Awa Odori

Over this past weekend, Japan celebrated a holiday called "Obon." It's a time to celebrate your ancestors and is rooted in Buddhist religion. As Japanese legend tells it, a buddhist disciple, wanting to save his mother's spirit from hell, went to the monks and made offerings to save her. Thusly she was saved, went to heaven or zen and her son danced in celebration. (this was an extremely condensed version of the legend) As I understand it Obon is when people travel back to their hometown to be with family. Kind of like our Christmas...but without the religious overtones and gifts.

Remember the part where the disciple danced? This is probably one of the more integral parts of the legend since the major attraction during Obon here in Tokushima-ken is the Awa Odori festival. Literally translated Awa Odori means Tokushima and Dance respectively. I heard from someone that the dance was boring but after witnessing it over the weekend I couldn't disagree more. It's a delight to watch.

Awa Odori is a classical Japanese dance accompanied by similarly classical instruments such as drums, flute, shamisen (a stringed instrument), and gongs. Though there are conflicting beliefs on how the dance came about, I choose to believe it was to welcome the spirits during the Obon season. Traditionally, the dance had men and women doing separate parts. Today, women can perform the men's role but the opposite doesn't occur (when does it ever in any society??) The men, wearing a short yukata (summer kimono), white shorts, a headband and a strange version of tabi (socks meant for Japanese flip-flops), dance low to the ground, a fan in one hand and chanting. The steps are slow but deliberate and look deceptively easy. It's not. You need a good deal of coordination to be able to carry off the dance with the grace that these dancers showed. The women wear colourfully decorated, full-length yukatas, a straw hat, and in addition to the tabi, they also wear zori (traditional flip-flops with two wedges on the bottom). Their dance is performed with straighter posture and both arms in the air imitating the act of picking flowers. The amazing thing is, the women balance themselves on the very tips of their zori the entire time while dancing. With my sense of balance having fled when I stopped ballet, I would've fallen many times over.

The men dance their part first, followed by the women in a very well choreographed set of lines. While they dance they repeat a chant, started by one dancer and followed up by the group. What they say translates to: "Fools are dancing and fools are watching too. Both are fools ,why not dance!" (sorry, the translation sounds so cheesy, you have to hear it in Japanese where it goes perfectly with the music and dance). After the dancers come the musicians, egging the dancers on and occasionally stepping up the tempo to entice the dancers the move more quickly, which was my favourite part of the dance.

In Tokushima City, where I first watched Awa Odori, it's a formal affair. The streets are roped off and the spectators kept a good distance from the approaching dancers and musicians. While this was a great experience, I rather enjoyed Sadamitsu's more casual approach to the festival. The streets are fairly small and narrow so there isn't too much room to sit and watch. As a result, people mill around and you're right next to the action. Everyone has a front-row view and therefore, can enjoy it more. I also enjoyed the sno-cones they sold at virtually every block. Small streets equals easy access to the refreshments being sold during the festival. Nothing screams a good time like readily available snacks and sweets.

All age groups are included in Awa Odori, from toddlers to the elderly, and they all look like they're enjoying themselves immensely. This is the key to a successful performance and it made this former dancer want to kick off her western-style shoes and join in.