This beautiful Korean temple is a hidden gem of Honolulu, Hawaii. Tucked away into the mountainside…read moreof Palolo, a residential neighborhood, this temple is one of the largest Korean temples outside of Korea. There is a suggested donation and no photos inside the temple. My sister recommended this place and the views are absolutely spectacular and tranquil. Parking can be a bit steep when driving up, but there's plenty of parking spots. Highly recommend!

Cyndy's Bottom Line: Peace & tranquility…read more *Visitor Hours: 9-5pm daily *Admission by Donation: General $3.00, Seniors(60+) $2.00, Children $1.00, groups of 5 or more reservation in advance *Visitor parking lot on the premise has approximately 12 stalls or street parking within the neighborhood. *Be careful and drive slowly upon exiting the parking lot because of the steep driveway which may hit or damage the front end of your car. *There are activities held at the temple for the community- Korean service every Sunday 10:00-12noon. Insight or Vipassana meditation, Korean Dance and Drum, Korean Language (Reading and Writing), Painting, Yoga and Korean Tea Ceremony. *Website for more info - muryangsatemple.com e-mail: muryangsatemple@gmail.com Mu-Ryang-Sa Buddhist Temple is nestled deep in the lush, tranquil Palolo Valley for over 40 years and is the largest Korean Temple outside of Korea. The name of the temple means "Broken Ridge Temple.". What appears to be a flaw in the construction the roof was lowered because it exceeded the height limitation of the City & County. The temple is magnificent despite the roof's lower height. The grounds are beautiful and abundant with plants especially the variety of mango trees and coconut trees throughout the property. There are statues such as the Statue of Miruk Boddhisatava. There are lotus buds and lovely lotus flowers in bloom and pots of water lilies too. Water is saved in plastic containers and drums. The most interesting sight is the pots of aged miso and shoyu on the roof top below the temple. Highly recommmend a visit to capture the tranquility and beauty of the temple and Palolo Valley.

Beautiful! Stop by and just take a look. You will fall in love. They really take care of the yard…read moreand all the duckies there. Behind it is Paiko Lagoon which is a wildlife sanctuary. Bring some old bread and feed the fish and crabs. Enjoy!

From the owner: Non-member and member both welcome to church. While Gedatsu…read morehas influences from both Buddhism and Shintoism, (which you can see in our altar and some of our rituals), Gedatsu is a non-sectarian study.

The Koganji Temple Bon Dance is a massive two day event held annually on Koganji Temple's 1.7 acre…read moreManoa property. The dance itself is held in the center of the property with food tents setup around the perimeter and the bake sale indoors in one of the nearby buildings. This event and location are huge. Kind of amazing that such a big property can hide so well in Manoa, must be the hiding in those Manoa rains. Koganji has so many food options! Hamburgers, corn, kimono dogs (andagi corndogs), kimono puppies, andagi in multiple forms, fried yakisoba, beef katsu donburi, spam musubi, the list of food goes on and on and on in addition to a large bake sale selling everything from cookies to jam. Sales are script base and prices are somewhat higher than other bon dances. My sister and I shared the fried yakisoba noodle, a hamburger, andagi, and katsu beef donburi. The noodles weren't anything special, but the burger was perfectly cooked with a crispy piece of fresh lettuce, which is a nice change for a bon dance burger. The andagi was crispy and tasty, but one wasn't exactly andagi shaped, but that's okay. (You should see some of the shapes that come out of Punahou's carnival malasada booth, aka NSFW, so these are excused). The Katsu beef donburi was surprisingly good. I went for it because I've never seen it at bon dance and to be honest, I'm getting bored with bon dance food. The fried and battered beef was tender and tasty, with pickled cabbage, corn and a seemingly vegetarian Japanese version of a Gau Gee. We spent about $20 with bottled water. Unlike other bon dances, lots of chairs and benches are provided, both indoors in the bake sale area and surrounding the bon dance itself. Unfortunately, many of them are wet, because, well it's Manoa. Suck it up buttercup, if you wanted dry, you would have gone to the Waialua Hongwanji Bon Dance. The number of dancers seemed fewer than other dances, but that might be due to the limited dancing area. I do enjoy how the lanterns are all sorts of colors, giving the dance an almost carnival like feel. Parking is a mess as there's virtually no parking on site, forcing people to brave the cold and unforgiving mean streets of Manoa for parking. Oh wait, I'm talking about Manoa, so replace all of those adjectives with "wet." Lots of people end up parking at the public Manoa Park and making the short walk over. My sister and I were amazed there were so many people with such bad parking. Maybe it's just lots of Manoa residents walking from home? Bring cash and a jacket/umbrella as its Manoa and it rains.

