TOKUSHIMA -- The Awa Odori festival began in Tokushima on Sunday, organized for the first time by a committee led by the Tokushima municipal government after it was revealed that one of the previous organizers had incurred huge debts.
Performers entertained spectators with dynamic dances on the first day of the festival, with drums and shamisen providing the musical backdrop.
The Awa Odori festival was co-organized by the Tokushima city tourism association and The Tokushima Shimbun local newspaper until last year. However, it was found that the association had racked up a cumulative deficit of over 400 million yen, prompting the Tokushima municipal government, which had covered the tourism organization's losses, to seek court-led bankruptcy proceedings.
The organizing committee expects over 1.2 million visitors to the Awa Odori festival, which runs through Wednesday.
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