People intoxicated by the dance song echoed throughout the downtown office buildings - 2019 Kyobashi Bon Odori (dance) festival was held

2019.10.08

Kyobashi Bon Odori festival was held on Friday, August 30th and Satuday, 31st at Kyobashi Chuo Hiroba (square) of Kyobashi Edogrand as if it were saying a fond farewell to the end of summer. This is a report on the first day of the festival participated in by the reporter.

 

The Kyobashi Bon Odori festival marked the third time this year from 2017, when the festival made a comeback after about 50 years of absence. The dance song echoed across Kyobashi Edogrand that contains offices and restaurants, which have direct access to the station.

  • People graudually gathering around the stage

  • Shoichi Tomita, the chair of Kyobashi Ichinobu Rengo Neighborhood Association, making the opening declaration

It was about 6:30 p.m. at dusk, when the opening declaration was made.  The first dance song was “It’s the Edo’s Bon Dance (Korega Oedono Bon Dance).” When the song was played, which almost everyone had heard at least once, people gradually gathered around the stage.

 

The sound we heard was music that a Sinobue (Japanese flute) player, Koji Kishida, and other traditional Japanese musical instrument players played. It was a prominently luxury moment that we could dance with the live BGM. The venue livened up more when Myun and Yayo sang “Dancing Hero.”

  • The accompaniment by the traditional Japanese musical instrument players brought additional excitement

  • Live performance by Myun and Yayo

The rhythmical drum beat echoed throughout the Bon dance stage set on the open space surrounded by office buildings. When the venue started heating up, the sun had completely set, the lanterns were beautifully lighted, and the night started where businesspeople in suits on the way back from work enjoyed themselves.

 

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At Tokyo Square Garden, close to the Bon dance venue, a campaign limited for working people was also held in parallel with the Kyobashi Bon Odori festival.

  • Working people continued dropping by due in part to the free canned beer served.

The service is to provide nail art and canned beer free of charge to people working at Kyobashi Edogrand and Tokyo Square Graden. It was planned to improve the awareness by working people of the Kyobashi Bon Odori festival as a local festival.

 

Although it was held for a limited time only between 4 and 8 p.m. on Friday, the 30th, many people came by on the way back from work to enjoy getting the service.

 

When the reporter interviewed a person who visiting after hearing of the service from a colleague, she said “I am so happy to get nail art in such a short time because I am usually too busy to get my nails done,” showing her nails to the reporter.

  • Working people can casually drop by for the nail art service for about 20 minutes

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Many parents with children visited the Bon dance venue despite the location surrounded by office buildings.

 

A mother and child who said, “We enjoyed participating in the event last year,” seemed to fully enjoy yo-yo scooping and superball scooping. Sofas and chairs were placed everywhere at the venue, and visitors were seen resting with the kids tired from playing.

  • A booth that both adults and children could enjoy.

Boothes for superball scooping, string lottery game, and restaurants from Edogrand played a part in livening up the festival. Some fully enjoyed the event as they had been in a beer garden saying, “I am so happy to drink a beer while listening to the Bon dance music.”

  • Booth for popular restaurants – some provided limited menus

A lady who said, “I was looking forward to the event with my colleagues,” brought her yukata and enjoyed the festival on the way back from work after getting help to dress in the yukata at the dressing booth (paid service) set at the venue.

  • People enjoying the event as if they had been in a beer garden

  • Many people were seen in yukata

A man with his colleagues said, “I danced the Bon dance for the first time in a while” with a fresh smile and was pleased saying, “A stage surrounded by office buildings is rare, but I am happy to be able to casually drop by.”

 

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What attracted people to the Kyobashi Bon Odori festival is that not only local people but also other people could casually stop by after work.

 

The reporter got the impression that the festival, which most of the visitors commented, “I came to the event last year,” as the reason for visiting the festival, had already become a too familiar event among the local community to be only the third time after the comeback.

 

You might want to enjoy the Bon dance at the venue surrounded by office buildings for the end of summer.

  • [Outline of the 2019 Kyobashi Bon Odori festival]

    Schedule: Friday, August 30, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
    *Boothes and stands open at 5 p.m.
    Saturday, August 31, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
    *Boothes and stands open at 3 p.m.
    *Held in the rain, but canceled in extreme weather conditions
    Venue: Kyobashi Chuo Hiroba
    Hosted by: Kyobashi Ichinobu Rengo Neighborhood Association
    Sponsored by:  Kyobashi Edogrand Town Management Commitee
    Website: https://www.edogrand.tokyo/