Written by Adriana Paradiso
Researched by Alexandra Ziminski
Taking place outdoors on the closed-off streets of Kōenji, this summer festival knows how to put on a traditional dance party. The festival originates in the prefecture of Tokushima at the north end of the island of Shikoku.
What happens?
The Kōenji Awa Odori Festival fills two days with shedloads of dancing. 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. Organizers tout 10,000 dancers and musicians and an expected 1 million people turning up to watch.
Schedule
Everything starts just as the sun is setting at 5 p.m. and the procession finishes promptly at 8 p.m. – on both days.
Tickets 2025
If you don’t want to be jostled around by the crowds, consider reserving a seat. Special viewing seats cost ¥15,000 and can be reserved online.
How to get there
The procession of dancers takes place along the wide road that runs to the south of JR Kōenji Station, with two distinct performance zones — one next to the JR station and another located closer to Shin-Kōenji Station on the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line.
