KOBE (Kyodo) On man-made Rokko Island last summer, many people, including non-Japanese, danced to fast-paced music during a Bon festival.

The event was sponsored by a neighborhood association and employees of the U.S. household goods giant Procter & Gamble Co., whose Japan head office is located on the island. Their families, clad in "yukata" summer kimono, joined locals in the dancing.

"Those coming from abroad have a different energy," said Masami Inari, 72, head of the local association.