Tokushima Miyoshi City Cancels “Ikeda Awaodori” This Year

Ritsuko May 22, 2020Last Updated: June 9, 2020

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Popular bon dance in Japan Shikoku region

Due to the spread of the new Coronavirus, Miyoshi City, Tokushima Prefecture, has decided to cancel the “Ikeda Awa Odori Eve Festival” scheduled for August 13 this year and the “Ikeda Awa Odori Festival” scheduled for August 14-16.

What is “Ikeda Awaodori”?

People in the prefecture started to dance the “Bonodori” in the late modern period (late Edo period).

During the Meiji era, they created “Odori Ren” in each district and each district of Ikeda, and some group had 100 to 150 people.

In 1955, the Ikeda Awa Odori dance was transformed into a “showing Awa Odori” to follow the trend of Awa Odori in Tokushima City, which became a tourist attraction.

They built a Yagura at the key points of the road, set up a stage in front of Awa Ikeda station that could raise up to 100 people, ran a record of “Awa Yoshiko” and danced in a circle.

Until the latter half of 1955, the main stage was located in front of Awa Ikeda station, and participants danced in a circle.

Around 1960, a caravan corps like the current tourist association went to the other three prefectures to dance to promote Awaodori, and many tourists came to visit.

In the current Ikeda Awa Odori, there are also “ren” from other municipalities, with a total of 35 to 38 people participating every year, the eve of 8/13 and the production of 8 / 14-16 every year. During this festive time, nearly 70,000 people visit the area, almost 3 times of Miyoshi city’s population.

Visitors enjoy the “Ikeda Awa Odori” along with the hot springs of Miyoshi City, while doing sightseeing “Oboke Koboke” and “Iya no Kazura Bridge”, which are the tourist attractions of Miyoshi City.

Tokushima City’s “Awaodori” is large in scale, but “Ikeda Awaodori” gives a secret popularity as audience can come close to the crazy-dancing “ren”.