Japan’s Peak Summer Travel Season Centers around August 15th

Narita airport workers know this week is one of the busiest for travelers in Japan. Golden Week and the New Year's Holiday are other times.

Narita International serves travelers leaving from the Tokyo area.

In one day, airport officials predicted that combing departures and arrivals, about 99,100 travelers would pass through Narita.

August 15th is in the center of the O-bon series of holidays which

mark the traditional Buddhist festival for the dead.

O-bon is so much like Halloween in the traditional Catholic sense that I find it quite interesting.

On August 15th, the spirits of dead ancestors meet at the grave sites. But, they travel the night before and are guided by family members carrying lanterns.

Sound like All Saints Day and the holy evening before when all the saints were traveling, no?

Except in Japan, the traveling spirits didn't become ghosts, spooks, monsters, witches and other supernatural beings.

For most Japanese…it's a week off from work.