CONNECT CULTURE
David Cowland-Cooper (Tokushima) interviewed by Marco Oliveros (Tokushima) Awa Odori is both a dance style and one of the biggest festivals in Japan. For four days in August, locals and visitors, in the thousands, pour out into the streets of Tokushima to join what’s basically a massive dance party. The dance fever has even swept up JETs, other parts of Japan, and places overseas. Here’s an inside look from one JET, David Cowland-Cooper. Could you tell us a little about Awa Odori and its origins? Also, what started your personal interest and passion in Awa Odori? Awa Odori is popularly thought to have originated around 1586 during the celebration of Tokushima castle’s construction. Awa is the traditional name for the eastern part of Shikoku, now Tokushima Prefecture. The Japanese word odori literally means dance. The drunken dancing of the Awa locals, accompanied by simple but
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catchy music, was entertaining, eventually taking on a life of its own as “the fool’s dance” of Awa Province. Even prior to the 16th century, the roots of Awa Odori lie in Bon Odori, traditional dancing connected to the annual Obon festival in August. Bon dances have been practiced for centuries and are still done all over Japan, with styles that vary region to region. Most traditional Bon Odori are relatively low-key local events, but Awa Odori has evolved into a massive spectacle of performance lasting several days. It is a wonderful expression of the spirit of Tokushima’s people. New teachers coming to Japan as part of the JET Programme generally arrive in the middle of summer, which is festival season across the country and peak time for Awa Odori in Tokushima. As part of our new Tokushima JET orientation, before doing actual teacher training, my JET group
