Over the Saturday and Sunday over 200 groups consisting out of 12,000 dancers perform to the delight of locals and tourists.

The Awa dances are performed to lively music and the parade follows nine routes set up along the shopping promenades, located on the north and the south side of JR Koenji Station and Konan Street.

According to the organisers Koenji Awaodori is the second largest Awaodori festival in Japan. Numerous Awaodori festivals are held across Japan every year and the festival in Tokushima is by far the largest.

The inaugural Tokyo Koenji Awaodori Festival was held in 1957 and the festival celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2006. Festival participation is still growing and last year's festival drew over 1.2 million visitors.

Koenji Awaodori also highlights summer in Tokyo. Koenji Awaodori is one of the three largest festivals held every summer in Tokyo along with the Asakusa Samba Carnival and the Sumida River Fireworks Festival.

All the major media outlets in Japan will be covering this year's festival. A memorial booklet will also be published by the Tokyo Koenji Awaodori Promotion Association.

Tourists that would like to experience the Tokyo Koenji Awaodori Dance Festival as well as everything else that Tokyo has to offer have a wide selection of Tokyo hotels to choose from, making an extended stay a relaxing experience.

Koenji gets very crowded during the festival and locals as well as tourists are advised to plan in advance any journeys they plan on taking.

Japan