Interesting Facts! #61

61. Obon Festival

Obon is an annual Buddhist event for commemorating one's ancestors. It is believed that each year during obon, the ancestors' spirits return to this world in order to visit their relatives.

Obon is observed from the 13th to the 15th day of the 7th month of the year, which is July according to the solar calendar. However, since the 7th month of the year roughly coincides with August rather than July according to the formerly used lunar calendar, Obon is still observed in mid August in many regions of Japan, while it is observed in mid July in other regions.

Japanese people clean their houses and place a variety of food offerings such as vegetables and fruits to the spirits of ancestors in front of a butsudan (Buddhist altar).

On the first day of Obon, chochin lanterns are lit inside houses, and people go to their family's grave to call their ancestors' spirits back home. It's called mukae-bon. In some regions, fires called mukae-bi are lit at the entrances of houses to guide the spirits. 

On the last day, people bring the ancestor's spirits back to the grave, hanging chochin painted with the family crest to guide the spirits. It's called okuri-bon. In some regions, fires called okuri-bi are lit at entrances of houses to send the ancestors' spirits back. During Obon, the smell of senko incense fills Japanese houses and cemeteries.

Toro nagashi (floating lanterns) is a tradition often observed during Obon. At the end of Obon, floating lanterns are put into rivers, lakes and seas in order to guide the spirits back into their world. The customs followed vary strongly from region to region.

If you are having a struggle understanding this...think of "Dia de los Muertos", "Day of the Dead" May 5th, that celebrates the same concept. 

-The more you know~

Interesting Facts!! #60

60. Sumo Wrestling

Sumo is a Japanese style of wrestling and Japan's national sport. In line with tradition, only men practice the sport professionally in Japan.

From around the Heian period (794-1192), the imperial family often watched sumo as a form of entertainment. Sumo evolved over many centuries, with the first professional sumo wrestlers appearing in the Edo period (1603-1868). Because of this long history, sumo is considered Japan's national sport.

The rules of sumo wrestling are simple: the wrestler who first exits the ring or touches the ground with any part of his body besides the soles of his feet loses. Matches take place on an elevated ring (dohyo), which is made of clay and covered in a layer of sand. Usually a contest lasts only a few seconds, but in rare cases it can take a minute or more. There are no weight restrictions or classes in sumo, meaning that wrestlers can easily find themselves matched off against someone many times their size. As a result, weight gain is an essential part of sumo training.


Due to traditional Japanese diet, it would be hard to gain weight in a country where everyone is very slim, so sumo wrestlers diet consist of chankonabe. Chankonabe is a type of Japanese stew made to pack on the pounds, on average it has 10,000 calories. This dish has various of meats and vegetables in it, this is much better than eating junk foot after a long day of training or a tournament.

There are many religious traditions in sumo: wrestlers sip sacred water and throw purifying salt into the ring before a match; the referee dresses like a Shinto priest, a Shinto shrine hangs over the ring. When wrestlers enter the ring they clap their hands to summon the gods. In addition to wrestlers’ colorful mawashi (belly bands) and distinctive hair styles called oicho, both of which evoke images of ancient times.

- The more you know~