The winter version of the lantern festival mirrors the autumn celebration held during the Obon holidays in August. According to local legend, the legendary 11th emperor of Japan visited the region ...

YAMAGA, Kumamoto Prefecture--Hundreds of traditional Japanese umbrellas and thousands of bamboo lanterns are warming the atmosphere of the cold winter nights here. The festival, called “Yamaga ...

Obon is a summertime ritual when Japanese people welcome ancestors' spirits home from the Buddhist Pure Land. The people of Nagasaki have a distinctive way to commemorate this. They light ...

Lanterns representing a brighter future for Japan were released into the night sky to mark the six-month anniversary of the earthquake. Video courtesy of Reuters.

The Obon Festival will be August ... Guests will have a chance to enjoy Japanese refreshments, cuisine, make their own origami art and release lanterns to commemorate a loved one.