This is how one of Tokyo's oldest neighborhoods turns into a dance stage with rain showers

- A centuries-old festival transforms the quiet alleys of Kagurazaka in the Japanese capital, Tokyo, into a moving stage filled with music, rhythm, and community spirit. Every summer, the streets of Kagurazaka in Tokyo bustle with singing and dancing.

Over the course of a few nights, this neighborhood on a slope turns into a stage for the community. During the Awa Odori dance procession, dancers and musicians move as if they are defying gravity.

“The taiko drums and chants resonate deep within us,” Makoto Odagiri, a member of the Kagura dance troupe, describes how he felt during this ceremony. “I think it’s the physical effect it has on you.”

This 400-year-old dance festival dates back to Tokushima. But over the decades, Kagurazaka has made the festival part of its identity.

Although summer rain may change the atmosphere of the evening, this rain does not change the atmosphere of the celebration, as the dancers continue their movements, and the drums continue their beating, all without disturbing the rhythm.