Okuribi Ceremony

festival on August 16, people do Okuribi or "send-off fire" ceremony.

It signifies the moment when the spirits of deceased family members, who are said to visit this world during OBon, are believed to be returning to the spirit world.

In my home town, people put expired Ofuda in an old rice cooking pot, then set fire on them.

The Ofuda is customarily renewed annually before the end of a year, and then attached to a door, pillar, or ceiling. It may also be placed inside a private shrine. It is believed to protect the family in residence from general harm, such as a disease. 

A portable form of Ofuda, commonly called Omamori is typically wrapped in a small bag made of decorated cloth.

Overnight Bus Trip to Shimane

I had jumped into an overnight bus heading to Shimane prefecture and here came back to my hometown Matsue city yesterday.

Now, we are in the middle of summer holiday or Obon season in Japan. 

Obon is a Buddhist festival to honor ancestral spirits in Japan.

It is believed these spirits return to their families during the period.

Emi and Rina Come Back Home

My company offered every employee one week summer holiday last week.
The holiday is called Obon Holiday.

Obon is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of one's ancestors.
The spirits of ancestors are supposed to revisit the household during this Obon season.
My two daughters, not spirits of ancestors though, came back home last week separately on different days.

My wife and I went to a sushi restaurant to have dinner with each daughter on different day.

Obon Festival

We had an Obon holiday last week.
My company gave us one week paid leave from August 12 to 16.
Obon is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of one's ancestors.
It's said that the spirits of ancestors are supposed to revisit the household altars during this season.
Many people visit their ancestral graves and make offerings of flowers and incense during the holiday.

I've had a rather quiet week; I went to a forest and brook park, restaurants for lunch, and Nasu highland for getting relief from the heat.

The festival ends with Toro Nagashi, or the floating of lanterns. Paper lanterns are illuminated and then floated down rivers symbolically signaling the ancestral spirits' return to the world of the dead.