WOW i've driven up…read moreand down oahu have many a time, and have never ever seen a japanese temple, so when is saw that there was an obon festival in manoa on oahu ave, i was a bit skeptical. then i saw the commercial on kiku - stunning... but was it just a picture of an obon elsewhere in japan? we met a sales person at pier one that day who was telling us that she really wanted to go to the obon festival in manoa tonight because they have the most beautiful lanterns there...really? now i'm really interested. so we drive down oahu avenue, and if not for the policemen standing on the street, and the pedestrians walking in, you would never now the temple was here because all you see from the street is a sign, and driveway. but as you walk down the driveway, you begin to see the most beautifully glowing lanterns down below you. what a surreal setting. a beautiful temple nestled in the slopey hill and the obon set up below. the gardens and ponds were beautiful. we totally want to go back to check it out in the daylight. so reminiscent of something you'd see in kyoto. if the beautiful lanterns aren't enough to persuade you to go, here's a few more: 1) teriyaki corn, freshly grilled on the hibachi 2) andagi 3) curry croquettes all, extremely delicous! it is extremely crowded, or at least it feels that way because the space is small, you do have to wait a while in lines to get your food, and the parking situation is bad, but it was totally worth it, and we're coming back next year. hey, you can always take uncle frank's limo (aka the bus) -the #5 bus stops right in front.

Reverend Cullen of the Mong Won Tan Temple in Palolo has been such a serene and trusting place for…read moreme and my family. Although we have only visited this temple on 2 separate occasions, we have found solace, relief and consolation during times of distress and sorrow. He has brought us emotional strength, easing our pain and anxiety. Also, he takes time to explain things in a simplistic way and gives meaning to life. Such a wonderful man and aura around him.

Blessings on earth…read more.. In a humble Temple in Palolo Valley, there sits a great source of comfort and wisdom... My aunt on my mother's side used to see Reverend Tin Fook at the Mong Won Tan Temple. Tin Fook's English name is Cullen. He is a local boy who can speak Hawaiian, Cantonese, and English! I felt like my cousin on my father's side would be able to feel some connection and get some assistance and peace of mind, too... I brought her to Rev. Tin Fook and it was a successful meeting! There's free street parking in the front. The Temple appears to be a house in a quiet, residential neighborhood, surrounded by orchids, lehua tree, and blossoming puakenikeni! As you drive up Gardenia Street, the Temple is easy to spot because of the red doors. Hours of operation are 7am to 10am every day except Saturdays and Mondays when it's closed. We were afraid that there would be a long line of parishioners, waiting their turn with Tin Fook. We actually were the first to be seen! However, after a few minutes, The Reverend wanted a longer session with us, so he called in the next client, heard their concerns, and called us back in. After a while, another person came for advice, so we took a break, returned to "talk story", and finished out the Reverend's day (10am). Yes...he is very patient and empathetic. He uses common sense and gives practical guidance. I sure can see why he is so popular! If you're interested, just stop by and give it a try! Donations of fruit, flowers, monetary gifts, incense, etc. are welcomed! Note: the next jai (vegetarian Monk's food) fundraiser is on 7-21-19. Put your order in because it's just a small homemade batch made with lots of Aloha! It's just $10 a jar!

Very peaceful and tranquil. If you don't feel Closer to your…read moreancestors when visiting here than something is wrong with you. Get your fortune read and make sure you donate. It's a great cause.

I went to the temple, partially because I read the reviews in this website, therefore, I think I…read moreshould also write my experience there in May 2025. As one review said, one should visit the Kuan Yin temple in your difficult time. I felt the merciful love there, and believe you or not, I got one cure of a hurting spot on my arm, which was likely the covid vaccine spot; my first hurting memory of that spot started when I contracted covid unexpectedly in summer 2024, and it was painful when I lifted up things or just at some movement. At that day in the temple, I did not think of praying relieving that pain especially, but that long lasting pain on my arm has been gone ever since I visited the temple, which was really magical. From one review in this website, I heard of drawing straw (without any charge). Thanks to that, and the help from the smiling and kind lady in the temple, I did straw drawing and then found the interpretation for the lot number I got. Altogether, this place is great and kind, curing pains physically and mentally, full of merciful love, and giving hope, without asking for any returns.

Must visit spot if you're visiting Kaneohe. It's about 15-20 min drive from the botanical garden…read more You have to enter the Memorial Park to get to this temple. It's a smaller replica of the actual temple from Japan. We ordered tickets online for $10/person and $6 for parking. They don't check your tickets when you enter which we thought was very strange lol. It's very beautiful and peaceful with the mountain and smoky cloud in the background. They have a couple benches for you to sit. You can enter the temple but it's actually pretty small. They have artists and vendors under the temple too. I loved seeing all the koi fish and mini pagoda up hill. There's also a large bell that you can ring for funsies.

