Obon and Summer Festivals
All things Obon, mainly from our annual Obon and Summer Festivals Guide, published in June.
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Nikkei celebrate at ‘Queer O-bon’
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LOS ANGELES — On June 19, Okaeri, an advocacy group for LGBTQ+ Nikkei, held their first “Queer O-bon” at the Terasaki Budokan in the city’s Little Tokyo. Colorful origami […] READ MORE
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LET’S TALK … About gratitude
Satsuki Ina, Nichi Bei Weekly Columnist
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Obon festivals in Japanese American communities across the country signal the heart of summer and the gathering of families and friends for Bon Odori, festive lanterns, taiko drums, and our […] READ MORE
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Bon Odori is a tradition even far from the West Coast
GIL ASAKAWA, Nichi Bei Weekly Contributor
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Japanese Americans who don’t live on the West Coast joke that you can go to a different Bon Odori every weekend in California, and dance away your summer. Not so […] READ MORE
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Season of Obon
Rev. Ken Yamada
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In the summer heat, Japanese love a good ghost story that’ll send chills up their spine. In some ways, the Obon tradition reflects that feeling with crowds of people dancing […] READ MORE
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FANTASTIC VOYAGE: What is Obon for a Buddhist reverend in Japan?
Jeff Asai, Nichi Bei Weekly Columnist
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The word Obon in America, and the word in Japan, are two very different things. Many people in America link Obon to the street festivals and dancing that takes place […] READ MORE
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Let’s Talk About … Honoring the dead
Satsuki Ina, Nichi Bei Weekly Columnist
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Obon season is upon us. It is when our Japanese American communities gather to share an ancient Buddhist tradition to honor the spirits of our ancestors. In Japan, it is […] READ MORE
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Obon dancing in America: Reverend Yoshio Iwanaga photo album
WYNN KIYAMA
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(Editor’s Note: The following was excerpted from an online exhibit curated by Wynn Kiyama, executive director of Portland Taiko and director of the Portland State University Taiko Ensemble. Photos courtesy […] READ MORE
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San Jose Obon delivers comforting familiarity to community
Jasmine Yamanaka, Nichi Bei Weekly Contributor
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This year’s Obon festival in San Jose’s Japantown, which took place July 9 and July 10, was the same as it is every year: parking was nearly impossible to find, […] READ MORE
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FANTASTIC VOYAGE: Obon in Japan, compared to America
Jeff Asai, Nichi Bei Weekly Columnist
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I’d been trying to think of how to compare Obon festivals in Japan and America, but for reasons I couldn’t quite put my finger on, it was very difficult. On […] READ MORE
