For over 300 years, the people of Yokote in Akita Prefecture have gathered each August to celebrate the Okuribon Festival, a deeply rooted summer tradition that blends remembrance, ritual, and community spirit.
The festival begins with the Nemuri Nagashi, when children carry small straw boats decorated with candles to the Yokote River. As taiko drums echo along the riverbank, lanterns are set afloat, a practice that dates back to the Edo period as a way of warding off the drowsiness brought on by summer heat, believed to leave people vulnerable to spirits.
On August 15th, townspeople gather for a lively bon odori dance, followed the next day by the Yakatabune Kuridashi. Massive straw-clad boats (yakatabune) weighing up to 800 kilograms are brought to the river for a spirit-sending ceremony led by a Buddhist priest. These boats symbolize the historic origins of the festival, which began during times of famine when local residents launched straw boats in memory of the many lives lost.
The highlight comes with the boat-ramming ceremony (butsuke-ai). Neighborhood teams prepare their yakatabune over weeks of labor, then face off on the river, ramming the boats together at their bows while fireworks burst overhead. The clash of boats, shouts of encouragement, and glow of lanterns create a dramatic finale to the event.
Today, the Yokote Okuribon Festival stands as both a memorial to the past and a celebration of community, inviting visitors to witness one of Japan’s most distinctive Obon traditions.
