The Koganji Temple Bon Dance is a massive two day event held annually on Koganji Temple's 1.7 acre Manoa 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. read more

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WOW i've driven up and 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. read more

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This has to be my favorite bon dance of all! The temple is so breathtaking and the set up is so pretty along with the tasty vendors for food. Seats go quick so go early and parking is street parking. read more

Koganji Temple - Buddhist Temples Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

Love this Bon dance! Best bathrooms, baked goods and onolicious foods for the night!

I feel disloyal saying this because this is not my hometown bon dance, but Koganji Temple has the best bon dance in town. It's a beautiful setting, the people are so friendly and there is so much delicious FOOD! I bought $11 worth of scrip and stuffed myself silly with their specialty fresh, gigantic grilled teriyaki corn on the cob, yakisoba, fried gau chee with mustard sauce, konnyaku with a miso peanut sauce and a kimono dog--a Polish corn dog made with andagi batter. They also have plate lunches like chicken hekka and beef stew,the ubiquitous shaved ice, lots of other snacks and a whole table full of bake sale goodies. If I were hungry, I would've eaten a lot more. This is one of the bon dances that people dress up for so if you have a yukata, kimono or happi coat, break it out! I also like how they sell bon dance accessories and have fun, easy dances for everyone, including the kids. Heck, at one point tonight they even played the electric slide! One gaijin there was so excited to hear it that he really started going for it, complete with over the top facial expressions. The policeman that was there for crowd control cracked up, stopped policing and started recording the guy on his phone. Yup, there is something for everyone. I'm not that thrilled that they play each song twice, but they do make it easy for you to look good dancing with lots of practice. If you come early (4:45pm), your child can be in the opening lantern parade and then get blessed by the priest. I recommend coming early, as this bon dance gets packed the later it gets. There is no parking on any of the side streets. I usually park far away and walk in. Sometimes, little girls set up lemonade stands in their front yards on the surrounding streets. It's such a cute neighborhood feeling. read more

Although I live in Pearl City, going to the Bon Dance at the Koganji Temple is a must and "surprise" it did not rain on Friday night this year! We parked about 2 streets away as we got there early this year (around 5:30 pm) and went straight for the delicious food, buying some corn-on-the-cob, teri-burgers, sukiyaki (new item, I think), spare rib plate, and corn dogs (made with andagi batter)..Yummy. Their country store is bigger than some other Bon Dance festivals I have visited. We bought chi chi dango, shrimp chips, wasabi party mix, 3 kinds of cookies, a banana loaf, and peanut butter mochi. Things were well organized. For example: they moved the row of parked cars away from the lower area railing and set up 3 rows of wooden benches for people to sit on (great) and best of all was the increased number of restrooms and a restroom trailer, too. I like that the Taiko Drumming performance is later in the evening around 8:30 PM so you don't need to rush there right after work to see/listen to it. This year we brought our own sand chairs and sat along the upper area railing so could view everyone dancing and walking around. I noticed a lot of young families in attendance which just added to the "family" atmosphere of the Koganji Temple Bon Dance. We will be back next year... guarantee. read more

Yelp 100 Challenge #65/100 Want to go to a Bon Dance that has a carnival atmosphere? Then you got to check out Koganji Temple! I've been going to Bon Dances for so long and I can't believe I never went to this one. This is one of the very few Bon Dances I haven't been to and I am glad that I finally did go. When planning to go to this Bon Dance you want to get there early. It starts at 5:30pm but to give you an idea on the main street on Manoa Road, there were only 2 parking spots on the street and we got there about 5:20 pm. Also the side streets were getting filled up too. The pleasant surprise I got when I arrived was the beautiful Manoa Valley in the backdrop and all those gorgeous lanterns. It really reminded me to Karate Kid 2 when the Chozen (the bad dude) comes down on the wire holding all the lanterns and breaks up the Bon Dance party. Did I say it's like a carnival? Well this place has scrips. Yup, like a carnival. It is $.50 a scrip and at around 8:20 pm they announced that the booths were going to take scrips and cash, so you didn't feel like your scrips were going to be wasted. Another tip on this. By 8:30 pm the lines are super long so get there early to eat what you want so you're standing in line. Oh wait did I mention booths? This place has tons of food booths and one of the most food options I've seen at a bon dance. Let me start to list what they had in the booths: Ice Cream booth Teriyaki that is cooked over the fire. One word. Super yummers! Teriyaki burgers - Not a fan of them there Mochi - They heat it up so it's nice and gooey and offer tons of options to put yummy goodness on them. Here is what the flavors were: kinako, azuki-an, ginger sauce, and nori wrapped in special sauce Andagi - Pineapple, Cinnamon, and regular. Cinnamon was awesome Croquettes - Curry filled and they were good Kimono dog - Turkey dog with andagi batter. So good! Country store - Tons and tons of goodies made by the volunteers. Thank you Gerri and the other wonderful folks there on explaining what you wonderful creations were like Irish soda bread and Scottish Shortbread. They were all delish! Not only sweets but Quinoa salad, homemade salsa, teriyaki sauces, oh man to much to name already. Shave Ice - Choices were regular syrup, yuzu-lilikoi syrup, add azuki, & add ice cream Yakisoba Whew.... You get the picture. This place is food central for Bon dances. Now how about the the Bon Dance itself. The dances were so fun and everyone joined in. What I also liked is that they played the song twice so the second time around it felt like you were a pro or at least a semi pro or at least got half of the moves down. Also at 8:30 pm they had a great taiko show. The whole family enjoyed it. Did I say this place is crowded? It is so crowded that politicians know and I got to meet Governor Neal, Charles Djou, Stanley Chang, and David Ige. Overall, this is one of the best bon dances I've been too and would highly recommend it to everyone! Thank you Koganji Temple for having a wonderful Bon Dance to honor my ancestors. read more

