Japanese families scale back Obon trips due to costs and work

A woman in her 30s used a part‑time job at a shopping mall as an excuse to shorten her annual Obon stay with her husband's family, reducing a week‑long visit to just a few days.

Another family from Tokyo, facing travel expenses of ¥130,000‑¥150,000 for a round‑trip to their parents' home in Akita and the discomfort of hot weather for elderly relatives, considered abandoning the tradition. The 75‑year‑old mother even offered to attend the gravesite ceremony herself. Both stories illustrate how rising costs and work commitments are prompting Japanese families to rethink the long‑standing practice of returning home for Obon.