The One about the 15th Annual Dream Yosacoy Matsuri

I have always heard of Yosakoi, a unique style of dance that originated in Japan and you can see at festivals and events all throughout Japan.

The first Yosakoi festival was held in Kochi back in 1954 but has now become a huge event in which teams from various parts of Japan perform modern to traditional Japanese dance movements and to modern music.

As 6,000 dancers and 80 teams have participated in the Dream Yosacoy Festival which originated in Kochi, the festival is one of the largest and highest-quality festivals to be held in Tokyo and the Dream Yosacoy Festival began in Tokyo in 2002. (Please note: While the word Yosakoi is what is used, for the Dream event, they use “Yosacoy”.)

According to the Dream Yosacoy website:

Japanese dance forms typically preserve what has been handed down, but the yosakoi can be described as a tradition that changes constantly over time, incorporating fashion, design, and dance styles of the era. Also unique is that each team rearranges the traditional song “Yosakoi Naruko Odori” as well as local folk songs and lore in rock and samba styles, and is free to create its own dance steps, hairstyle, and costume. Perhaps it’s this flexibility that inspires the sensitivities of the dancers and appeals to the viewers.

For the 2016 event, the 15th Annual Dream Yosacoy Festival, the huge event has expanded to the Odaiba area. And was held on November 4-5.

This year’s event was fantastic and once one group was done in one section in Odaiba (may it be near Aqua City, near Venus Fort, near Fuji TV, near Diver City, etc.) they moved on to the next area to perform. And with Odaiba really busy, it really brought a lot of people to the area, but also giving people a chance to experience a Dream Yosacoy event.

I enjoyed this event so much that it’s enough to make me want to fly back to Japan and watch the event in its entirety. It’s that exciting and I feel that having the event in Odaiba made it so much easier to access and enjoy the event during the day and night.

So, if you are in Japan during the end of summer or fall, definitely give this event a chance!

Here are a few videos that I shot from the 15th Annual Dream Yosacoy Matsuri in Odaiba: