I enjoy the annual Japanese Festival at our botanical garden, always over Labor Day weekend. I join in the Obon dancing and light a lantern for my mom and family members to float on the lake at night – toro nagashii is so peaceful and poignant (once you move away from the chatting crowd and can hear the gentle music). In this way I honor my mother and my cultural heritage, although I also belong to Japan-related groups here and keep a connection year-round that way.

I hope you have opportunities to enjoy your cultural heritage(s). In my area we are lucky to have many different cultural festivals. They welcome all. At the Japanese Festival, it’s fun to see so many people not of-Japanese heritage dressed in their own yukata or kimono. I think everyone becomes Japanese at the festival, like everyone becomes Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. It’s fun to learn about and to enjoy other cultures’ traditions, widening our world experience and people connections a little without the expense of traveling afar, and these days we sure need to widen our worlds and connections.

This beautifully polished ikebana container was made in one of the internment “camps” for Japanese Americans in the US during WWII. It is made from a thick branch (firewood) with a US Army ration can inside to hold water.