Among the many summer festivals that take place in Japan during the hottest months, is Obon. Unlike the many Shinto matsuri which we’ve covered here on Japundit, Obon is a Buddhist holiday. During Obon, family members gather together, remember the dead, clean up graveyards and, perhaps most memorably, gather together to dance in the evening. I’ve many memories of spending time in my grandparents’ house, learning the dances so I wouldn’t embarass myself during the actual dance.

Obon now falls on August 15th in many parts of Japan. Historically, however, when Japan was on the lunar calendar, Obon took place during the month of July. There are still a few places which celebrate Obon in July;the famous Tsukudajima Obon is one such example.

The Obon on Tsukudajima has been going on for a good several hundred years. It is located on Tsukuda island, which stands in the middle of the Sumida River. In the Edo period, dead bodies often drifted down the Sumida River, and washed up on the island, and locals keenly felt the importance of honoring those unfortunate souls.

This shrine is set up to honor those who died and whose bodies ended up on the Tsukudajima shores.

When I visited the Tsukudajima Obon last year, I heard repeatedly how “authentic” a Bon-odori I was watching, because of the historical context. It’s an amazing setting; you do feel a combination of old Edo, and modern Japan. If you are in Tokyo and you plan to go, your best bet is to go to Tsukudajima, then head for the park. Or, you can do what I did, which is to get off on the island, and ask a policeman which way to go. He will most likely know.