Yosakoi Festival starts in Kochi with 18,000 dancers participating

KOCHI, Japan - Yosakoi Festival started Monday in the western Japanese city of Kochi, drawing about 18,000 dancers in 197 teams from inside and outside Kochi Prefecture, organizers of the three-day event said.

Dancers in vivid costumes performed in unison while sounding small wooden clappers called naruko, filling the festival venues with their sharp clack.