Day 2 of Freedom and Obon

Day 2 of my first weekend on my own was a little quieter, but not without adventure.  Today, August 15th, is the day that most of Japan celebrates Obon, the festival commemorating the souls of one’s ancestors (at least to my understanding).  From August 13th, one’s entire extended family gathers together, like a big summer family reunion, to celebrate the return of the spirits of one’s ancestors.  Lots of food is eaten, lots of fireworks are set off, and finally, on August 15th, each family carries a small parade float laden with lanterns from one’s family gravesite to the site of the Obon festival.  In Takahama, this is at the boat docks near the beach.  After a Buddhist priest reads off the names of the recently deceased, some of the lanterns are loaded onto boats and taken around the bay.   In the past, all of the lanterns would be set afloat in little boats and allowed to drift out to sea, but since those lanterns eventually turn into trash, that part of the festival is no longer practiced.  

I didn’t actually know that any of this was happening until I went to the store around lunch time and one of the store clerks who I had met before told me about it.  At the festival, I ran into more people who recognized me, heard of me, or who are related to someone who knows me, etc.  I wasn’t sure if, by attending this more sober natured event, that  I was intruding somehow, but sure enough a random person who I can’t remember exactly knew me sorta stuck by my side and told me what was going on at different parts.  Everyone kept asking if there was something like Obon in America, but the only thing I could come up with that was similar was All Souls’ Day.  

Anyway, before all of this happened, I took a trip by bike to the neighboring village of Ooe, where my first host family, the Horiguchis, reside.  To get there, you have to climb a fairly large hill, go through a tunnel, and then down another hill once you reach the other size.  These road tunnels are fairly new, and before they were built you had to take some fairly twist roads along the shore to get from town to town.  The mountains that separate the villages from each other caused such isolation that there is a dialect for each village in my town.  

Here are some pictures of the trip.  Ooe, is famous for its Catholic church, built after the ban on Christianity was lifted.   Once I can drive, I plan on going to the Sunday services.  Trying to get there by bike would be a little hard, since even with my battery-powered bike (used to help you on the hills) the process of climbing the hill is really tiring and leaves you dripping in sweat.

People setting off fireworks near family graves:  http://hp.amakusa-web.jp/a0591/Oshirase/Pub/Shosai.aspx?AUNo=5049&Pg=1&St=0&OsNo=67

The photo gallery at the bottom of this page has some more photos of Obon:http://hp.amakusa-web.jp/a0591/MyHp/Pub/Default.aspx