Daimonji Gozan Okuribi (Bonfire Festival)

Massive bonfires in the shape of Chinese characters and other forms are lit on five hills surrounding Kyoto, to bid farewell the ancestral spirits. The largest is in northeastern Kyoto and can be seen from all over the city when it gets dark. Also called Gozan Okuribi, Kyoto’s bonfires are associated with the Buddhist summer festival of Obon, which is celebrated throughout Japan.