The "Kyoto Gozan Okuribi Rengokai," the union of preservation associations of Kyoto's traditional O-bon bonfire event, announced on June 28 that this summer's bonfires on the evening of August 16 will be fully lit for the first time in three years. For the last two years, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, each mountain limited its number of ignition points to between one and six to prevent crowding of citizens and tourists and to ensure the safety of the event staff.

"Gozan Okuribi" is an event to send off the ancestral spirits that were welcomed back during the O-bon holidays. Bonfires in the shape of "Daimonji," "Myoho," "Funagata," "Hidari-Daimonji," and "Toriigata" are lit on each of the five mountains surrounding the Kyoto basin respectively. The bonfires have been suspended before due to the blackout order and lack of fuelwood during World War II.