Italian week at Osaka expo

Italian week at Osaka expo

Dancers perform the Awa Odori traditional folk dance of Japan's Tokushima Prefecture at a ceremony marking the opening of the eight-day Italian week at the World Exposition in Osaka on Sept. 7, 2025.

Italian week at Osaka expo

Italian week at Osaka expo

Dancers perform the Awa Odori traditional folk dance of Japan's Tokushima Prefecture at a ceremony marking the opening of the eight-day Italian week at the World Exposition in Osaka on Sept. 7, 2025.

Awa dance festival in western Japan

Awa dance festival in western Japan

Dancers perform on the opening day of the five-day Awa Odori traditional folk dance festival on Aug. 11, 2025, in Tokushima, western Japan.

Japan Parade in New York

Japan Parade in New York

Dancers perform the Awa Odori traditional Japanese folk dance during the fourth Japan Parade event on an avenue along Central Park in New York on May 10, 2025.

Awa dance performance at World Exposition

OSAKA, Japan, May 4 Kyodo - Dancers perform the Awa Odori traditional folk dance of Japan's Tokushima Prefecture at the World Exposition in Osaka, western Japan, on May 3, 2025. About 700 dancers from nine groups in the western Japan prefecture took part in the event. (Kyodo)

Awa dance performance at World Exposition

Awa dance performance at World Exposition

Dancers perform the Awa Odori traditional folk dance of Japan's Tokushima Prefecture at the World Exposition in Osaka, western Japan, on May 3, 2025. About 700 dancers from nine groups in the western Japan prefecture took part in the event.

Awa dance performance at World Exposition

Awa dance performance at World Exposition

Dancers perform the Awa Odori traditional folk dance of Japan's Tokushima Prefecture at the World Exposition in Osaka, western Japan, on May 3, 2025. About 700 dancers from nine groups in the western Japan prefecture took part in the event.

Awa dance performance at World Exposition

Awa dance performance at World Exposition

Dancers perform the Awa Odori traditional folk dance of Japan's Tokushima Prefecture at the World Exposition in Osaka, western Japan, on May 3, 2025. About 700 dancers from nine groups in the western Japan prefecture took part in the event.

Awa dance performance at World Exposition

Awa dance performance at World Exposition

Dancers perform the Awa Odori traditional folk dance of Japan's Tokushima Prefecture at the World Exposition in Osaka, western Japan, on May 3, 2025. About 700 dancers from nine groups in the western Japan prefecture took part in the event.

Awa dance performance at World Exposition

Awa dance performance at World Exposition

Dancers perform the Awa Odori traditional folk dance of Japan's Tokushima Prefecture at the World Exposition in Osaka, western Japan, on May 3, 2025. About 700 dancers from nine groups in the western Japan prefecture took part in the event.

Japan tourism promotion event in New York

Japan tourism promotion event in New York

Dancers perform the Awa Odori traditional folk dance of Japan's Tokushima Prefecture during a tourism promotion event at Japan Village in New York on Aug. 31, 2024.

Japanese culture festival in London

Japanese culture festival in London

Dancers demonstrate the Awa Odori traditional Japanese folk dance during Japan Matsuri, a festival of Japanese culture, at Trafalgar Square in London on Oct. 1, 2023.

Japan's 'Awa-Odori' folk dance staged in S. Korea

Japan's 'Awa-Odori' folk dance staged in S. Korea

SEOUL, South Korea - A Japanese "Awa-Odori" folk dance group performs with a traditional Korean dance company during a cultural exchange event between the two countries held in Seoul on Oct. 22, 2014.

Japan's 'Awa-Odori' folk dance group performs in Seoul

Japan's 'Awa-Odori' folk dance group performs in Seoul

SEOUL, South Korea - A Japanese "Awa-Odori" folk dance group performs during a cultural exchange event between Japan and South Korea held in Seoul on Oct. 22, 2014.

