See Japan’s Beautiful Festival of the Dead

Children dressed as tanuki, or raccoon dogs, pose for a group portrait on Himeshima Island. Tanuki commonly appear in Japanese folklore as tricksters. 

Girls are painted as Lady Shizuka, one of the most famous shirabyōshi, or court dancers, in 12th-century Japan. 

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.