Odorunya – 22nd Kishu Yosakoi Festival

For two days in autumn, yosakoi dance teams clacking naruko clappers take over the grounds around Wakayama Castle. Now in its 22nd year, the 2026 festival runs under the slogan "Dance, shine, spirit of Kishu." The Sunanomaru and Nishinomaru stages inside the castle park run on both days, and on November 1 a third stage opens on Keyaki-odori Avenue, so you can watch big group routines against the castle walls or down a city boulevard. The festival is citizen-led and privately funded, run by dancers, volunteers and local sponsors together.