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.

Zen! Even in Japan…read moretemples are placed in the midst of life as if it's a sign for you to come in and take a moment for yourself, Juan Yin Temple is no different as it's right in the midst of busy Vineyard Boulevard right beside Foster Botanical Garden. Here I did come for a specific reason...their stunning water lily flowers which they have two pots of and it's constantly growing and on other visits there were just buds so instead took in the view and enjoy this lovely gem. Today on the eve of the upcoming Lunar New Year I made a bangle I designed back in November that I had made for some friends for the New Years and it's a infinity blended into a lotus flower, one of my favorite since it represents so much to me. The symbolism of the Lotus is spectacular and making my bangle had the same issues of forming it with struggles with the vision to have the colors only for it to be altered with then end result of something still beautiful. Yes I took several pictures respectfully as this temple is free to the public to pray, offer incense or just take a moment. I'm just so grateful for their generosity to their open doors I do constantly make an offering and give thanks, it's another humbling experience and timing to capture what I've been searching and am feeling so blessed. Thank you and a Happy Lunar New Year!

Diverse free programs (Buddhist and non-Buddhist, donation-base throughout the week for the…read morecommunity.

The Center is quiet, calming, and has nice views of the city. Vegetarian lunch available every…read moreSunday starting at around 11:45 until around 1:45. The Center has a Meetup group, "Bodhi Tree Meditation Sangha" where you can learn about weekly meditation events.

The food that they serve at their Bon dance is some of the best I've had! I come to their Bon dance…read moreon both days to dance, but a lot of people came just to pick up food and leave - they know ball I guess. The venue is definitely a smaller, more private vibe which I truly appreciate. They usually hold their Bon dance at the same time as others so you need to make a very important choice as to which one to go to. I always opt for this one. It's my favorite one! I go every year and planning to make this one the only bon dance I go to from now on.

I've never thought of myself as a believer, but I found myself more enlightened when I come to…read morethese kinds of places. They're like life insurance: they're there when you need them. Same like temples, parks, zoos, etc. You get the idea. I found this gem pretty close to my work place, so on a whim on a random work day, I stopped here for about 1/2 hour on an "extended" lunch break to check things out. First things I did notice was the parking, it can be quit tight here, so you may just need to find parking on the side street. Being that it's location in Kalihi, it's kind of gets weird at night especially when Kuhio Park Terrace and Kalihi Valley Homes nearby. With that said, these Buddhist shrines installs a sense of calm in one's life. While we do pass them in our daily lives without much thought to them, when you start to just make time to stop by and check things out, you'd be amazed on what goes on here on a day to day life. I was raised a Chinese Buddhist, so coming here was just second nature. Although I went to a Catholic school for a few years, I didn't buy into the whole Christian thing, but that's another story to tell. The temple is somewhat small, but adequate for everyone to do their respects, worship, and whatever else they do here. Now more than ever, spiritual prayers and just being aware of yourself, spiritually and emotionally, can re-energize yourself within this place. Donations are always appreciative and it stimulates good relations with the temple and the spiritual energy that surrounds this place. You could call it karma, but it's just the right thing to do. While I don't come here every day, since I have my regular place at the Kuan Yin Temple on Vineyard Blvd, this place is always nice to visit and do your thing. A++

Reverend Higa at Liliha Shingon Mission was of great assistance to my Japanese (from Japan, not…read morelocal) mother-in-law when her husband passed last summer. Reverend Higa explained the difference to her between US and Japanese practice even though the temple was Japanese. In Japan after cremation, some of the remaining bone fragments are kept and have religious significance. Since that is not possible here, having a Japanese speaking local helped my mother-in-law understand why the cultural practices had to be adjusted. Aside from Reverend Higa, the temple itself is ornate on the inside. It was a relaxing environment to honor my father-in-law.

Been visiting Liliha Shingon Mission for more than three decades for New Year's blessing. It's an…read moreolder church, but is still in great condition for its age. The people who work here are very kind - particularly Rev Kawanishi and Rev Higa. I highly recommend this place for other patrons.

Jikoen Hongwanji is full of warm, caring, and lovely people…read more To refute some other reviews that might be on here for the bazaar, the event was quite enjoyable and my only complaint was that I wish it was open longer (the bazaar was on Saturday, April 1 from 8:30am to 12:00pm). Due to covid, they haven't had it for awhile and we were ecstatic when we saw that they were holding the bazaar again. Parking - The parking at the temple can be difficult (especially if you are making a left turn in). Luckily for the bazaar, Kapalama Elementary was available for easy parking one block over. They had several volunteers and a police officer helping to direct folks to ample parking and to oversee the lot. I felt very safe parking there. Food - The food was great! Unfortunately we arrived at about 10:00am and a lot of the food items were sold out (I really wanted to get the maki sushi). The andagi was delicious and the fresh tofu was refreshing. I will wake up early next year to get my fill. Items for sale - There was a large variety of items including men's and women's clothing, bags, toys, housewares, fabric, knitted goods, random curios (I bought a large metal globe for $5!), and much more. I think everything was more than fairly priced. There were some great deals, and I had to resist buying more. Plants - By the time we arrived there was a limited selection of plants. These were also very well priced (anyone with a plant buying problem should avoid this event). We got a beautiful large lily that just bloomed for $5. There were some aloe vera plants priced from $1-3, and the man working the booth gave us several for free (although we ended up donating some extra money to make up for the plants since it went to a good cause). Overall, it was a great event and my family is looking forward to coming back again.

