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As you all know, I live in Japan and I love festivals. This is fortunate for me because summer is the time of year that has the most of these colorful and exciting events.

Along with firework displays and portable shrine processions, summer here is known for the Bon Odori - traditional Bon dancing. For this, teams of dancers dressed in summer kimono dance around a central stage. First as a display for the neighborhood and later in the evening everybody from toddlers to pensioners joins in.

The atmosphere is like a street party with snacks, games and other treats to choose from. There are lots of stalls selling summer treats like yakitori – roast meat on sticks. Corn on the cob, baked octopus, baked rainbow trout, shaved ice drinks and even kitty chan candies.

Everybody carries fans to ward off the heat or use as part of the dance, and a great time is had by all.

However, recently in my neighborhood, a new kind of dance has become popular. It is called the Yosakoi and originated in the north of Japan. Both the clothes and the dance itself are very different to the Bon style. The clothes worn are based on the traditional wave patterns of the culture of Hokkaido with everybody carrying a kind of castanet called a ‘naruko’.
The music and dance is much more exciting than the traditional Bon and it is usually done in large teams – a little bit like the Brazilian samba – with the group members designing their own costumes and putting in a lot of training before the event. Teams often include members of all ages, sometimes even toddlers and the enthusiasm and excitement of the dancers is just wonderful.

Anyway, less of me rabbiting on. Lets watch some of the dancing.

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Go to Rikai.com Japanese

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