Photo Slideshow: Obon Festival Bridges Generations

The held its annual Obon Festival during this past weekend and attracted thousands of people from around the Bay Area and beyond.

"This is definitely a tradition," said San Diego resident Lisa Yoneda, who grew up in Mountain View. "I don't come every year but I often come at this time."

Yoneda, 36, a fourth generation Japanese-American volunteered at prior festivals because both of her parents are temple members. She enjoys the yearly event for the people and . Now she brings her children along.

In the Japanese Buddhist tradition, Obon festivals honor the spirit of departed ancestors; however, it also gives the living the opportunity to create new memories.

"We've been coming since we were little kids and now we bring our kids," said Michele Arnold, 48.

Arnold, a resident of San Ramon, would spend summers in Mountain View as a child visiting her Chinese grandparents, who owned one of the first Chinese restaurants in they city. Back then, the small Asian community knew one another well and the Japanese would eat at their restaurant, her uncle played basketball with some of the guys at the Buddhist Temple and her mom's best friend was a temple member.

"Now it is my kids remind me that the festival is on third weekend on July," she said.

Former Mountain View resident, Leo Takamoto, used to come every year before he moved to Sacramento.

Now he tries to follow the schedule of Obon Festivals held at the different buddhist temples across the Bay Area and go to the ones he can.

As he looked at the kimekomi dolls, ikebani flowers, the suiseki stones and the bonsai trees with his granddaughter, he shared that he does worry that part of Japanese culture has been lost to newer generations.

But as the 73-year-old reflected, he remembered another reason to enjoy the festival.

"I meet old friends at funerals, weddings and these festivals," he said.