Obon (お盆) is a summer Buddhist custom that honors the family ancestors. It is believed that the spirits of the ancestors return to visit the living relatives in mid July (August in some places). One of the customs of Obon is the Bon-Odori, or Obon Dancing, where people gather and dance to songs and drums to welcome the spirits. This bon-odori was held in Ikebukuro district of Tokyo while my family was in town. It was an interesting one because it had a modern pop-culture twist to the traditional Bon-Odori.
