Celebrate Obon 2025
Get ready to celebrate Obon, the Japanese Buddhist festival to honor the spirits of ancestors. Obon is August 13-15, 2025, but San Jose Japantown’s annual Obon Festival is this weekend, July 12-13, 2025. The San Jose Japantown festival includes dance, performances, games, and food.
Historically, Obon is a three day celebration where families gather to eat, dance, and honor their relatives. On the first day of Obon, people often visit their hometowns to see their family. They clean ancestral graves and decorate them with flowers and lanterns in order to guide the spirits of their deceased family back home. It is also common to donate fruit, candles, incense, and other gifts to altars in temples or display them at home.
On the third and final day of Obon, ancestors return back to the spirit world and large gatherings are held to wish them farewell. Across Japan, people celebrate with street food stalls, fireworks, taiko drumming, and regional songs. Dances are held in parks and temples, with performers wearing yukata and geta.
Celebrate Obon:
