(Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi/Stripes Japan)
As the hot and humid summer continues, you may notice more people donning their yukata summer kimonos and heading to local parks, shrines and temples to celebrate the season with Bon Odori.
This summer tradition features strings of colorful lanterns, food and game booths, Japanese folk music and traditional dances. Bon Odori festivals are important events that bring communities together.
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 are busy setting up a yagura (a stage for performers) and food and game booths. They also decorate the parks with chochin lanterns with the names of people who contributed to the event.
(Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi/Stripes Japan)
As the sun sets, the lanterns are lit 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! Dancers on stage and around you will show you how to perform the traditional moves.
There is lots of great food at these festivals like yakisoba, yakitori, 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.
yakisoba (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi/Stripes Japan)
kakigori (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi/Stripes Japan)
beer and soft drinks (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi/Stripes Japan)
wataame (cotton candy) (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi/Stripes Japan)
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.
kingyo-sukui (goldfish scooping) (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi/Stripes Japan)
shateki (a shooting game) (Photo by Takahiro Takiguchi/Stripes Japan)
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?
