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Japan's largest dance festival, Awa Odori draws 1.3 million spectators to Tokushima city over four days in mid-August. Thousands of ren (dance groups) in straw hats, yukata, and geta clogs dance the distinctive awa-odori step through the city's streets and designated stages, chanting 'The dancing fool and the watching fool โ both are fools, so why not dance?' The electric atmosphere is contagious.
Held every year from August 12โ15 in Tokushima City, Awa Odori is one of Japan's largest and most exhilarating dance festivals, drawing 1.3 million visitors to watch and join the hypnotic two-step rhythm of the Awa dance. Professional ren (dance groups) in elaborate costumes parade through dedicated performance streets while the crowd chants the famous refrain: 'The dancing fool and the watching fool โ both are fools, so why not dance!' The city transforms completely for these four days.
The Naruto whirlpools are at their most powerful during spring tides โ the two to three days around each new and full moon throughout the year, with the most dramatic displays in March and September when tidal range is greatest. Boat operators publish monthly calendars of the best viewing times, and the spectacle of whirlpools up to 20 metres across draws crowds from across Japan. The combination of a full-moon night cruise with bioluminescent water in summer is particularly memorable.
The Shikoku 88 Temple Pilgrimage sees the highest number of white-robed henro walkers from March through May and October through November when temperatures are moderate. Tokushima contains temples 1โ23, the 'Awakening' stage of the circuit, and seeing groups of pilgrims moving between temples is a moving and distinctly Japanese experience. The Awa Pilgrimage Support Association organises guided walks of the Tokushima section for foreign visitors.
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