My Hunny and I visited this temple on Mother's Day to give flowers to my Popo and Mom. It's a…read morebeautiful temple and although the parking is very small, somehow they make it work. There's a massive tree in the lot and a lotus blossoms in the nearby plant pots. We could hear the monks chanting during their ceremony and prayer/Meditation. We enjoyed taking photos of the nature surrounding the temple. It's a very peaceful, spiritual place where you can embrace nature. The breeze was cool and refreshing after we finished burning incense and cleared the smoke smell from out clothing. It was a lovely Mother's Day.

The Fourth Commandment (Catholic Version): Honor your father and your mother…read more My paternal grandparents are Catholic. My grandfather graduated from St. Louis High School in Honolulu; and Dental School at St. Louis University in Missouri. My grandmother converted to Catholicism when I was in high school. She was an elementary school teacher. I wondered why my father's cousin had a plaque installed at this Hsu Yun Buddhist Temple for them. It's a beautiful, clean, and serene environment in a nice residential area of Honolulu. There are many free parking stalls on the lot and street parking on Kawananakoa Place. It's located on the left side of Nuuanu Avenue, headed mauka, across from the Royal Mausoleum. The monks at this temple have a schedule of special services and sometimes have "jai" (Monk's Food, a vegetarian dish) available in exchange for a donation. I really appreciate the constant prayers and rituals that they do for those who have passed on. Personally, I get a thrill when I hunt for their marker and I finally find the Chinese character of my surname along with the Chinese names of my grandparents. One of the Catholic priests helped us to understand how to combine our current beliefs with the traditions of our family. When we practice our cultural traditions, we are honoring our parents and ancestors. I feel a sense of comfort in knowing that we are still connected. Aloha 'oe - until we meet again... (Written on Mothers' Day, 2015)

Daijingu Temple of Hawaii is a Shinto shrine, quietly located in Nu'uanu. During an actual Kona…read morestorm downpour, the temple was still open. We were the only patrons, but I enjoyed the serenity and the sound of heavy rainfall. Our group paid our respects, doing a silent offering, 2 bows, 4 claps, prayer, and a final bow. This is different from the typical nirei-nihakushu-ichirei "2 bows-2 claps-1 bow", therefore take care to note each shrines prayer customs! The shrine attendant was very helpful in explaining the different protection charms for sale and also explained the yakudoshi "years of calamity" concept to us. If you like to visit a Shinto shrine in Hawaii, Daijingu Temple of Hawaii was a beautiful place. Highly recommend!

12-30-23 Learning from a previous year, pre-order your omamori for the new year on line and pick…read moreup before New Year's Eve or day is much easier if you don't like waiting in long lines. Today we could pick up our order in the main upstairs blessing area instead of in the basement. We could also receive our blessing today too. The person manning the orders and doing the blessing has you double check your order. Ours had 42 items and cost $186.00. I got protection omamori for: Personal safety Children Pets Traffic Health Home: fire, robbery, harmony Fortune slips Safe return Water safety for grandson Academic success for granddaughter I'm glad this system worked perfectly, we could park right there instead of at the park and we could choose our day and time slot for pick up. Happy New Year for 2024.

In my years of commuting to this side of Kalihi, I never knew this temple existed. The only place I…read moreknew was of course Bishop Museum. And so, I came here on a lunch break on a Friday and took in the mastery of the temple and use this place as a way of stress relief from my day job - when it can be hell on a stick at times. It is a beautiful temple and a nice respite from real life. My thoughts seem to drift far away when I come here. Quite peaceful really. Although there is some parking options abound, your best bet would be to just park at the Kamehameha shopping center and walk down to the temple. I promise that it is one thing in life that will make you approach life in a different light and gain some appreciation for all that is around you. I know it has done wonders for me.

It's a tiny little temple near the Bishop museum in between Bernice and North School Street. I…read moreused to see people walking to it when I went to church. There is a beautiful statue of an Ojizo-sama dedicated to mizuko (aborted, stillborn, or miscarried fetuses). It's main temple is in Nara Prefecture, Japan called Kinpu-sen (http://www.kinpusen.or.jp). Next time you're in the Kalihi area, play them a visit.

After hiking Nuuanu Pali this Sunday morning went to Myohoji Temple in Nuuanu where l use to train…read moreAikido and Sumi-e classes over 30 years ago haven't been back since but a was nice visit this Sunday morning walk sadly there are no flower Ikebana class or tea ceremony classes or Sumi-e class but they are open for Aikido Karate Kendo and now even Yoga look up their website for classes scheduled times Great place for self meditation too very quiet and surrounded with good vibes and surreal surroundings great for your soul spiritual practice file:///var/tmp/com.apple.messages/com.apple.MobileSMS/LinkedFiles/8492EE91-34D6-4829-9318-BAC037BD562C/IMG_4058.HEIC file:///var/tmp/com.apple.messages/com.apple.MobileSMS/LinkedFiles/8E3B2A3C-D77A-4EEE-9078-0E12BC4CF891/IMG_4053.HEIC file:///var/tmp/com.apple.messages/com.apple.MobileSMS/LinkedFiles/8B091496-F36E-4D51-8EAE-372481EAF186/IMG_4054.HEIC file:///var/tmp/com.apple.messages/com.apple.MobileSMS/LinkedFiles/D13A3987-D15C-42DA-92AC-A467F3AF95DC/IMG_4052.HEIC

The other day, I had the wonderful fortune of visiting Myohoji with two friends. We were able to…read moremeet the resident minister: Reverend Takamasa Yamamura. He was in credibly friendly. We were allowed to visit the hondo (the temple) and the multi-purpose complex. We had a wonderful time talking with Rev. Yamamura about a number of topics. And then he was kind enough to invite us to a tea ceremony (urasenke). The history of Myohoji is quite fascinating. And we were so glad to have had the opportunity to learn more about the temple, it's resident minister, and the various activities that take place. We are looking forward to visiting again in the near future. :)