The Yosakoi Festival lasts for four days, from August 9-12, and heats up the south of the country and Kochi. It is a carnival in mid-summer, where people wear elaborately made costumes and perform boisterous dances in the streets of Kochi.
The festival began 60 years ago. It started with the aim of blowing away the economic slump, giving the residents health and prosperity, and stimulating the shopping streets. Gradually, the number of participants grew, and now it has grown into a festival that represents Japan, with around 200 teams, made up of a total of almost 20,000 dancers who gather from all over the country.
The costumes are varied, including happi coats (short kimono), kimono, and folk costumes; there is a rich variety, all emblazoned with team colors. The genre of the music is chosen freely, and there is rock and samba music. The brightly decorated vehicles known as “jikatasha” lead the dancers, who beat out a rhythm using instruments called “naruko,” which sound like castanets, and move forwards in tight dancing groups.
You can watch at 16 stages set up in different parts of Kochi City, and there is also paid seating where you can watch from a gallery. You can even join in the actual dancing; there are practice sessions for the traditional choreography of the naruko dance before the real thing, so you can join in with peace of mind, even if it is your first time. People are accepted on a first-come-first-served basis from 17:00 on the August 10 and 11, on the eastern side of Kochi Prefectural Government Main Building (you can also be accepted by telephoning in advance). There is a 2,500 yen participation fee (with naruko and a happi coat made from Tosa washi (paper)). Please inquire at “Attaka Kochi Dancing Team (+81-88-823-5941).”(This information is as of March 2018)