Following Japanese shakuhachi flute music by Rick Kruse, the Rev. Rinban Gerald Sakamoto, pastor of the San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin, returned this year to bless the opening of the third annual Humboldt Obon Festival on Sunday afternoon. The program included traditions of the Obon, a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of one’s ancestors who come to earth to visit, and a traditional time to clean family graves, offer favorite foods to the deceased, pray and dance.

A large crowd enjoyed the drum music of Humboldt Taiko before joining in with the rhythm of the traditional Bon Odori folk dance circle. The event, held in the Arcata Creamery District, featured an eclectic mix of Asian and Pacific Island food vendors, as well as art and information vendors.

With Totoro (a cuddly, friendly cartoon character from Hayao Miyazaki’s My Neighbor Totoro) strolled through the crowd. The family-friendly event featured activities for children, an altar to honor ancestors and the opportunity to write messages to loved ones on slips of paper that were then hung on community trees.

The event’s organizer, Humboldt Asian and Pacific Islanders (HAPI), is a DreamMaker project of the Ink People Center for the Arts, a nonprofit, grassroots, artist-led arts and cultural organization. For more information about the festival, or to make a donation toward festival costs, visit hapihumboldt.org.

Mark Larson (he/him) is a journalism professor emeritus at Cal Poly Humboldt and an active freelance photographer who enjoys hiking.