O-bon, Japanese summer holidays
Japanese summer holiday season called O-bon, has started from this weekend.
Generally speaking, Bon or O-bon is the period between 13th and 16th when people believe as Buddhists that the spirit of ancestors come back home and memorial services are held for them. Typically entire family comes together in home town, goes to grave, cleans it a and prays for ancestors. So it is similar as European Christmas, though there is no Santa Claus. Traditionally Bon dance festival was held on the final day, which had religious meaning, but today it is held with a view to enhancing a friendly atmosphere in the community. Naturally rural areas are more active for Bon dancing festivals than modern areas.
O-bon period is also big opportunity for traveling both domestic and overseas traveling. People combine with weekend and few paid holiday on top of O-bon holiday, which makes from one week to 10 days off. Usually most of the reserved ticked on bullet trains and flights are fully booked and main railway stations and airports are filled with travelers. Also many package tours are sold out as soon as it’s on the market.
However, O-bon this summer started very quietly which is totally different from normal year. Flight reservation ratio dropped by 40%, there were only 5% of non -reserved seats on bullet train filled in the morning yesterday when we usually see well above the 100 percent as the first day of O-bon holiday period. Because people are worried about spreading novel corona virus by traveling and some prefectural governors advised that people reconsider making trips or visiting home town to see parents and families, while central government doesn’t indicate clear direction. Even central government is now proceeding “Go to travel campaign” which is huge financial stimulus package to domestic tourism business.
The situation of overseas traveling is very unclear due to the second wave of corona virus, the number of the infections surges again especially in big cities.
Photo:
Toro-Nagashi : Buddhist ceremony in which paper lanterns are floated down a river