Obon

This is the Japanese equivalent of Halloween, when the souls of the dead briefly return to stalk the earth once more. Traditions observed include the lighting of fires outside houses to welcome them back and the night-time floating of lanterns on open water. Although it's not technically a public holiday, many companies in Tokyo give workers time off to return to their ancestral homes out of the city to pay their respects at family graves. This has the ironic effect of turning the capital into something of a ghost town.

River Tawe, Near Craig-y-Nos, Upper Swansea Valley, Brecon Beacons National Park, Wales, UK