The car ferries to Shiraishi Island are all full. Family compacts drive off and park wherever they can, turning every spare piece of ground into a parking space. Even the small park near the port has added "ing lot" to its name. There are groups of people walking around who I've never seen before.

The fishing boats are full of families out fishing for the day, the mothers shielding themselves with white parasols. Mr. Harada's cargo ship, the Kaisei Maru, is docked out in front of its home port of Shiraishi, and the tanker Bizen Maru has returned home too. The priest and his son, dressed in full Buddhist robes, are driving around the island from appointment to appointment. "Chochin" lanterns are set outside of houses, and the island is abuzz with activity.

It's Bon, the "festival of the dead," when Japanese people make the pilgrimage back to their hometowns to pay homage to their ancestors. And that means all family members and relatives come back, even the dead ones. But no digging is required -- the spirits come back on their own, guided to their homes by lanterns the family sets on the porch.