Yosakoi Festival

Yosakoi was made up. In 1954 the Kochi chamber of commerce, wanting something to raise spirits in a city doing badly economically, commissioned a new dance based loosely on the Awa Odori of neighbouring Tokushima, with a composed song and two rules: dancers must move forward, and each must carry naruko, the wooden clappers used to scare birds off rice. Everything else is open, so teams write their own arrangements of the Yosakoi Naruko Odori theme in whatever style they like - rock, funk, traditional - and choreograph accordingly, with costumes changed mid-performance and trucks carrying sound systems. Around two hundred teams and some twenty thousand dancers now perform across sixteen street venues over four days in August. The format has spread across Japan and abroad, notably to Sapporo, but Kochi is where it started and remains the largest.

What you actually see

• A dance invented in 1954 - commissioned to lift a struggling city's spirits.
• Two rules only - move forward, and carry naruko clappers; everything else is free.
• Two hundred teams - twenty thousand dancers across sixteen street venues.
• Sound trucks - each team with its own arrangement and its own vehicle.

When to go

9 to 12 August. Two days; the 10th and 11th are the main competition days.

Honest expectations

August in Kochi is very hot and humid and the streets are packed. Accommodation books out months ahead. Free viewing is standing and crowded; seated tickets are limited. Performances run all day across the city, so choosing venues matters.

Nearby

Kochi Castle is in the city; Katsurahama is south on the coast.