In my childhood, when I watched anime or read manga, I dreamed of going to Japan and attending an obon festival. So far, I have not been able to make this dream come true, but I was lucky to have a chance to visit the Annual Obon Festival here in the Bay Area. The festival was organized by Buddhist Church Betsuin, and celebrated on July 9th and 10th in San Jose Japantown.
Visitors looking at the main altar of Buddhist Church Betsuin
Obon has been celebrated in Japan for more than 500 years and is one of the most important Buddhist summer holidays. It is believed that at this time the souls of deceased ancestors return to their homes for a few days.
Families visit the graves of deceased relatives to honor their spirits, make special offerings for them, and welcome them home. They also light lanterns to guide the souls home and make “spirit animals” from cucumbers and eggplants to ferry ancestors to and from the realm of the dead. In the evening time the festival continues in parks and main streets. People wear yukata and join the traditional dance “bon-odori”, performed to the sounds of folk music. The holiday ends with bonfires in the mountains, fireworks or a special ritual “toro nagashi” (floating lanterns).
As a manga researcher and a fan of Japanese comics, I’m aware that manga play a significant role in promoting knowledge of Japanese culture around the world. Despite the borrowing of some graphic techniques from Western comics, manga have managed to preserve the features of traditional Japanese aesthetics. Manga artists describe the everyday life of the Japanese, and explain in detail how traditional holidays and festivals (matsuri) are held. There are many manga where the plot is based on an old legend or a historical event. Spirits and demons from Japanese folklore often become the main characters of manga. I’ve learned much about local traditions and rituals from manga and recommend the following manga if you want to learn more about manga and obon.
In the manga Barakamon, written and illustrated by Satsuki Yoshino, obon is celebrated in a tiny village. Seishu Handa, a young professional calligrapher, is sent by his father to a remote island near Kyushu. He meets the villagers, becomes friends with a little girl, Naru. He learns about local customs and habits, enjoys beautiful nature, and also tries to improve his calligraphy skills. During the Obon celebration, Seishu and Naru visit Naru’s deceased grandmother’s grave. They light paper lanterns and then watch traditional dances and enjoy the festival until late at night.
Obon is also featured in the 14th volume of Komi Can’t Communicate written by Tomohito Oda and published by Shogakukan. It was licensed and translated into English by Viz Media. Komi’s family gather at her grandmother’s old home and go to the cemetery together.
The spirit of the festival part of Obon with carnival booths, fireworks, goldfish scooping, and street food is captured in the manga, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya really well. The main characters Haruhi, Mikuru, and Yuki wear yukata, eat takoyaki, and listen to folk music.
Last year, Shonen Jump, one of the oldest manga magazines, published a special collection of obon-themed manga illustrations in its mobile application. It confirms the importance of the mission of contemporary Japanese culture to support the connection between old and new from generation to generation.
And finally, the most romantic or dramatic plot moments in manga comics usually occur during the summer festivals. Check out Orange by Ichigo Takano and Love Hina by Ken Akamatsu.
San Jose taiko performers in a drum circle in front of the Buddhist Church Betsuin
I’m so glad that I had the opportunity to make new friends, taste seasonal street food and enjoy traditional dance and music at San Jose’s 2022 Obon. I really liked the performance of the San Jose Taiko, beloved participants of many Japanese festivals in the Bay Area. Of course, a key facet of the summer festival, kakigori, was also included. This delicacy of shaved ice with colored syrups helped all of us to survive on a hot Californian summer day.
The festival ended with the bon odori dance. Many people, most of them were dressed in beautiful yukata, moved rhythmically, waving paper fans smoothly.
Participants dressed in Japanese happi and yukata perform the bon odori.
I was amazed to see so many people of all ages and cultural backgrounds there! I’ve learned much about the obon celebrations in manga, but the kakigori tasted better in real life and I even participated in the bon odori and tried my best to imitate the movements.
By Elena Usanova