Gujo Odori

Little knownBarely documented in English. This is the kind of place the site exists for.

Researched and written by Hinato

Gujo Odoribon danceGujo Hachimanfolk cultural propertyall-night

Photo: tsuda / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0) · original

What Gujo Odori looks like depends entirely on when you catch it — timing matters more here than at almost any spot in Gifu.

Gujo Odori is not a performance. There is no stage and no audience — the dance circles the streets of Gujo Hachiman around a wheeled wooden float carrying the singers and musicians, and anyone may join.

Over the four nights of Obon, from 13 to 16 August, it does not stop at all. The tetsuya-odori runs from evening until dawn, and the town of fifteen thousand takes in tens of thousands of dancers who circle until the sun comes up. It is one of the three great bon dances of Japan alongside Awa Odori and Nishimonai. Wooden geta are worn and the sound of them on the road is half the point.

Planning your visit

Timing

Mid-July to early September | 13–16 August for the all-night dancing

Hours

Evening until late on around thirty nights from mid-July to early September | Dawn on 13–16 August

Closed: Held seasonally — confirm the current year's dates

Cost

Free to watch and to join

How long to allow

An evening

Finding your way there

Directions

Hachiman-cho, Gujo, through the streets of the old town. Held over around thirty nights from mid-July to early September, with the venue moving around the town from night to night. The all-night tetsuya-odori runs from 13 to 16 August, from evening until dawn. Free to watch and free to join — there is no audience area. Confirm the current year's dates and nightly venues with the town's tourist association, and book accommodation well ahead for the Obon nights.

Where to watch from

**There is no audience.** Joining is the correct behaviour and standing at the edge photographing is not. The steps are simple, repeat all night and can be picked up by watching one circuit. **Wear geta if you can.** The sound of wooden clogs on the road is part of the music, and shops in town sell and repair them through the season. **The venue moves nightly.** Different streets and shrine grounds on different nights over the thirty. Check the schedule rather than assuming a fixed location. **Obon is the all-night version.** 13 to 16 August, evening until dawn, tens of thousands of people in a town of fifteen thousand. Accommodation for those nights books out months ahead. **The quieter nights are better for learning.** A weeknight in late July has a few hundred people and locals happy to correct your arms. Obon has a crush.

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