'Awa Odori' dancing robot unveiled

'Awa Odori' dancing robot unveiled

TOKUSHIMA, Japan - Tokushima Gov. Kamon Iizumi (R) and Tetsuo Agata, president of auto parts maker JTEKT Corp., pose with the symbolic "Awa Odori" hand gesture in announcing the "Awa Odori robot Sudachi-kun" (C) at the Tokushima prefectural office in Tokushima City on Aug. 1, 2014. The 160-centimeter-tall, bipedal robot will perform during the Awa Odori summer dance festival beginning Aug. 12.

Imperial family members watch 'Awa Odori' folk dance

Imperial family members watch 'Awa Odori' folk dance

TOKYO, Japan - Emperor Akihito, Empress Michiko and other imperial family members watch the "Awa Odori" dance of Tokushima Prefecture, western Japan, at a music hall in the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on July 13, 2014. (Pool Photo)

Tokushima Vortis supporters perform Awa Odori

Tokushima Vortis supporters perform Awa Odori

TOKUSHIMA, Japan - Supporters of Japanese soccer club Tokushima Vortis perform a flash mob Awa Odori dance to wish for a victory by the last-place team of the J-League before its game in Naruto, Tokushima Prefecture, on May 3, 2014.

Hut with roof like straw hat for Awa Odori dance

Hut with roof like straw hat for Awa Odori dance

TOKUSHIMA, Japan - People in this undated photo take a break under a hut, built in the city of Tokushima, with a roof designed to look like a straw hat worn by women dancers in the local Awa Odori Festival. The hut was designed by architect Ichiyo Uta who designs rest huts for people taking part in "Shikoku O-Henro," or the Shikoku Pilgrimage on Shikoku Island.

Awa Odori dance festival in Tokushima

Awa Odori dance festival in Tokushima

TOKUSHIMA, Japan - Dancers perform their synchronized moves in front of crowds during Awa Odori, a popular summer dance festival in Tokushima, on the night of Aug. 12, 2010.

Awa Odori dance festival begins in Tokushima

Awa Odori dance festival begins in Tokushima

TOKUSHIMA, Japan - Dancers perform in unison during Awa Odori, a signature summer dance festival in Tokushima Prefecture starting on Aug. 12, 2010.

Awa Odori dance festival begins in Tokushima

Awa Odori dance festival begins in Tokushima

TOKUSHIMA, Japan - Dancers perform in unison during Awa Odori, a signature summer dance festival in Tokushima Prefecture starting on Aug. 12, 2010.

Tokushima's Awa Odori folk dance festival begins

Tokushima's Awa Odori folk dance festival begins

TOKUSHIMA, Japan - Colorfully costumed dancers step out to the sound of ''shamisen'' stringed instruments and ''taiko'' drums in the city of Tokushima on Aug. 12, the first day of the annual four-day Awa Odori folk dance festival. More than 950 dance groups involving 100,000 dancers will participate in the festival, which has more than 400 years of history.

Awa Odori dancing festival begins in Tokushima

Awa Odori dancing festival begins in Tokushima

TOKUSHIMA, Japan - Women dance in the traditional Awa Odori dancing festival that opened Aug. 12 for a four-day run in Tokushima, southwestern Japan.

Awa-odori dance festival begins in Tokushima

Awa-odori dance festival begins in Tokushima

TOKUSHIMA, Japan - The Awa-odori dance festival starts in the city of Tokushima, Tokushima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, on Aug. 12. During the four days through Aug. 15, the city is gripped by Awa-odori fever. Photo shows women wearing ''yukata'' (cotton kimono for summer) and ''sugegasa'' (sedge hats) performing on the city's street.

Scantily dressed samba dancers dancing in Kobe Festival

Scantily dressed samba dancers dancing in Kobe Festival

KOBE, Japan - A team of scantily dressed samba dancers are performing Awa Odori, a variation of Buddhist bon dance, known as ''Fool's Dance,'' in the western Japan city of Kobe, on July 20, during the annual Kobe Festival. The summer festival reaches a peak as the samba dancers are dancing along the main street.

