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Emilio Espejel

Dancers dressed as fisherman put on a performance during the Obon summer festival.

A girl dressed as a geisha stands in line at the beginning of the Obon dance on Himeshima Island.

A group of kitsune perform the Bon Dance to the beat of a drum. People often gather in the open spaces and sing traditional music during Obon—a cheerful affair to welcome the souls of their ancestors home.

Children dressed as "drunk fishermen" play outside during the Obon summer festival.

A child dressed as a kitsune, or fox, peers inside a neighbour's house during Obon festival. The kitsune is another popular character in Japanese folklore, said to have magical, shapeshifting powers.

A women prays in a Buddhist cemetery in Ōita Prefecture days after the Obon festival.