O(my)BON!!!

Obon is the Japanese festival commemorating one's ancestors. During this week, the beloved spirits of one's ancestors can come back to the world of the living. Lanterns are hung outside houses to guide the spirits home. Dances are performed, graves are visited and offerings are made at temples and shrines. At the end of Obon (it's about a week long) lanterns are lit and placed in lakes, rivers and the sea to help the ancestors return to the spirit world. These pictures will show you some of the wonderment of the last night of obon (plus a couple pictures of some intoxicated people).

The festival we decided to attend was at the Ushiku Daibutsu. Unofficially, the Largest Buddha in the World!!! Daibutsu means great Buddha and Ushiku is the city where he is. He is three times taller then the stature of liberty and thirty times its volume.... in other words, he is friggin HUGE.


We partake in the grand tradition of a little cocktail in the parking lot before the festivities begin.



Chris buys a new hat at the mini swap-meet outside the main entrance.


We stop to watch the drums. "Can you play wipeout?" just kidding. It was a fun little show, the drummers kept challenging one another and pushing the other drummers off the stage.

Oh.. I think another chu-hi is calling our name. And we go off in search of a vendor we saw earlier.






After our search for a chu-hi came to not, we settled for a nice cold Asahi (Yes... it is perfectly acceptable to drink at these religious functions, so stop giving me that look.).

"Gaijin same omoshiroi ne!"
"foreigners are so funny sometimes"
actual quote said by a Japanese person while taking this photo











Oh my GOD! We can't find the Buddha. Can you help our travelers find him? Look hard now.

We are at ground zero. The Lanterns are hung and the sun is setting. It is almost time to call the spirits home. So you know what that means... Asahi time!!!

The sun is setting and the lanterns are being lit. On the lanterns are the names of loved ones and the site of so many in one place is inspiring. We are not all hate mongers. There are still people in this world who honor those that came before. Remembrance is not a sorrowful event but one to be celebrated with life and light.

Fireworks are lit in salutation to specific spirits. You can bring your family members home with a BANG (sorry, couldn't resist) for only 30 bucks a POP!

Some one snaps an unsuspecting picture of me watching the fireworks in muddy jeans. Hey... I look pretty good! You should buy me jewelry so I can show off how beautiful I am. Go on... Buy me something pretty.

After getting another beer, we run into a huge group of guijin. We all start talking and before we know it it is dark. The Buddha is lit up and the monks have begun to chant. Don't even think about asking me what they were chanting! Very ceremonial though.

Some one gave the Buddha a hot-foot. OUCH!

So after another drink and a little dessert we were treated to a fireworks show (the Japanese love their fireworks). In fact after a really big series of fireworks have been lit or something really spectacular is set off they love to clap in approval. We are more of the ohh and ahhhs kind of people, but hey... when in Japan...

After saying exchanging numbers and e-mails with our new found friends we were on our way home. We got their safely and hopefully the ancestors did to.