Ebisu Bon Odori

As July comes to a close, the bon odori season is just starting in Japan. Bon odori are festivals where entire communities come together to socialize and dance in honor of the dead. In Tokyo, the neighborhood of Ebisu seems to have made the perfect transition of bon odori from the rural village to the…

Tanabata

Tanabata is the celebration of the myth of the two lovers Orihime and Hikoboshi, two stars separated by the Milky Way. Once each year on the 7th of July or August, they are allowed to meet. While their story represents the basis of Tanabata, the day is celebrated in many different ways. Most common is…