O-bon Festival in Japan

Are you looking to go to Japan this summer however you are unsure when to go? Well, the O-bon Festival is one of the best festivals to capture in Japan. Traditionally it was a Buddhist festival to celebrate the departed spirits of one's ancestors, much like Halloween. Today, it is much like the American Fourth of July parties that are held in the summer.

Much like the time around New Years�f in Japan, people travel back to their parent�fs house to celebrate this main event in the summer. It is a time that the family visits and cleans the family grave site and the house. Unlike American graves, the Japanese grave is much like a large tomb stone with smaller jars of ashes or one large jar with the entire families ashes mixed together. Each family member will have a �gstick-marker�h with that person�f name engraved into it. There are some other variations in Japan; this is the most popular one though. So, just before O-bon festival, the family members must go to the grave sites and clean up the area to assure the deceased family members are well taken care of and will not be displeased when waking up for the festival.

This 500 year old festivity is usually on August 13^th however sometimes is celebrated at different times in smaller cities. Throughout tradition, this holiday has been held on July 13^th, so there is always a great confusion on when exactly this holiday is held in smaller cities. So, if you plan around August 13^th through August 16^th, you will not miss the celebrations.