The Buddhist holiday Ohigan (お彼岸) has been identified so much with the equinoxes that many thing the word means that. As a matter of fact, the equinox is called "bunten" (分点) and Ohigan is related to the particular wisdom which in Buddhism is called "paramita" (in Japanese "haramita"/波羅蜜多) and which helps the practitioner to pass to the other side of the river of ignorance. At any rate, the equinoxes are national holidays and the Japanese often spend a part of them visiting the graves of their ancestors and friends.
(For a bigger version of this picture both in color and black and white, check my "Japan Arekore" set on Flickr)
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