Awa Odori dance festival to sell premium seats for ¥200,000

Taking the Michael. Min doubt it’s the only time they get any tourism, one of the least visited prefectures in Japan, guess they are trying to make the most of it and hoping for the best. I go there a couple, of times a year with my dear partner when I need a couple of days to chill out. 2000 ticket from Namba Nankai, to Wakayama then ferry. It’s a good deal, green car on ferry is 500 yen off season or 1000 when busy. JR hote next to train station can get decent large rooms for about 8k a night when not busy.

Can get little boat trips round center for 300 yen, it’s alright place and nice karaoke place called Kong. The owner is great, but of a nutter but very sound. Decent spice curries couple of minutes walk from the station and some nice cafes.

Still relatively cheap for such a premium spots. Definitely will attend.

Larr Flint

OMG, have you lost your mind. It’s ok place but that amount of dough is totally horrendous, mark my words bruv.

Anyway, a bit of trivia, did you know it’s the only prefecture that doesn’t even have a department store? Can you believe it! Well, I found this info out during Covid when we went for my Birthday, we popped to Naruto whirlpools, lovely experience. Rented a car to go there from Tokushima, not far you see and found a nice jazz cafe on the way, did lovely coffee and my partner had a splendid parfait.

Does this include valet parking, free drinks and a lap dance (or two)? I mean, no disrespect but it's horrendously a high price to when you can pay someone else to borrow their balcony for 1/20th of that price. Money hunger is the thing these days....

Hopefully the greed won’t spoil the traditional dance festival.

Things you can get for ¥200,000:

Multi-destination international plane tickets;

A quality used kei car or motorcycle;

4 years of internet;

30 nights accommodation in a luxury 5 star hotel in Fiji;

2,760 meals in Cambodia;

A 50% chance of winning ¥400,000 yen at the roulette table;

... or premium seats at the Awa Odori.

Hmm.

Let the gouging begin…

Clever marketing.

It's increased my wish to visit Tokushima 200 times.

200 X 0 = 0

Lucabrasi

What are you like, lol

Its ok, but nothing special. Chill out place during off season I’d say. Osaka feel to it, laid back, not stuck up like Kyoto. I guess it’s inky with it if quite local to it, only three hours to get there from here and very cheap. It’s not spectacular enough to visit from a long way spending a lot for sure

@falseflagsteve

Joke! I'm sure it's a great place. I'll definitely go one day....

lucabrasi

Yeah, it’s ok for a couple of days, massive amount to see, but what you can see in that time is worthwhile. The Bizan Ropeway and the river boat tour is good to see. You can hire electric bikes for really cheap ext of the train station too, under 500 yen for a day.

Cafe Boosan does good curries and if you like slightly alternative music like Velvet Underground, the owner has his huge record collection I tree. Hes an oddball, but if you talk to him about music he’s like a different person.

These dance festivals are overrated, and I think the target audience for these tickets are rich asians that will pay for some package tour. There are far more exciting festivals all around the country.

Japanese festival organizers normally have a chronic aversion to public seating.

200,000 yen to be bored stiff after the first five minutes and to have your eardrums blasted to smithereens for hours on end? No thanks.

Half price compared to the just announced 400,000 yen 'premium seats' now on sale for next month's Gion Matsuri in Kyoto.

Nobody posting on here has to buy them. Good for the organizers that they offer a variety of options. There's always going to be someone to buy these. Cheap compared to that submersible ride to the Titanic for ¥35.5 million. I guess people get angry when they read these things because it reminds them that other people have more money than them

wealthy foreign tourists,

Are there such a thing? Most foreign tourists are shopping at Donki and staying 8 to a room at a budget hotel.

It wouldn't be so bad if some of the money went to the dancers.

Am I the only one who doesn't find festivals even remotely interesting?

What if it rains that day...

@ Atthebuzzer -

Are there such a thing? Most foreign tourists are shopping at Donki and staying 8 to a room at a budget hotel.

You are probably talking about your countrymen and women?

There are certainly very high-spending international tourists - particularly those from Asia and the Middle East - that the tourist industry focuses on. You only have to look at high-end ski resorts and hotels, shopping districts etc to see this. Would not surprise me if they shifted a lot of these "premium" tickets.