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My favorite bon dance that I come to every year. Frankly, I think it is the ONE bon dance that a lot of other people come to, even if they don't go to any others. What makes it so good? The venue itself is perfectly set up for those two days a year. There are food booths alongside the wall; scrips get you bento, teriyaki corn, burger, yakisoba. And when you have extra scrip, go to the country store and get goodies, or duh, ANDAGI! They have modern, easy-to-learn bon dances like Pikachu, electric slide. They know how to please everyone, including kids and families, and not take themselves too seriously. A nice mixture of old and new. There also is a great taiko performance. An all-in-one experience for everyone. Something to look forward to every year, a for sure thing, just like rain in Manoa. read more

Probably the best bon dance on the island. There's just so many food booths; lots of grilled and fried snacks for people of all ages. Lilikoi ice cream, teriyaki grilled corn, yakisoba, kinako mochi, bentos, teri burgers, croquettes...the list goes on. My personal favorite is the croquettes; I have a feeling like they add some kind of curry in it. Overall a great bon dance venue with lots of space to sit down; just bring your own chairs unless you plan on coming early to reserve the benches. Parking is tough too; you'll probably have to park a street or two away. The food is definitely worth the long lines and tough parking--this is one you need to check out. read more

Koganji Temple - Awesome croquettes - Buddhist Temples Near Me - Honolulu, Hawaii

It might not be the largest bon dance I've gone to, but they sure know how to do it right! The festival is situated in the temple's central courtyard with vendor booths lining all sides. I especially appreciated the well manicured lawn area and uniform booths. It lends itself to a cohesive and engaging experience. Many of the wares and food items were very reasonably priced and tasted great! The key activity I went to this bon dance for was the fire stick ceremony. The temple allows you to write the names of your ancestors or people who have passed on small pieces of wood which are burned in a large fire at the closing ceremony. This is to help them find their way back after the festivities are over. I thought that this was very novel and something you might not get at other bon dances. One thing to note, is that parking; as with all bon dances, is scarce. But a quick walk through the neighborhood will get you there in no time. read more

This was my first Bon Dance, so I won't have any other to compare it to. It was really fun for my first Bon Dance! Of course the andagi and Kimono Dog (tiny hot dog wrapped in andagi) are must-trys! They were really yummy. Newbies should be warned though that you only get one andagi per bag, but they're about 2 inches in diameter. The food is a bit expensive, but that's to be expected since it's basically a fundraiser for the temple. If you want to get shaved ice without waiting in an extremely long line, get there by 6pm! This place has an upper and bottom layer. The upper layer is where the actual temple is. You can watch the Bon Dance and Taiko drummers from up here. You can probably get the best view of the drummers up here. The bottom layer is where the Bon Dance tower thingy is at with all the food vendors. On your way down, there's an area where you can buy scrips from. If you're pushing a baby or wheelchair (or driving a wheelchair), there is an extra steep area on the way down. So be careful! Overall, my family and I had a good time. I wore a yukata for the first time that day, enjoyed the food, and loved watching people dance. My mom loved watching these two bald guys that were the best dancers out of all of the dancers! It was super fun to hear the Pokemon Ondo! Hopefully one year they'll play Wa! Wa!! World Ondo from Hetalia XD read more

