Okayama Holds 'uraja' Dance Parade For The First Time In 3 Years
Dancers and spectators in Okayama City, western Japan, enjoyed a traditional parade called "uraja" to conclude an annual local summer festival held for the first time in three years.
About 1,000 people made up to look like demons danced through the central part of the city on Sunday to mark the last day of the festival. The event is associated with a well-known old tale of a little boy who slayed demons.
The festival had been canceled for the past two years due to the coronavirus pandemic. For this year's parade, the organizers took anti-infection measures, such as expanding the viewing space to avoid crowding.
Dancers wearing colorful costumes were divided into groups which performed to the music.
Many spectators lined the streets, taking photos and clapping their hands.
A woman in her 40s who came with her 5-year-old son said it was her first time to see the event, and that she felt the dancers' enthusiasm.
A local high school student said she felt that summer in Okayama has come back, and she remembered dancing herself when she was a child.