As part of the 34-year official cultural exchange between Salem and Ota City, Japan, Japanese middle school students have spent a week in Salem enjoying a variety of activities on the North Shore and in Boston. The students present a program for their local host families that ends with a communal dance.

August 15 in Japan is Obon, when people return to their hometowns and visit ancestral graves. Obon dancing is held at different locations to welcome the spirits of ancestors. The Salem–Ota Cultural Exchange invites you to join in, learn the simple steps of Ota’s Obon dance and enjoy the fun as students and local families celebrate their time together.

Learn more about how you can participate in the host family program next year.