Bon Odori is a popular summer festival in Japan, with singing and dancing to the energetic beat of drums, gongs, and the sweet melody of flutes. In Malaysia, the festival dates as far back as 1977.

to attend the festival “to understand the difference between religion and culture”. Sultan Sharafuddin, one of Malaysia’s nine monarchs, also said his experience attending Bon Odori in 2016 ...

Malaysia’s Islamic affairs minister Idris Ahmad has advised Muslims to avoid a festival of Japan’s traditional summer Bon dance as it contains elements from other religions that go against ...

This August, Mitsui Outlet Park KLIA Sepang (MOP KLIA) is set to bring a slice of Japan to Malaysia with its first-ever Bon Odori Festival. Scheduled for the weekend, this cultural celebration ...

PETALING JAYA: In the wake of the religious affairs minister’s call to Muslims not to attend the Bon Odori Festival, G25 has reminded Malaysians of the country’s greatest assets – racial and ...

“Recently I observed very intense discussions regarding the Bon Odori festival in Malaysia ... claiming that the celebration was “influenced by elements of other religions”.

According to him, Jakim found that the Bon Odori festival had ... there be appreciation, celebration and goodwill among Malaysians and other communities living in Malaysia when the rationale ...

He remembers a time when a "mikoshi,"--a Shinto portable shrine--was a big part of the celebration during the Bon Odori Festival. Although mikoshi have not been part of the Bon Odori Festival ...

A Japanese dance festival that has been celebrated for over four decades ... (PAS), last Monday advised Muslims not to attend the Bon Odori Festival next month, claiming it was "influenced by ...

Penang Mufti Wan Salim Wan Mohd Noor advised Muslims against being involved in the Bon Odori Festival for fear it can lead to syirik (polytheism) practices. Wan Salim (above) said Muslims were ...

Bon Odori is a Japanese Buddhist festival that celebrates ancestors with a sense of gratitude and joy, said Hamakawa. “Essentially it’s a time where we really think about those who have passed ...