Yosakoi Soran Festival

Overview

The YOSAKOI Soran Festival is a large-scale dance festival held in Sapporo City, Hokkaido, every year in early June, coloring the early summer of Sapporo. Modeled on the Yosakoi Matsuri of Kochi Prefecture, it is a festival born from combining the naruko clappers held in both hands with the Soran Bushi, a folk song representative of Hokkaido, and dynamic performances unfold in which dancers sound the naruko and dance to phrases of the Soran Bushi. At venues throughout Sapporo, beginning with Odori Park, the sight of teams of large numbers in matching costumes dancing forward one after another is overwhelming.

Beginning in 1992 with a mere 10 teams and 1,000 participants, this festival grew rapidly thereafter, and in recent years about 270 teams and 27,000 dancers from all over Japan and even from abroad take part, and it has developed into a world-scale festival whose audience exceeds two million people. As a citizen-participation festival in which a wide range of generations centered on young people take part, it has become a major event indispensable to the early summer of Sapporo.

History and Origins

The YOSAKOI Soran Festival began in 1992. The one who created the opportunity was Gaku Hasegawa, who was a student at the time. Strongly impressed by the Yosakoi Matsuri of Kochi Prefecture, he thought to realize its heat and energy in Hokkaido as well, and together with his companions he launched a new festival. Inheriting the naruko that is the foundation of the Kochi festival, while incorporating the folk song Soran Bushi as an element unique to Hokkaido, decisively determined the originality of this festival.

The first festival started at a scale of 10 participating teams, 1,000 participants, and an audience of 200,000 people. The new dance festival, brimming with youth and momentum, captured people's hearts in an instant, and the number of participating teams and spectators increased dramatically with each passing year. Spreading not only within Hokkaido but throughout Japan and even abroad, by 2017 it had grown to gather about 270 teams and 27,000 participants and an audience of about two million people.

What forms the foundation of the festival is the style of dancing while holding naruko, inherited from the Yosakoi Matsuri of Kochi, and the Hokkaido folk song Soran Bushi. Soran Bushi was originally a work song sung during herring fishing, and its powerful and rhythmical melody goes well with the dance. By fusing these two elements, the YOSAKOI Soran Festival became a dance festival with an originality unique to Hokkaido, a little different from the original in Kochi.

The rules imposed on participating teams are only two: to hold naruko in the hands, and to include a phrase of the Soran Bushi in the music. Otherwise, the arrangement of the music, the choreography, and the costumes are free. This high degree of freedom gave rise to truly varied performances, from the traditional to the modern, and became the driving force for its growth into a festival in which the creative ingenuity of each team is fully displayed. Today it is known throughout the country as a representative of the Yosakoi-style festivals.

Highlights

The Fusion of Naruko and Soran Bushi The greatest feature of the YOSAKOI Soran Festival is that dancers sound the naruko held in both hands while dancing to phrases of the Hokkaido folk song Soran Bushi. The performance, in which the clattering sound of the naruko and the powerful melody of the Soran Bushi become one, produces a distinctive force different from the Yosakoi of Kochi.

The Grand Stage of Odori Park The main venue of the festival is Odori Park in the center of Sapporo. The performances unfolding on the grand stage set up in the spacious park are large in scale, and the sight of teams of large numbers dancing in formation is nothing short of overwhelming. The gorgeous dance against the backdrop of the verdant park is a scene symbolizing the early summer of Sapporo.

Parade Performances through the Streets In addition to the stage performances at Odori Park, parade-style performances are also held at the north and south parade venues, in which teams dance forward along the streets. The sight of teams, led by their floats, filling the streets and dancing in flow is close to the spectators, allowing them to experience the heat of the festival up close.

Free and Varied Performances So long as the naruko and Soran Bushi are observed, the choreography and costumes are otherwise free. For this reason, each team appears with elaborate costumes and original choreography, and truly varied performances unfold, from a Japanese flavor to modern dance. Comparing the individuality of each team is also a great pleasure.

Teams of a World Scale In recent years about 270 teams and 27,000 people take part, and teams gather not only from within Hokkaido but from all over Japan and even from abroad. The sight of dancers who have gathered across national borders dancing to the same naruko and Soran Bushi makes one truly feel that this festival has grown to a world scale.

Judging in Competition for the Grand Prize At the festival, the performances of the teams are judged, and various prizes, beginning with the grand prize, are competed for. Because teams that have practiced for a whole year aiming for victory display their full-strength performances, one can see high-level and powerful dances one after another, a highlight unique to the competition format.

Event Information and Access

• Location: Sapporo City, Hokkaido (the Odori Park West 8-chome venue, the Odori north-south parade venues, and other places throughout the city)
• Dates: Early June every year (usually about five days)
• Origin: Founded in 1992 by Gaku Hasegawa and others, modeled on the Yosakoi Matsuri of Kochi
• Scale: In recent years about 270 teams and 27,000 participants, with an audience of about two million
• Rules: To hold naruko in the hands, and to include a phrase of the Soran Bushi in the music
• Access: From JR Sapporo Station, get off at Odori Station by subway, just at the Odori Park venue

Around the Area

Odori Park, the main venue of the festival, is a long, narrow park that runs east and west through the center of Sapporo, known as the stage for events of every season. At the eastern end of the park stands the Sapporo TV Tower, the symbol of Sapporo, and from its observation deck one can take in the whole of Odori Park bustling with the festival. In summer, flower beds add color, and it serves as a place of relaxation for citizens and tourists.

In the center of Sapporo are scattered famous sights that convey the history of the pioneer era, such as the Sapporo Clock Tower, a Western-style building of the Meiji period, and the former Hokkaido Government Office Building, affectionately known as the red-brick office. Touring such historic sites during breaks in the festival allows one to encounter the modern history of Hokkaido and makes sightseeing in Sapporo all the more fulfilling.

Sapporo is also famous as a city of gourmet food, with many shops where one can enjoy tastes unique to Hokkaido, such as miso ramen, soup curry, and fresh seafood. After savoring the heat of the festival, one can enjoy the bounty of the north around the Nijo Market and Susukino, and fully relish the early summer of Sapporo.

Related Information

• Month: June
• Prefecture and region: Hokkaido (Hokkaido region)
• Origin: Founded in 1992 by Gaku Hasegawa and others, modeled on the Yosakoi Matsuri of Kochi
• Fused elements: The naruko derived from Kochi and the Hokkaido folk song Soran Bushi
• Scale: A world scale of about 270 teams, 27,000 people, and an audience of about two million
• Rules: To hold naruko in the hands and include the Soran Bushi in the music (otherwise free)

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