Summer is the time of festivals in Japan. I’d never visited Japan in summer, but my visit this year occurred at the end of July. From a great many variety of festivals to choose from, I decided to go with only a few as my visit this time would be short. Kagurazaka Matsuri held in the centre of Tokyo appealed me the most as it combined the traditional Awa Odori of Tokushima Prefecture and music played with traditional Japanese instruments.
I arrived at Kagurazaka Dori close to Iidabashi Station at the beginning of the dance procession, around 7pm. Upon my arrival, the first group of dancers began. Each group was dressed in similar outfits, though differentiated by colour and pattern. All of the dancing girls wore the same style of straw hat. Each group was lead by a man with a lantern attached to a long stick and behind each group followed the musicians playing drums, flutes, biwa and other traditional instruments.
I hurried up to the head of the procession so as to not to miss anything. Among the dancers I saw people of all ages including little children and senior citizens. Many of them were happy and excited while others were concentrating very hard on doing their best to repeat dance movements, especially the younger ones. They were cute to watch. I also noticed a few non-Japanese people among the dancers whom I am sure shared the joy of performance with their friends. Watching the procession I thought that it seemed a lot more fun to be a participant rather than a watcher! All of those traditional outfits and dances to music really created a sense of unity amongst the people, a real feeling of connection with previous generations and the culture of their homeland.
Though the street was full of people both standing and sitting on either side of the road, I was able to find good spots to watch and take photos. It’s hard to describe what I felt - happy, excited, a desire to join in and dance with the dancers. Everyone seemed so happy! The dancing procession continued for about two hours, ending at 9pm. Good timing too as the rain soon followed. The street food stalls started closing but I was able to catch a few treats before they did.
The Awa Odori in Kagurazaka really was an unforgettable experience and one I'd highly recommend. I can't wait to come and see future festivals!