Awa-Odori summer festival begins

Awa-Odori summer festival begins

Traditional Awa-Odori summer festival begins in Tokushima Prefecture, western Japan, on Aug. 12. During the 4-day festival, groups of men and women perform a variation of the traditional Bon dance throughout the streets in the city of Tokushima, encouraging onlookers and tourists to join.

THOUSANDS FROLIC TO ANNUAL AWA BEAT

THOUSANDS FROLIC TO ANNUAL AWA BEAT==Date:Aug, 1962, Place:Tokushima, JAPAN,(Credit:INTERNATIONAL MOTION PICTURE/Kyodo News Images)

Group from east Japan wins 1st national "Awa Odori" dance contest

Group from east Japan wins 1st national "Awa Odori" dance contest

Photo shows a group of dancers from Soka, Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo, at the first national "Awa Odori" folk dance contest in the city of Tokushima, western Japan, on Nov. 29, 2015. The group won the contest. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Award ceremony at 1st national "Awa Odori" dance contest

Award ceremony at 1st national "Awa Odori" dance contest

An awarding ceremony is held at the first national "Awa Odori" folk dance contest in the city of Tokushima, western Japan, on Nov. 29, 2015. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

"Awa Odori" folk dance event in Paris

"Awa Odori" folk dance event in Paris

Around 30 dancers from the western Japan prefecture of Tokushima perform the Awa Odori folk dance with some 150 French citizens at an exchange event at the Japan Cultural Institute in Paris in the capital of France on Oct. 1, 2015. The group of dancers plans to dispatch 300 members to the event next year. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

"Awa Odori" folk dance event in Paris

"Awa Odori" folk dance event in Paris

Photo taken Oct. 1, 2015, in Paris shows an exchange event, during which around 30 dancers from the western Japan prefecture of Tokushima performed the Awa Odori folk dance with some 150 French citizens at the Japan Cultural Institute in Paris. Tokcy (3rd from L in front line), a mascot character from Tokushima, also joined them. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

"Awa Odori" folk dance event in Paris

"Awa Odori" folk dance event in Paris

Around 30 dancers from the western Japan prefecture of Tokushima perform the Awa Odori folk dance with some 150 French citizens at an exchange event at the Japan Cultural Institute in Paris in the capital of France on Oct. 1, 2015. The group of dancers plans to dispatch 300 members to the event next year. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

"Awa Odori" folk dance festival begins in Tokushima

"Awa Odori" folk dance festival begins in Tokushima

Dozens of groups perform the traditional Awa Odori folk dance in front of Tokushima city hall on Aug. 12, 2015, at the start of the four-day summer dance festival in Tokushima Prefecture, western Japan. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

"Awa Odori" folk dance festival begins in Tokushima

"Awa Odori" folk dance festival begins in Tokushima

Women and girls perform the traditional Awa Odori folk dance in front of Tokushima city hall on Aug. 12, 2015, at the start of the four-day summer dance festival in Tokushima Prefecture, western Japan. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Poster featuring game characters to pitch Awa dance festival

Poster featuring game characters to pitch Awa dance festival

A giant poster featuring video game characters is seen in a shopping street in Tokushima, western Japan, on July 10, 2015, to publicize the annual Awa Odori dance festival in mid-August. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Troupe performs Awa dance at Japan Expo festival near Paris

Troupe performs Awa dance at Japan Expo festival near Paris

Members of Takarabune, a Tokyo-based creative dance company, performs Awa Odori, one of Japan's best-known traditional folk dances, originating in the western Japanese prefecture of Tokushima, at Japan Expo 2015 on July 2, 2015, on the outskirts of Paris. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Publisher hoping to attract more foreigners to Awa Odori festival

Publisher hoping to attract more foreigners to Awa Odori festival

Kazuhide Minami, editor in chief of the free magazine "Awa Odori Press," holds the German version of the magazine in the western Japan city of Tokushima on May 15, 2017. The magazine that provides information on one of Japan's largest dance festivals held every summer in the city will be published in multiple languages and likely will be made available at tourist centers across Japan from June 2017. ==Kyodo

