One million dance lovers gather at Japan's 'Awa' festival

Performers prepare for the Awa Odori festival, which attracts more than 1.2 million people annually.

Tokushima (Japan) (AFP) - Over a million performers and spectators will flock to a western Japanese city this weekend for one of the country's largest dance festivals, after organisers stepped up efforts to accommodate foreign visitors.

The annual "Awa Odori", which originates from a Japanese Buddhist custom of honouring the spirits of ancestors, sees the otherwise sleepy city of Tokushima turn into a stage for four days.Groups of dancers and musicians, known as "ren", parade through the streets to the sound of traditional music instruments such as lutes, drums, flutes and bells.