SoCal Japanese Americans anticipate joyful summer celebrations

LOS ANGELES — Japanese Americans in Southern California are gearing up for a summer of festivals — both the Buddhist Obon observances and secular summer celebrations — that include dancing and carnivals. Obon is a traditional Japanese Buddhist event to honor and thank one’s ancestors for the gift of life. The meaning of Obon, according […]

THEN AND NOW: Obon throughout the years in California’s Central Valley

California’s Central Valley has always had a large Japanese American population. Many Buddhist temples and Japantowns were founded in the Central Valley, as Japanese farmers and Asians of other origins flowed in. After World War II, many people of Japanese descent returned to the Central Valley and picked up the pieces from their previous life. […]