On October 2, the very first Awa Odori Festival was held on foreign soil as French journalist Regis Arnaud fulfilled his dream of bringing the festival to Paris. He had first encountered the festival in 2005 in Tokyo as residents who had relocated from Tokushima had brought it to the city many years ago. He fell in love with the energy and beauty of the performers dancing and playing their hearts out in front of him. From that moment he began planning to bring the festival to France, which was a long and meticulous process. After 10 years of hard work, he was finally able to make his dream a reality this year. Read the full article here.