Throughout the hot summer months, you may notice locals wearing colorful yukata kimonos on their way to their neighborhood parks, shrines and temples. The gatherings featuring lanterns, food booths, games and music are called Bon Odori.

Bon Odori is a summer tradition observed throughout Japan mostly in late July to mid-August as a way to welcome late ancestors whose spirits are said to visit during Bon period.

If you live out in town, you might have the opportunity to help set one up or work at a food booth, as each town or community association organizes its festival.

In the morning of the festival day, townspeople set up a yagura stage, food and game booths. They also decorate the parks with chochin lanterns with the names of people who contributed to the event.

As the sun sets, the lanterns illuminate the venue and residents and visitors gather. Everyone is welcome at these festivals, so don’t be shy.

Taiko drummers and well-trained dancers in summer kimonos perform on stage. You’ll notice that people will start dancing around the stage. You should join in. Even if you don’t know how to dance, dancers on stage and around you will show you how to perform the traditional moves.

Enjoy all of the delicious festival foods like yakisoba, yakitori grilled meat skewers, kakigori shaved ice, cold beer and soft drinks. You will have to pay for your food and drink, but it’s not expensive and the money is used to help pay for the festival.

And for the kids (old and young), there are game booths where you can enjoy kingyo-sukui (goldfish scooping) and shateki (a shooting game). If you have kids, they’ll have a blast.

Although today’s Bon Odori festivals only last a few hours, when they first started hundreds of years ago, they were overnight events held to entertain ancestors’ souls, which were believed to be staying with their family for the Bon period (around July 15 following the lunar calendar). According to the lunar calendar, the 15th of each month, there is a full moon, which allows people to dance overnight under the bright moonlight.

Nowadays, the festivals are held throughout July and August, depending on each community’s schedule.

Why not enjoy the summer of Japan in your town with a traditional Bon Odori festival?

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