What is Obon? A Savvy Guide To Japan’s Festival Of The Dead

It is this time of the year when Japan suddenly turns tranquil, trains get empty and cemeteries start blooming with flowers. It's Obon—the Japanese summer festival of welcoming back ancestors' spirits and returning to one's family roots.

Equally important to celebrating the New Year’s holidays in Japan is the summer celebration of Obon. This celebration usually lasts for four to five days, around August 15. It’s one of the most important family events throughout the year in Japan. Often compared to Halloween abroad, though quite different in essence and practice, Obon is the Japanese tradition of paying respect to ancestors and loved ones who have passed away. Concretely, what is Obon?

Don’t look for it, Obon won’t appear in red on your yearly calendar because it’s not an official national holiday. In practice, though, it is a summer holiday for everyone, and most companies will take a few days off.

August 13 — Mukaebi

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Obon begins with the so-called mukaebi (welcoming fires) practice. During mukaebi, people make a small bonfire in front of their houses to guide spirits upon their return home.

Decorating the deceased’s altar with small memorial tablets, fruits, flowers, and Japanese sweets is also part of the early preparation stage. This practice offers late loved ones objects they enjoyed in their lifetime.

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While practiced mostly in countryside areas recently, some regions also prepare horses made of cucumbers and cows made of eggplants with wooden sticks for legs. The symbolism behind it is that the horse will help spirits return home as soon as possible, while the cow will slowly take them back to heaven as soon as the festival is over.

Most Japanese people also start Obon with a visit to the cemetery to clean up the family’s grave and pray for their peaceful existence wherever they are. This practice is called ohaka-mairi.

August 14-15 — Hoyo/Kuyo

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During the second and third days of Obon celebrations, families following the tradition will invite a Buddhist priest to their homes—or visit a temple or shrine—to recite a sutra and perform a memorial service. They are called hoyo or kuyo in Japanese.

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After the recital, they have lunch together, recalling old stories of their beloved deceased. The meal, called shojin ryori, is purely vegan. It usually includes stewed beans, spinach with soy sauce and sesame or pickled cucumbers.

August 16 — Okuribi

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Obon concludes with another bonfire lighting up the sky, meant to send the ancestors’ spirits off to the netherworld. In many areas of Japan, people also organize bon odori (盆踊り; “bon dance.”) These traditional dances were initially performed for the deceased. Though, in recent years, they have become a symbol of summer festivals themselves.

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One of the most famous Bon festivals is the Gozan Okuribi (or Daimonji) in Kyoto. It is so famous that it attracts thousands of visitors every year. Some of the most famous Obon festivals take place in Hiroshima and Asakusa in the Toro Nagashi festival.

Japanese people are known for being rather non-religious, and festivals have become more related to entertainment than tradition. However, Obon is one of the few events in the year that focuses on the importance of families sharing time together and returning to their roots—together with the spirits of those who were dear to us.

This article was initially published in 2016 and has been updated for 2024.

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