People In Japan Visit Graves On Autumn Equinox


People in Japan visit graves on autumn equinox

People in the Japanese city of Kyoto are visiting the graves of their ancestors on Tuesday, the autumn equinox.

The day is a national holiday marking the middle of the Buddhist 'Ohigan' period when people remember their late loved ones.

Families visited the Otani-Sobyo cemetery at Higash-Honganji temple in Kyoto from the morning, under clear autumnal skies. About 10,000 graves stand on a hillside overlooking the ancient capital city.

The visitors washed gravestones, laid flowers, burned sticks of incense and prayed for the souls of their late relatives.

A 67-year-old woman said she was visiting a grave after failing to come on the spring equinox in March and the 'Obon' period in August due to coronavirus pandemic. She said she reported the birth of a grandchild to her ancestors.