Sweltering Bon holidays in Japan

Measures are being taken across Japan during the ongoing Bon holidays to beat the sweltering summer heat.

In the hot spring city of Beppu, Oita Prefecture, western Japan, children climbed onto the floating leaves of a huge water lily on Saturday.

The Giant Amazon Water Lily is native to South America, but has also taken root in the hot spring resort, where its leaves grow as wide as 1.5 meters, enough to hold 20 kilograms.

Children were both excited and scared as they took turns trying to stand on the swaying leaves.

The 3-day event ends on Monday.

In the northern Hokkaido prefecture, the Hokkaido Railway Company turned on a water sprinkler for the first time this summer on Saturday.

A diesel locomotive pulled a 4-car train carrying water tanks to spray water onto the rails. The company takes the measure because 12 years ago the rails buckled in the summer heat.

Over the space of 4 hours, water was slowly sprinkled onto the tracks of the Hakodate line between Sapporo and Iwamizawa and elsewhere.