Buy parking and admission tickets online. Seniors are $8, great price! Non-Seniors are $10…read more Great place to spend an hour. Very tranquil and if you're high strung, it's a good place to take a breath before reality kicks in and you're back to your highly-wired self. Arrive early to grab a parking space. Restrooms are portable potties.

Guess who's back? Back again, kc's back, tell a friend :p…read more They are open every Saturday for the summer starting 10am until sellout at shingon hawaii! Their setup is located on the keamoku side of the building, but you can enter either way and find parking. It is probably easiest through keamoku compared to Sheridan street. They are selling kc waffle dogs for $5 and hamburgers for $7. Cash or card accepted! They plan on doing some kind of night market at the temple too, so look out for them. Ps they are the original family that started kc drive inn that's out there at the temple :)

A pillar of the community, they have their Bon dance for 2023 in full swing, August 11 & 12,…read morestarting at 5:30pm each evening. The highlight for us is always the food and this year's offerings included a wide array bento & plate offerings as well as sweet selections. We settled in on the traditional andagi which was nice and crispy on the outside and not really greasy. Just the right amount of moistness. Just $3 for a bag of 3. The other food highlight was a Mochi/hot dog on a bamboo skewer, grilled and splashed with a sweet ketchup sauce. Was ono, and it's just $2 a stick. Come by to dance the night away and grind on some delicious foods. An enjoyable night during the summer.

This summer was SO hot. The Bon Dances, even at night were also pretty hot. The Nichiren Mission…read moreBon Dance was tolerable in the summer heat because Nuuanu is cooler than other parts of the island. The lush green mountains that surround Nichiren make it very picturesque, too. This year was the first time I've been to this particular Bon Dance. It's the same turn as Oahu Country Club. Parking was pretty difficult, but they offered a shuttle to and from a parking lot somewhere else. We got there right as the dancing started, but we were hungry, so we decided to get food first. The food was pretty good. They had curry, edamame rice, shoyu pork, fried noodles and chili rice. They also had baked goods that sold out an hour and a half after the event started. The dancing was fun. They played mostly recordings and there were a lot of dances I've never done before. I'd come back to this bon dance in the future. It's smallish and the grounds are really pretty. There's a lotus pond in the back.

Who doesn't love Bon Dance Season? The food, games, dancing, culture, and near complete lack of…read moreneed to plan anything for a night out makes for an excellent time. The Nichiren Mission partakes in the July to September long series of bon dances statewide. The 2017 bon dance here are similar to the other dances with food, children's games (and prizes), dances, etc, but this location is much prettier, with more options than most bon dances. I say more options as they included lantern lighting in the koi pond, a large rummage sale, and extensive food and drink options. Most bon dances don't have a crepe station, or an entire tent dedicated to made to order fruity cold drinks. The Mission itself at the time is decorated with lights and hanging lanterns creating an enjoyable atmosphere with lots of options for photography. Parking is particularly bad on site as the lot is small and it's in residential area without much legal street parking. The Mission does host parking elsewhere in the valley and shuttle people to the site, but there is street parking in the residential areas across the Pali highway. Also, because it's in upper Nuuanu, the temperature is much cooler and enjoyable than the more urban bon dances. There are clean bathrooms on site. No idea if they're gender neutral, so call if that's important to you. The dance itself is standard with the regular same songs (I don't understand Japanese, but starting to memorize the beat and rhythms, I'm so going to get haunted by my Chinese grandmother for that I just know it) and mix of expert dances with novices. The food options for 2017 included braised Asian style pork, chicken curry, chicken yakiutori, the ubiquitous chili and rice, a sweet crepe, baked goods including cookies, fresh mochi, etc. Food options are script paid, where rummage sale accepts cash. I initially thought this was going to be one of the smaller ones with not much to do besides eat and dance, but I think it's been the most enjoyable bon dance out of the five I've been to this year as the location is temperate and beautiful, food is good and affordable, and decent parking is available in the area or via the shuttle service.

THIS TEMPLE IS NOT HANDICAP FRIENDLY!!…read more Friday. I purchased my food at the food booth and placed it all in a soda box and then placed it on top of my walker and headed back to the elevator to go down to the social hall to meet up with my wife. As soon i get to the elevator the bonsan (Buddhist monk) is placing an out of order sign on the elevator and tells me in english that it's not working. I ask him if he can please help me carry the soda box of food down to the social hall, he looks at me and then walks away. Luckily another person (who is also disabled) who was helping tape out of order signs was able to help me take it down the steps.

Five stars. The Winter Bazaar was held today, on 10-06-13. It was really fun, not crowded at all,…read morehowever it rained a bit. A lot of snack foods in the parking lot and a white elephant and craft sale in the Hall. All in all, it was fun!