The Least Useful Guide to Fukuoka

As yearly big spiritual event called Obon (please refer to Wikipedia or something to see what it is) is approaching, people get busy preparing to welcome souls of their late relatives. I myself don’t do anything, though.

Offering flowers, fruits, and sweets to the deceased is one of the customary of obon. Florists have stocked blue and white flowers; white lilies, blue bellflowers, for example, which express solemn and spiritual feeling. Confectioners sell lotus-shaped sugar loaves and rice-flour cakes that also have lotus-related shapes.  And Greengrocers’ are full of offering fruits and vegetables, such as first-supplies of grapes and autumn citruses, small-sized pumpkins, and green banana (I don't know why banana got this position), and other related vegetables.

Sounds too much trouble? Then go to supermarkets.

You can get ready-made offering packs there.  From the sweets and vegetables; everything is compactly packed in an ornamental plastic tray. So what you need to do is just unwrap them (or not, if you don’t want to invite flies) and offer the package in front of your home-shrine (altar, or whatever).  I wonder when supermarkets started selling these items. I don’t think they didn’t do this marketing effort when I was younger.