunteers who helped pull it all off. Here are just a few of the snapshots I took during the first day of the festival. I will have time to properly go through the image some day in the far future when I am retired!

In these photos you will find the Hatsudairen (初台連), the Hachamecharen (波奴連), the Otoriren (鳳連), the Gorakuren (伍楽連) and the Susonoren (すそ野連).

Hatsudai Awaodori Festival Coming Up!

If you are in Tokyo over the Silver Week you might as well live up the last day of the holidays by visiting the great Hatsudai Awaodori Festival in Shibuya’s Hatsudai district, the first day was today but the second is coming up tomorrow (or today, depending on the time zone where you are reading this) the 23rd. Great fun for the entire family and lost of chances to eat, drink, and see the easily most festive of all Japanese traditional dances!

Here are some photos of the home team – the famous Hatsudairen (初台連) performing at last year’s festival. I hope this year’s second day is not as rainy!

Koenji Awaodori Festival 2015

The end of August is the big weekend for Awaodori enthusiast as it is when the biggest annual festival outside of Tokushima Prefecture takes place. This year was just as massive as usual with huge crowds and tens of thousands of dancers, drummers, flutists etc. I was at my usual spot, selected for the little bend in the road which means that if I am very lucky and get a clear line it looks like the dancers are coming right at me. Which they are, until they turn to follow the road. Here are some photos of just a few of the participating teams: Hisagoren (ひさご連), Tsutsujiren (つつじ連), Tamakiren (たまき連) and Ochjaren (おぢや連).

Takarabune at Kagurazaka Awaodori Festival

At the 44th Kagurazaka Awaodori Festival in Tokyo’s Shinkjuku Ward I managed to catch the final performance and grande finale of Takarabune giving one of their usual spirited performances. They have recently spent quite a lot of time promoting Japan and Japanese culture abroad and it is good to have them back in Tokyo! Always a crowd pleaser, I absolutely recommend trying to catch this excellent team for the mood, the atmosphere and the smiles!