KOCHI, Japan - Yosakoi Festival started Monday in the western Japanese city of Kochi, drawing about 18,000 dancers in 197 teams from inside and outside Kochi Prefecture, organizers of the three-day event said.
Dancers in vivid costumes performed in unison while sounding small wooden clappers called naruko, filling the festival venues with their sharp clack.
"I won't let the heat get the best of me, and I'll keep dancing with a smile until the end," Sato Ogasawara said.
Before the main festival through Wednesday, pre-festival events took place Sunday evening.
The festival began in 1954 to pray for residents' health and prosperity. In recent years, many dancers suffered heatstroke after limiting their fluid intake to avoid crowded restrooms. This year, organizers allowed performers and spectators to use restrooms at public facilities and brought mobile toilet units used in disaster situations to the venues.
