It's time for the spirits to return to the Land of the Dead.
In Miyazu, on the north coast of Japan,
they believe that souls come from the sea
and return to the sea….
The townspeople build spirit boats
one for each family member who has left this world
during the past year.
Throughout the morning they pour into the Miyazu’s port.
Each manned with miniature crew
and stocked with food for the coming voyage.
By early afternoon the place goes into high gear
to get them all afloat.
Over a 100 are hauled out and tethered all over the bay.
Soon they won’t be the only things out there.
You can light a candle in memory of anyone who has passed away.
You can build them or yourself
or have one made,
signed with the name of the deceased.
But the problem then becomes:
how do you launch ten thousand lanterns --
without having them all pile up on shore?
Every Miyazu fishing boat pitches in to help.
It’s the last time we’ll see land until well after dark.
A dozen platforms manned with volunteers
have spent the entire afternoon
putting together lanterns.
They’re not too pleased that we’ve brought them even more.
And then, as darkness falls, we start to light.
They don’t seem to want to float away.
Hours later we’re still hard at work…
with more or less success.
Obon is finally over.
It’s time to send the spirits on their way…
back to the land of the dead, where they belong.
Once I’m back on shore
I find another kind of ceremony well under way.
It’s the odori.
The obon dance.
To give comfort to the souls
who are now in eternal bliss.
Although the dance itself hasn’t changed for centuries
The children have come up with several variations on the theme…
There’s the basic step
with the escape motif
The samurai step.
The lotus flower.
And the I-don’t-wanna-dance step.
But at least they know that once the evening’s over,
they have to walk past all the stalls
that ring the central square
and maybe stop by the one that sells the flavored ice.