Neighborhood Obon Festival

O Bon is a huge holiday in Japan.  It is one of two holidays that adults flock back to their hometowns and to their childhood homes.  The holiday is to honor their ancestors.  Much like our Memorial Day, graves are decorated and cleaned up.  Many homes have altars in them to honor deceased ancestors.  It is believed that the dead will visit those altars during Obon.  It is also called the festival of lanterns.  We attended our neighborhood obon festival. 

This is just about a block from our apartment.  Everyone from our machi (area within a city) attended.

Tarps were laid out, then tatami mats spread on top.  How do you like their version of the tables set up.  They were just a couple of inches off the ground. 

Notice they remove their shoes to step out onto the tatami mats.  The sake was flowing freely.

The local leader of our machi- kind of like the mayor- came to greet us and welcome us.

 This was kind of like karaoke. 

Festival of lanterns

 The children all marched around the mats doing this traditional stick dance.

It was dark, so this picture is blurry, but many of the little girls were dressed in summer kimonos.

It was a delightful cultural experience.