I'm dead. Not only that, but my spirit is now floating around the Seto Inland Sea. But before I explain to you how I died, I have to explain about Obon.

During Obon, the spirits of the dead come back to their childhood homes to visit. It's kind of like a dead-relative reunion. I wasn't dead at the beginning of Obon though, so I spent most of the Obon holiday trying to be a good hostess to the Nakakawa spirits, the previous inhabitants of our house. We always leave out plenty of sake for them, so I think they are pleased with us.

Despite the morbid implications of a holiday for the dead, the Obon holiday is really rather festive. Things temporarily slow down in Japan and people take several days off work and return to their hometowns to visit family. They visit their ancestors' graves and share sake with their spirits. On my island, you can tell when Obon is near when you start hearing a slow, methodical drum beat in the evenings. It can be heard from anywhere on the island and the slow repetitive beat sets the pace for everything you do. Even if there is a crisis, such as burning toast, you'll find it impossible to rescue it in time because you can't move faster than the drumbeat. You run in slow motion, like a movie, one frame at a time, one drumbeat at a time. You start to do everything in rhythm, including chopping your vegetables while blurting out an occasional "Yosh!" Meanwhile, the locals are all gathered around the drum, dressed in summer kimono, practicing the 400-year-old Shiraishi Dance to welcome the spirits.