Publisher hoping to attract more foreigners to Awa Odori festival

Publisher hoping to attract more foreigners to Awa Odori festival

Photo taken in May 2017 shows proposed designs for the multilingual free magazine "Awa Odori Press," that provides information about one of Japan's largest dance festivals held every summer in the western Japan city of Tokushima. The local publisher, Sarugakusha, will issue the magazine in June 2017, trying to reach out to more visitors from overseas. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Publisher hoping to attract more foreigners to Awa Odori festival

Publisher hoping to attract more foreigners to Awa Odori festival

Photo taken in May 2017 shows the cover of the German version of the free magazine "Awa Odori Press," that provides information about one of Japan's largest dance festivals held every summer in the western Japan city of Tokushima. The local publisher, Sarugakusha, will issue the magazine in multiple languages in June 2017, trying to reach out to more visitors from overseas. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Awa Odori dance festival in Tokushima

Awa Odori dance festival in Tokushima

TOKUSHIMA, Japan - Dancers perform their synchronized moves in front of crowds during Awa Odori, a popular summer dance festival in Tokushima, on the night of Aug. 12, 2010. (Kyodo)

Awa Odori dance festival begins in Tokushima

Awa Odori dance festival begins in Tokushima

TOKUSHIMA, Japan - Dancers perform in unison during Awa Odori, a signature summer dance festival in Tokushima Prefecture starting on Aug. 12, 2010. (Kyodo)

Japan's 'Awa-Odori' folk dance staged in S. Korea

Japan's 'Awa-Odori' folk dance staged in S. Korea

SEOUL, South Korea - A Japanese "Awa-Odori" folk dance group performs with a traditional Korean dance company during a cultural exchange event between the two countries held in Seoul on Oct. 22, 2014. (Kyodo)

'Awa Odori' dancing robot unveiled

'Awa Odori' dancing robot unveiled

TOKUSHIMA, Japan - Tokushima Gov. Kamon Iizumi (R) and Tetsuo Agata, president of auto parts maker JTEKT Corp., pose with the symbolic "Awa Odori" hand gesture in announcing the "Awa Odori robot Sudachi-kun" (C) at the Tokushima prefectural office in Tokushima City on Aug. 1, 2014. The 160-centimeter-tall, bipedal robot will perform during the Awa Odori summer dance festival beginning Aug. 12. (Kyodo)

Imperial family members watch 'Awa Odori' folk dance

Imperial family members watch 'Awa Odori' folk dance

TOKYO, Japan - Emperor Akihito, Empress Michiko and other imperial family members watch the "Awa Odori" dance of Tokushima Prefecture, western Japan, at a music hall in the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on July 13, 2014. (Pool Photo) (Kyodo)

"Bon" dance festival near Statue of Liberty

"Bon" dance festival near Statue of Liberty

People perform Awa Odori, a Japanese Buddhist custom "Bon" midsummer dance in Japan's Tokushima Prefecture, during a two-day festival on Governors Island in New York near the Statue of Liberty on Aug. 30, 2019. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Japan's Awa Odori dance festival

Japan's Awa Odori dance festival

The Awa Odori traditional dance festival is held in Tokushima Prefecture, western Japan, in August 2018. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Awa Odori festival in western Japan

Awa Odori festival in western Japan

People partake in the Awa Odori traditional dance festival in Tokushima Prefecture, western Japan, on Aug. 13, 2018. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Awa Odori festival in western Japan

Awa Odori festival in western Japan

People partake in the Awa Odori traditional dance festival in Tokushima Prefecture, western Japan, on Aug. 13, 2018. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Awa Odori festival in western Japan

Awa Odori festival in western Japan

People partake in the Awa Odori traditional dance festival in Tokushima Prefecture, western Japan, on Aug. 13, 2018. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

Awa Odori festival in western Japan

Awa Odori festival in western Japan

People partake in the Awa Odori traditional dance festival in Tokushima Prefecture, western Japan, on Aug. 13, 2018. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo