Koenji Awaodori

Tokyo sure loves its dancing festivals. It's always a trip to see Tokyoites, who are usually pretty reserved and buttoned up, grinning from ear to ear and dancing with (sometimes wild, sometimes nicely choreographed) abandon.

Koenji hosts one of the city's biggest yearly knee slappin' yee haws! This year marks the district's 55th Awaodori ("Awa dance") Festival, which is spread out over two days. People line Koenji's narrow lanes and alleys to watch thousands of dancers and musicians stream past.Performers of all ages get in on the act, which is very much like Mardi Gras, without the beads, booze (well, there is some booze), or frontal, um....revelations.

After the year Japan has had, it's fine time to getting around to lessez les bons temps roulez, Tokyo style!

More after the jump:

TONS of peace keepers on hand (they were all very friendly).

Many shops and restaurants in Koenji get in on the fun by setting up stalls in front:

This was a kind of rest pit area the dancers congregated in before moving on.

Angling for the best view

Did I mention Awaodori draws big crowds?

Thanks for reading. I'll be tagging future posts like these as "Life in Japan" to provide a common link for easier reference.