It was a pleasant day in Kyoto with a cool breeze for the first time in a while. After a meeting at the Nishijin Association Building, we watched the Gozan no Okuribi fires on the rooftop with Daru-san.

In Kyoto, there remains a custom of many people coming together every year during Obon to see off the spirits of their ancestors and deceased loved ones who return to this world.

It is a gentle and beautiful Japanese custom in which people watch over the deceased with the hope that they may return safely to the afterlife.