“OBON”, a Family Reunion Holiday
Almost all the relatives met up at the Yoshino house at the occasion of “ Obon ”. No one lives at the house, and they lives in neighboring areas or around Tokyo. It’s not a typical “ Obon ” story, but I wrote up what it’s like as an example. “ OBON ”, A FAMILY REUNION HOLIDAY Obon is a Japanese Buddhist custom for commemorating one's ancestors. It has been celebrated in Japan for more than 500 years. Through the course of mass-migration into Tokyo, the custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their ancestors' graves when the spirits of ancestors are supposed to revisit the household altars. It falls on several dates around August 15 each year. It’s not statutory holidays, but a lot of people take days off. Meanwhile, a lot of festivals including traditional dance events are held in every region of the country, so long-distance express (Shinkansen) and airline flights are crowded, and the expres...