Bon ancestor worship going to the dogs

[Hachiko]

It's almost Bon, the festival of the dead, a time when the spirits return to their ancestral homes. On our island, that's a lot of returnees. With the population dying off so rapidly, the ratio of spirits to living people is so great that at Bon, the living become a minority.
And not just the people's spirits that come back, apparently. Last year, my next-door neighbor's dog died, and she put out offerings during Bon at his grave in back of her house. I also put out offerings for the dog as a good neighborly gesture. With the current pet boom, where the number of pets in Japan has surpassed the number of children, you can imagine that in another decade, Bon will have gone completely to the dogs.

But traditionally, at Bon Japanese people pray to their ancestors. Unless you're a "gaijin" like me and don't have any Japanese ancestors. Luckily, however, one of my neighbors offered me one of hers. Let me explain.

Japan Times

 

[Ewok85]

I remember bon , went out to the family plot, lit some incence, carried a lantern back. Was pretty interesting.

 

[Saria]

0.0 wow sounds cool. but people need to spay & nuter there pets. that way there won't be so many & won't be so many strayes. dogs & cats can have a up to 8 babies & right after one litter oftine times they can have another. Also I was wondering when is bon?

it would be funny if the spirits of my pets came back.... but how would my pet fish come back? :? hmm

 

[dadako]

well written article

 

[Lina Inverse]

Very interesting... when is this Bon festival?

 

[Maciamo]

Talking of dogs, I wonder if some dog-loving Japanese make a special o-Bon ceremony for their deceased pet(s). There are dog cemeteries like in Western countries, but as o-Bon is a Buddhist festival, it could very well be extended to pets, who are also life beings.

Question to those who believe in ghosts and returning spirits of the ancestors => What does a dog ghost look like ? Japanese ghosts have the particularity of not having legs. A dog ghost without leg must be an odd sight.