Awa Odori - (Awa Dance Festival)

The Awa Dance Festival (阿波踊り Awa Odori^?) is held from 12 to 15 August as part of the Obon festival in Tokushima Prefecture on Shikoku in Japan.

Awa Odori is the largest dance festival in Japan, attracting over 1.3 million tourists every year.^[1]
 
Groups of choreographed dancers and musicians known as ren (連) dance through the streets, typically accompanied by the shamisen lute, taiko drums, shinobue flute and the kane bell. Performers wear traditional obon dance costumes, and chant and sing as they parade through the streets.

Awa is the old feudal administration name for Tokushima prefecture, and odori means dance.

The song associated with Awa Odori is called Awa Yoshikono and is a localised version of the Edo period popular song Yoshikono Bushi.

踊る阿呆に	Odoru ahou ni	The dancers are fools
見る阿呆	Miru ahou	The watchers are fools
同じ阿呆なら	Onaji ahou nara	Both are fools alike so
踊らな損、損	Odorana son, son	Why not dance?

The dancers also chant hayashi kotoba call and response patterns such as "Yattosa, yattosa", "Hayaccha yaccha", "Erai yaccha, erai yaccha", and "Yoi, yoi, yoi, yoi". These calls have no semantic meaning but help to encourage the dancers.