"YOSAKOI"

Yosakoi (よさこい) is a unique style of dance that originated in Japan. Yosakoi started in the city of Kōchi in 1954, as a modern rendition of Awa Odori, a traditional summer dance. Yosakoi-style dancing has spread throughout much of Japan. The style of dance is highly energetic, combining traditional Japanese dance movements with modern music. The choreographed dances are often performed by large teams. Along with a number of professional yosakoi schools and town dance teams, yosakoi is also a popular event during the sports festivals held by Japanese elementary, junior, and senior high schools. Yosakoi participants include men and women of almost all ages – sometimes within a single team. In the dialect of Tosa province (modern-day Kōchi Prefecture), "yosakoi" means "Come at night."

Growing popularity of Yosakoi

Yosakoi dance performed by Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember team in Surabaya.

Since its introduction in 1954, yosakoi has become popular throughout the country of Japan. Now, Yosakoi-Soran festivals are held all over Japan, throughout the year. They vary in size from small villages hosting a few teams of dancers in conjunction with another annual festival, to large cities like Sendai, which hosts the Michinoku Yosakoi Festival, the third largest festival in Japan.

As of 2005, there were yosakoi festivals and competitions in over 200 locations.

• In Tokyo, the Harajuku Omotesando Genki Matsuri Super Yosakoi^[1] is a two-day yosakoi festival that takes place in five locations in Harajuku and Yoyogi Park. This festival has occurred annually since 2001.
• The Sakado, Saitama Yosakoi started in 2001 with 67 teams and 4600 paritcipants. The 11th festival was in 2011.^[2]
• Sapporo, Hokkaido held its inaugural Yosakoi Sōran Festival in 1992. The 16th festival began on June 6, 2007, in Odori Park and other venues.
• Sasebo, Nagasaki hosts the largest Yosakoi festival on Kyushu at the end of every October.
• Yosakoi has appeared on the television drama "Kinpachi Sensei" (3年B組金八先生).
• In Surabaya, which is a sister city of Kōchi, there is an annual Yosakoi competition. In 2007, the prize was presented by the mayor of Kōchi, Seiya Okazaki.
• In Sekolah Alam Shah, Putrajaya, during the Form 1 Cultural Night one of six sport houses will perform yosakoi.
• Internationally, Yosakoi is performed in Penang, Malaysia every year in July by local enthusiasts called the Pink Hibiscus Yosakoi Dancers, as well as in Accra, Ghana as an annual celebration to strengthen ties between Japan and Ghana.

An example of yosakoi dancing can be seen in the feature film The Harimaya Bridge, which was filmed in Kōchi Prefecture