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Obon is the day when ancestors come home.

The days vary from region to region, but August 13 to 15 is お盆 Obon in Japan.

Most companies are closed during this period, and many people who live far away from their parents' homes go home. However, it seems that many people have given up on returning home this year due to the coronavirus infection situation.

For me, Obon was a day for relatives to gather and for the family to visit the graves. Obon is an event when the souls of ancestors come back and stay for a couple of days. 

We clean the graves, decorate them with flowers, and prepare to welcome our ancestors.

The supermarkets are lined with flowers to offer to the deceased.

Supermarkets also sell these offerings. Cucumbers, eggplants, and hozuki.

By the way, have any of you ever seen the anime or manga of "March comes in like a Lion"?
In this manga, there is a scene that explains how to spend Obon.

We light fires to welcome our ancestors and to see them off.
迎え火(mukae-bi) the welcoming fire
We light a fire at the entrance to the house to mark the return of our ancestors.

送り火(okuri-bi) the Farewell Fire
To send souls out of this world to the other world again

Vegetables offering to the gods


Cucumber horses 
When we welcome our ancestors, we decorate cucumbers to look like horses so that they can come back quickly.

eggplant cows
When we send off our ancestors, we offer them eggplant that looks like a cow. This is done in the hope that the ancestors will return as slowly and safely as possible.

I love these quiet and gentle scenes in "March comes in like a Lion".
If you like Japan, you should definitely watch it.


Click here to read about Kyoto's major event, the Gozan-no-Okuribi.

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