I may not be a Bon Dance expert or know any of the dances, but Koganji has one of the better Bon Dance's in town and has definitely won me over. They offer one of the most beautiful venues in town, explain the cultural heritage behind the dances, and offer some of the best food! Located in Manoa Valley, look for the parking attendants as it is surrounded by its residential neighbors and it is easy to just pass the driveway by. Parking is limited in the temple, however there is a plethora of street parking in the surrounding streets. The dances are your traditional dances and while you might not know all the moves, it is quick and easy to learn and just follow your neighbors. It definitely can be good fun! The food is what you ultimately come for and make this bon dance really awesome. They make the best anda-dog. What is an anda-dog you might ask? Its deep fried goodness. Its a hot dog, andagi battered and then deep fried, it is sheer heaven. Their andagi is also one of the better choices along with a plethora of other food choices. Definitely one of the best bon dances on the island!! Yelp 365 Challenge: #07/365 read more

Ok I might be very biased when it comes to this temple because I am a member. Please don't get me wrong, I will tell you what I enjoy about obon at this temple. The thing I like most about this bon dance is that the festival is not just for Buddhist but for everyone to enjoy and pay respects to your ancestors. By dancing and having a good time is for your ancestors to see you are well and happy. Now with that said, time to explain the food. :) The temple has a variety of food from andagi and yakisoba. To bento and sweet and sour spare ribs. I have had them all and they are delicious. The andagi is made by hand (I know cuz I made it) and so is everything else. The food might a tad expensive, but it is for a good cause. I would have to say the weather can play a factor to hoew crowded it gets but sometimes you best get there early if you don't want to wait in long lines. The music as stated before is played twice to allow beginners to get a chance to watch one dance to build up their courage to try it out the next time it repeats. Some songs are complicated and others are made just for the kids to have fun like pokemon ondo.. It is a lot off fun if you come with your friends and experience at least one bon dance whether it is here or some place else. read more

I'm on this new fad, it usually comes once a year during Bon Dance Festivals... It's called Bonzer-cising! Seriously, it's a thing trust me. Located in the middle of Manoa, Koganji is my most favorite place for bon dancing. It's not overly crowded (if you go early), the prices are fair and reasonable for food & drinks (however you can bring your own), and the dances are always fun for everyone! (seats are available or you can opt to bring your own) Growing up in Makiki, near Manoa, everyone really knows everyone and this place has the most inviting, family friendly, family fun feeling compared to all others. Love the Teriyaki Corn which is always a must have, Croquette & usually I'm never a fan of croquettes, but I went back for thirds...yes THIRDS don't judge me. ohh! and of course their andagi! This past year 2016 they had lemon custard flavor which was a good move on their part because it was delicious! So if you're ever in the mood to Bonzer-cise the night away with good food and an agenda for a fun filled night, check out Koganji during their Bon Dance Festivals! read more

One of my favorite bon dances in Honolulu, nestled in Manoa. Koganji always had a mystical, spiritual feel to it, and the scenery of the mountains lush with greenery makes it a picturesque moment to experience. Parking is on the street, so get there early to find a spot. Bring lots of cash if you're gonna buy food, cause you gotta buy scrips to use for purchase, and get the food as soon as possible, especially baked goods. Mochi always sells out fast, and lines for roasted corn, teri burger, andagi, and nishime is long. Don't forget to get some fire sticks and make a small donation, the sticks are burned after the bon dance is over during the fire sticks burning ceremony to honor ancestors and loved ones. Also, visit the jizu statues as you come down the stairs leading to the temple ground. Don't forget to bring a jacket and umbrella, cause it's Manoa, and usually it will drizzle with rain or even be windy, but then that's what makes Manoa so special. read more

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One star, at least as far as the bon dance is concerned. The temple is filthy rich and the still charge exorbitant prices at their bon dance. They play each song twice (boring!) and it's always soo crowded. You're better off going to Waipahu Soto or Shingon Betsiun that weekend. Better dances, better people, and less commercial. Waipahu Soto almost makes you feel like you're back in plantation days in the country. read more

