Editor’s Note: This article covers my experience at Shimokitazawa Awa Odori 2024. For the most up-to-date information and practical tips, see [Shimokitazawa Awa Odori Photography Guide].
The sound of taiko drums echoes off the buildings, a sound that calls you closer. Through the humid August air, a wave of colour and sound washes over the streets of Shimokitazawa. This is the Awa Odori, one of Japan’s most beloved and energetic dance festivals.
On a scorching Saturday night in August 2024, the heat was no match for the passion of the performers. Teams known as ren took to the streets to perform the traditional “fool’s dance,” a tradition stretching back centuries to Tokushima Prefecture. The energy was infectious, and I did my best to capture it. I hope you enjoy the photos.
Shimokitazawa Awa Odori 2024 ren
Teams, called ren (連) in Japanese, of up to several dozen dancers participate. Wherever there is an Awa Odori, they’ll be there. Some of them consist of hundreds of members and have existed for many years. The following groups performed at Shimokitazawa in 2024:
- Brilliant (燦々)
- Hatsudai Encouragement Dragon Association (初台 鼓舞龍連)
- Higashirinkan Akuren (東林間 阿呍連)
- Higashirinkan Gorakuren (東林間 伍楽連)
- Higashirinkan Isui (東林間 壱粋)
- Kichijoji Treasure Ship Association (吉祥寺 寶船連)
- Koenji Benkei Ren (高円寺 弁慶連)
- Koenji Kasumiren (高円寺 華純連)
- Koenji Shinobu Ren (高円寺 しのぶ連)
- Koenji Toshusai (高円寺 東洲斎)
- Koganei Sakura Ren (小金井 さくら連)
- Kyodo Purple Group (経堂 むらさき連)
- Shimokitazawa Hifumi Ren (下北沢 ひふみ連)
- Sangenjaya Sancharen (三軒茶屋 三茶連)
- Shimokitazawa Yattoko Ren (下北沢やっとこ連)
- Showa Shinkin Bank (昭和信用金庫連)
- Tokyo Ebisu-ren (東京 えびす連)
Using AI Denoise for low light
The real challenge of the Shimokitazawa Awa Odori is the lighting. The narrow streets are poorly lit, and the dancers’ energetic movements force you to use a high shutter speed to avoid motion blur. This combination results in dark, underexposed photos filled with digital noise. In the past, many of these shots would have been unusable. But this is where Adobe Lightroom’s AI Denoise feature became a game-changer.
AI doesn’t just smudge the noise away as what happened in the old days. Now, it intelligently analyzes the image and reconstructs detail, preserving the intricate patterns on the dancers’ yukata and the sharp focus of their expressions. The result is a clean, clear image that would have been impossible to achieve just a few years ago. This technology has fundamentally changed how I approach low-light photography and is now an essential step in my editing workflow.
Is the Shimokitazawa Awa Odori worth it?
I’ve been to this event many times and love it. Shimokitazawa Awa Odori takes place on narrow streets which place the performers at the end of your lens. And you’re shoulder-to-shoulder with the other onlookers. The atmosphere is unique. You need to put it on your itinerary.
But if you do go and you find the streets too dark, AI Denoise is your friend. It does a great job at retrieving detail in photos without the noise and smudging of details. Yes, Adobe has copped a lot of flak from photographers in recent years (which you can research on the web), but they do make a good product.
The Shimokitazawa Awa Odori is also a warm-up for the massive Koenji Awa Odori that takes place the following weekend. If you enjoyed these photos, you won’t want to miss that! Have you ever been to an Awa Odori festival? Let me know in the comments!