I'd rather stand with the local folk there and take in the atmosphere with a beer in hand.

The ticket pricing is markedly higher than usual, as last year's most expensive tickets cost around 5,000 yen.

The gift of understatement is alive and well at the JT.

Dang. I only have 199,000 yen to waste. Tough call but I have no choice but to pass again. Looks like I'll be forced to spend it on plane tickets, hotel accomodations, rent-a-car, meals and drinks on a nice beach where I can look at lovelies.

These dance festivals are overrated

went to one many years ago, hot sweaty too many people all crammed together, funny thing is there seems to be more people in the festival than actually spectating, vast majority of participants are amature with a small fraction of professional dancers, not something id pay to watch

What if it rains that day...

tuff , no refunds

Or, you can bring a portable chair that you can buy at Daiso, buy sake and beer at supermarkets for cheap, sit down and watch the show until you get bored, leave with a happier wallet.

It should say ‘try to sell’…..they’ll need to try pretty hard.

200,000 yen to be bored stiff after the first five minutes and to have your eardrums blasted to smithereens for hours on end? No thanks.

These dance festivals are overrated

What if it rains that day..

tuff , no refunds

OK kids, Don't go..

Keep complaining at home..

LOL!!..

Any good marketing office will sell premiums when tourism is involved. Think about airplanes ticket.

Some, very wealthy and some not, will always want to feel privileged over others. You know that feeling of power and being someone special.

Why not if it works but indeed it is not Japanese customs to stay seated and just sip, even for oldies.

The ticket pricing is markedly higher than usual, as last year's most expensive tickets cost around 5,000 yen.

From 5,000 to 200,000 is an increase of 195,000! Higher than usual is not the statement for it!

I'm in. Bought two tickets. I love the festivals but don't like the crowds - this is perfect.

200,000 yen to be bored stiff after the first five minutes and to have your eardrums blasted to smithereens for hours on end? No thanks.

You have obviously never been to one of these festivals. Either that, or you have ears of a three-year-old.

went to one many years ago, hot sweaty too many people all crammed together, funny thing is there seems to be more people in the festival than actually spectating, vast majority of participants are amature with a small fraction of professional dancers, not something id pay to watch

That wasn't my experience with Domatsuri, which had over a hundred spectators with guest dancers from Taiwan and Saipan.

Jay

LOL

nice comparison.

as me BIG PASS.not going to support any greedy people there.

I think it is sad how the organizers think is fine to throw away the tradition with such money grab.

Tons of people with cash to burn for such seats. And just 20 seats a show.

How many folks are flying first class - not business - everyday all over, and think nothing of dropping 4, 5, or 6+ times that amount.

I mean there's no shortage of people who lined up to for a ticket to the edge of space for a few mo's while forking out close to half a million big ones.

Not for me - but there is a market for this, that's fer sure.

explanations from dancers immediately after they have finished performing via English interpretation.

The dancers are going to explain the exorbitant price?

Save your money and go to the Kanamara festival instead. And it's free. You won't regret it.

JayToday  07:36 am JST

Things you can get for ¥200,000:

Multi-destination international plane tickets;

A quality used kei car or motorcycle;

4 years of internet;

30 nights accommodation in a luxury 5 star hotel in Fiji;

2,760 meals in Cambodia;

A 50% chance of winning ¥400,000 yen at the roulette table;

... or premium seats at the Awa Odori.

Hmm.

It's obscene. As bad as it is in America where people pay $6000 or more just to see the Greedy Eagles or EJ or the late Fleetwood Mac play their tired 40-year-old junk. And they have done hardly anything new, except steal money. And the Super Bowl, egad!

Kind of uncomfortable with the whole "Lets charge obscene prices for a relatively mundane thing" fad that has swept North America becoming a thing in Japan too.

What a rip off

Where ever there is tourism there is money to be made and the locals know the tourist become curious Georges!

I wouldn't spend ¥20 on it....

The dancers are going to explain the exorbitant price?

This almost made me spit out my STRONG. I was wondering the exact same thing. lol!!!

Bad Idea, may have worked in the 70's and 80's but not these days.

This is how you rip off a Tourists. instead of offering little or no discounts to promote the event you scam them.