Obon

Festival highlights

A highlight is the variety of sand mounds set up by household entrances.

Some are made by putting sand in a box, some by piling it beneath the post at the entrance, and others by coating and hardening it with mud. In some cases, they are decorated with straw horses, Buddhist flowers, taro leaves, eggplants, and other items.

There are also records of dance songs passed down since around the end of the Meiji era being sung on Bon nights, linking local life with honoring the ancestors.

Ninomiya’s traditions of welcoming the ancestors through sand mounds and Bon Odori

What to expect

During the Obon season, each household piles sand by its entrance and adds flowers, leaves, eggplants, and other items to welcome the ancestors.

In the past, girls would sing and dance in kimono, sometimes stopping in front of homes observing their first Obon after a death.

The dance is said to have been developed and spread by someone who brought it from Shitamachi to Nakazato, and is one example of local culture associated with Obon.

How to take part

Sand mounds are an Obon custom made by individual households; they are not presented as an event in which visitors generally participate together.

Records tell of local girls once singing and dancing Bon Odori.

Check the event information for details on whether the public can participate now and whether any opportunities to join are open to visitors.

Location and access

Venue

Households and communities throughout Ninomiya Town

Event venue 神奈川県二宮町 二宮町内の各家

This map uses the venue name. Check the official guide for the event area and entrances.

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Dates and season

Season

Around August 13

Frequency

Every year during the Obon season

Accommodation and hotels PR

Origins and History of Obon

Ninomiya’s Bon Odori is said to have been performed in the three streets of the town toward the end of the Meiji era.

On Bon nights, girls wearing long-sleeved kimono would sing and dance, visiting homes observing their first Obon after a death.

Later, no one remained in the original area who remembered the dance. A person who moved from Shitamachi to Nakazato is said to have added dance movements and spread it.

Official information

The “Folk Customs and Traditional Events” section of the Ninomiya Town official website introduces Obon customs passed down in Ninomiya, including sand mounds and Bon Odori songs.

The shape and decorations of the sand mounds, along with traditions surrounding Bon Odori, offer clues to local customs.

Obon at a Glance

Ninomiya Town’s Obon is an event that offers a sense of the local culture of welcoming the ancestors, through sand mounds made by households around August 13 and memories of Bon Odori passed down in the community.

Sand mounds vary in form, including box-shaped ones and those hardened with mud, and their decorations reflect the character of each area and household.

Bon Odori traditions in Ninomiya date back to around the end of the Meiji era, offering insight into the town’s folk culture.