Japantown Cultural District in partnership with Nihonmachi Street Fair present BON POP, a city-wide Obon Odori event. Celebrated throughout Japan, Obon is a 500 year old Japanese ceremonial tradition of honoring and celebrating our ancestors through music, dance and community. Originating from the Chinese Ghost Festival of Buddhist and Taoist nature, the Japan Obon Festival follows the idea that during three days in August, those in the living realm perform rituals to converge with and absolve the suffering of our deceased ancestors. Today, Japan residents travel back to their family homes during Obon season to visit the local temple, clean ancestral graves, light lanterns, and enjoy ceremonial foods and family traditions. Most cities gather in a celebratory night of dance and community, reuniting with loved ones, under the glimmer of festival lanterns, dancing to the sounds of taiko and songs of the past, often dressed in festival wear called yukata.  

We invite you to journey back to SF Japantown and join us in community to honor your ancestors.
Hiroshima Nagasaki Commemoration: Saturday, August 6, 2022 from 11:00 am - 11:30am
BON POP: Saturday, August 6 from 6:00 - 7:30pm in the Peace Plaza

Bon Pop thanks our sponsors, Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development, Japan Center Garage, Japan Center Malls and the Nihonmachi Street Fair. 

Bon Pop Odori Song List :

Obon no Uta (uchiwa)
Tanko Bushi (hand) with Ensohza and GenRyu
Soran Bushi (hand) with Ensohza and GenRyu
Shiawase Samba (hand) 
Hanagasa Ondo (sensu) with Ensohza and GenRyu

Photos courtesy of:
Japanese American Religious Foundation

Bon Pop Schedule:

11:00 am Annual Remembrance for Peace ceremony to mark anniversary of the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki will be conducted by Japanese American Religious Federation, comprised of twelve historic Nikkei faith congregations in Buddhist, Christian, and Independent Religions traditions. In partnership with Friends of Hibakusha (Atomic Bomb Survivor Families), and Nichibei Foundation.

6:00 pm Gen Ryu Arts Taiko to call the ancestors

6:05 pm Welcome 

6:15 pm Bon Odori music and dancing  

6:40 pm Yukata Remix Contest Round 1: Best Under age 7, Best aged age 7-15, Best hair overall , Best Family Ensemble - Judges include Chameleon Vintage + KOHO Creative Team!

6:50 pm Bon Odori music and dancing 

7:15 pm Yukata Remix Contest Round 2: Best Male, Best Female, Best of use of Yukata Accessories, Crowd Favorite - Judges include Chameleon Vintage + KOHO Creative Team! 

7:25 pm Closing words

GenRyu Arts

Founded as Gen Taiko in 1995 and incorporated as GenRyu Arts in August 2008, its mission is to promote, present and participate in Japanese and Japanese American culture through Taiko (Japanese Drumming) and other traditional and contemporary music and dance forms.  GenRyu Arts is directed by its founder Melody Takata, a multi-faceted artist trained in Japanese Classical Dance, Taiko and Shamisen.  Sensei Takata has been performing for over 20 years in Japan and U.S.A.  Deeply rooted in San Francisco’s Japantown and in the Asian American Community, GenRyu Arts engages in art-making that merges Japanese cultural forms taiko, dance and folk songs with new music, spoken word and visual design into singular expressions that honor community heritage and address key issues stemming from the legacy of internment and redevelopment.

Ensohza

Formed in 2006, Ensohza is a minzoku-geino or Japanese folk performing ensemble based in the San Francisco Bay Area. With lively vocals accompanied by fue and shakuhachi (bamboo flutes), shamisen (a string instrument) and the beat of the taiko drum, Ensohza transports you to Japan’s mountain and fishing villages with traditional folk songs and festival dance music. Ensohza also promotes opportunities for community building through grant-funded training in folk dance and the traditional festival arts of Japan, performing music that evokes the festival spirit and character of Japan’s diverse rural communities,