Sunday, August 15, 2010

Praying for World Peace


Today is the 65th anniversary of the end of the World War 2.

Japan is also in the Obon season, which is from August 13th to the 16th. Obon is a Buddhist festival to recognize ancestral spirits. It is believed these spirits return to our families during the period. We visit our ancestral graves and make offerings of flowers and incense.

The photo above is my great-grandfather, Yonosuke Goto, who died in 1925 at the age of 33. That was before the war. I personally offered a one-minute silent prayer to mourn the victims and wish for world peace.