Every time I translate it as "Summer Vacation," I lose one important word every year

Obon is beginning.

When I communicate with overseas clients, I am always asked the same question during this time of year.

"Why are you taking a week off next week?"

I always reply, a bit troubled, "It's something like a Summer Vacation." The other person is satisfied, saying, "Ah, summer holidays," and the conversation ends there. It gets across. Work proceeds without delay.

But every time I press the send button, a part of my heart stings.

I feel that I have failed to convey something. The moment I type "Summer Vacation," the most important word slips through my fingers—that is the feeling that remains.

I would like to put into words what that word is in this article.

To those who searched for "Obon English explanation"

Perhaps many of you who arrived at this article have typed this into a search bar at least once.
"Obon English explanation," "Obon holiday English email."

If you search, you will find plenty. "Obon is a traditional event to honor the spirits of ancestors."
It is a traditional Japanese event to honor the spirits of ancestors. Polite example sentences are listed, 35 of them, 27 of them. Bon Odori is "Bon Odori," Toro Nagashi is "Toro Nagashi." Just use the romanized words as they are, they say.

I have read such articles many times, too. I read them, copied them, pasted them, and sent them.

But strangely, the look in the other person's eyes remained a "?" even then. The words were correct. The grammar was correct. Yet, it didn't reach them.

I understood the reason after some time.

Example collections teach you "what to say." But they don't touch on "why it doesn't get across" at all.

What I wanted to know was the latter.



Obon is not a "holiday"

Here, I will write what is probably the most important thing.

Obon is not a holiday.

To be precise, the time off is merely a result. The essence of Obon is a period when deceased family members return home once a year. It is an event born from the fusion of the Buddhist "Urabon-e" and the indigenous Japanese faith of honoring ancestors; we light welcoming fires, clean graves, and see them off with farewell fires. The subject from beginning to end is the "ancestors."

So, what disappears the moment I translate it as "Summer Vacation"?
The subject of "who you spend it with" disappears entirely.

Thinking about that, I felt very frustrated that I couldn't convey the most important part of this break, so recently I have been making sure to explain it properly to my overseas business partners.

I hope you all have a relaxing holiday period as well.