Devon Matsumoto (he/him) is a community organizer in San Jose Nikkei Resisters and Young Buddhist Editorial, currently attending the Institute of Buddhist Studies.
Obon is supposed to be a time of joy, reflection, and celebration in honor of our ancestors who have come before us and who now tirelessly work to guide us towards our own liberation. And yet, I feel no joy in Obon as it approaches this year.
Obon, like many Japanese American cultural practices, exists in the intersections of race and religion. Although Obon is a more widely accepted cultural-religious practice, this was not always the case.
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