Awaodori Dance Performed 40 Meters below Ground in Tokyo

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:13 JST, December 23, 2024

The sounds of drums reverberated against the walls of underground stormwater basin on Sunday in Tokyo, where an Awaodori dance performance was held 40 meters below the ground.

The dancers performed in perfect unison in the basin constructed across Tokyo’s Suginami and Nakano wards in preparation for flooding from natural disasters.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of Construction and others organized the event to promote awareness of the basin for runoff from the Kanda river.

Dancers from the Kikusui-ren, a group belonging to the Koenji Awaodori association, performed for 33 appreciative spectators who signed up for a tour of the facility, taking photos and videos using their smartphone cameras.