Koenji Awa Odori
The main reason we went to the Bon Odori in Hibiya was because my friend wanted to "dance at a festival" - she initially wanted to go to the Koenji festival, but when I told her that it's more like a parade that you watch than a festival that you participate in, we decided to go to both! More excuses to go out in yukata, haha!
I was also going to give her my old bicycle, so I biked over to her house first, where we went to a bike shop to change the registration, and then we changed clothes at her place.
Yay~
The parade was 3 hours long O_O I'd heard it was one of the biggest festivals in Tokyo and the biggest Awa Odori in Tokyo, but I never imagined how many people were actually dancing in it. We were lucky enough to get a good spot, (and then an even better one when some people left in the middle of it because it was taking so long) even though we only arrived about an hour before it started. We arrived exactly when officials started closing the road for traffic and laid out sheets for spectators to sit on, and the space was taken within seconds, so you really just had to be at the right place at the right time. We hadn't really planned on it - we'd just walked around some of the local shops and food stalls to kill time, and we just happened to be done at the right time.
I'd gotten this lime drink, which I could fill up again and again from my own water bottle to create more lime-flavored water :3
I liked how in contrast to other Awa Odori festivals I've seen, the groups were all made up of people of all ages and genders, rather than having a separate kids' parade first. Watching a parade of kids alone is, well, pretty boring ^^; But watching them participate with the adults was super cute! Some moms were even participating while carrying their baby on their back, or holding their kids' hands. (This girl walked way ahead of her group by herself though, much to the adoration of the audience)
I wonder how old the oldest participant was... There were quite a few people like this, too! =O
Each group had their own costume, and they were all gorgeous!
So colorful! *-*
When the parade was over and we were walking back to the station, I was interviewed by an English-speaking reporter who I think wanted to hear tourists' enthusiastic, amazed impressions of seeing a festival like this for the first time - he seemed really disappointed at my answers (Yes, it was fun. No, it's not my first time seeing Awa Odori. No, I'm not visiting Japan, I've lived here for years. Yes, I know what the origins of the dance are. Well, I think it's cool it but I wouldn't say it's my favorite.) So I don't think he'll use them, lol. He should've asked my friend instead, since it was her first time seeing it ^^;;; Oh well, his loss xD
I was also going to give her my old bicycle, so I biked over to her house first, where we went to a bike shop to change the registration, and then we changed clothes at her place.
Yay~
The parade was 3 hours long O_O I'd heard it was one of the biggest festivals in Tokyo and the biggest Awa Odori in Tokyo, but I never imagined how many people were actually dancing in it. We were lucky enough to get a good spot, (and then an even better one when some people left in the middle of it because it was taking so long) even though we only arrived about an hour before it started. We arrived exactly when officials started closing the road for traffic and laid out sheets for spectators to sit on, and the space was taken within seconds, so you really just had to be at the right place at the right time. We hadn't really planned on it - we'd just walked around some of the local shops and food stalls to kill time, and we just happened to be done at the right time.
I'd gotten this lime drink, which I could fill up again and again from my own water bottle to create more lime-flavored water :3
I liked how in contrast to other Awa Odori festivals I've seen, the groups were all made up of people of all ages and genders, rather than having a separate kids' parade first. Watching a parade of kids alone is, well, pretty boring ^^; But watching them participate with the adults was super cute! Some moms were even participating while carrying their baby on their back, or holding their kids' hands. (This girl walked way ahead of her group by herself though, much to the adoration of the audience)
I wonder how old the oldest participant was... There were quite a few people like this, too! =O
Each group had their own costume, and they were all gorgeous!
So colorful! *-*
Click to viewWhen the parade was over and we were walking back to the station, I was interviewed by an English-speaking reporter who I think wanted to hear tourists' enthusiastic, amazed impressions of seeing a festival like this for the first time - he seemed really disappointed at my answers (Yes, it was fun. No, it's not my first time seeing Awa Odori. No, I'm not visiting Japan, I've lived here for years. Yes, I know what the origins of the dance are. Well, I think it's cool it but I wouldn't say it's my favorite.) So I don't think he'll use them, lol. He should've asked my friend instead, since it was her first time seeing it ^^;;; Oh well, his loss xD