This Bon Dance is one of my favorites not just because I live close by, but this is one of the nicest Bon Dances out there. The hanging lights, the clean cut grass and arrangement of the courtyard, to the temple itself it just has a very distinguished feeling to it. The temple is located on Oahu Ave and parking is mostly found throughout the neighborhood or you are able to park at Manoa Marketplace, however just be prepared to walk and bring a rain jacket because there is always a chance it may rain in Manoa. The food was "so so" and quite expensive. I was fortunate that my friend was extremely hungry so we ended up at the temple around 530 when there were no lines. At around 730ish, the andagi line was over a half hour long and they had ran out of teriburgers. Food was quite expensive as well as one andagi was one dollar! Now, I'm not much of a dancer, as I just follow the older ladies as they always know the dances haha, however, I did wish they had a live band. They did have a drummer, but the experience is much different when there is a full band playing the music instead of a tape. The dance area was also a bit cramp as the food booths were also located on the same courtyard area. Recommend next year that they move the food booths where the limited parking is to free up the courtyard so more people can dance! Would I go back next year? Yes, Even though the food was pretty expensive and there were not much variety of "Local Japanese" food, it's a fun place to hang out with some friends, enjoy the beauty of the temple at night, and munch on some andagi. read more

I grew up in Manoa my entire childhood until I was 17. Soon after graduating, I moved to several areas around the island and since ended up in Moilili. Getting an opportunity to go back to the valley, especially for a bon dance festival was quite a reminiscing experience (: Home is always where the heart is, and I feel my heart will always be in Manoa. It just holds so many fond memories with my family that are so dear to me. I really had forgot all about it being the day of the Koganji Bon Fest til my friend Christian posted up a picture on Facebook of the temple filling up with people. I screamed with excitement! Begging my boyfriend to please take me, I bragged about how much FUN it would be to go to a bon dance again like when we were little kids. Surprisingly, he was easily swayed and quite thrilled to go too so off we went into the Valley. We bought $40 worth of scrips off the bat, probably out of pure excitement of what to get, eat, and buy. We got a Chicken Bento- Pass, the chicken was kind of weird tasting.., Teri Corn- YUM, Kimono Dog- My favorite! I'm not a fan of corn dogs but I could eat these Kimono Dogs all day if I really wanted too! Me & the bf even tried to go back for seconds, but they sold out fast!! Shave Ice- That was a-okay. I haven't had shaved ice in forever so it was nice to enjoy it again. Later, we still had about half our tickets still to use and so we bought a whole lot of snacks and goodies at one of the food booths. They had temple sauces, homemade kakimochi, brownies, butter mochi, etc. We also had enough to buy a souviner from the temple and got a cloth band that had the temple on it. All in all, I had an awesome experience and it was loads of fun I would recommend going this bon fest to anyone! read more

8.9.13. I don't know why my group of girfriends has never thought to attend a bon dance together...so this is why we came to Koganji Temple on a Friday Night! This years bon dance celebration spanned over the weekend but after a long week of work for all of us, we decided Friday would be the better day to go... Unfortunately, our first bon dance adventure turned out to be VERY wet. Yes, I guess we should have expected it to rain since this temple is in Manoa Valley...but really, the one time we decide to go together?? One of our friends mentioned that she usually stops by with her boyfriend every year...and it hadn't rained any of those other times. #murphyslaw However, we didn't let the rain ruin our night! The temple itself is gorgeous & the grounds appeared to be well-kept! I guess I was kind of surprised because it had been a while since I've been to a temple. Of course the first thing we did was buy scrip; $20 was more than enough! Food was the next priority! It seemed like the Kimono Dogs (e.g., andadog, corndog, etc.) were the most popular as the line was pretty long. Just a note...they're pretty small so don't be too surprised when you don't get what you were expecting if you are newbies like we were haha. Also nom-ed on Teriyaki Corn, Mochi (nori--shoyu dipped, nori wrapped; kinako; my fav booth of the night--amazingly soft mochi!!), and Yakisoba. In my opinion a lot of the portions was small...but I guess that allows you to visit more booths! We also visited the country store that sells local goods & baked goods. Sadly because of the rain, we didn't dance & were soaked...it was funny seeing people manuvering umbrellas or trying to scramble for what little shelter there was. We ended up parking across from Manoa District Park on the street and walking to the temple (5-10 minutes). I'm sure that this "trek" would have been much less memorable if we didn't have to battle with the rain. In the end we did have a lot of fun & at least we can laugh about the "trials & tribulations" that Mother Nature tested us with that night. I know that I would love to come back & share this experience again with my girlfriends hopefully minus the rain element. Yelp 365 Challenge: #220/365 read more

This review is for their annual bon dance which we attended last week. Out of all the bon dances I attended, this is probably the best: not too busy, well organized, great food, decent prices and a really Ohana atmosphere. The sparkling lanterns in the night sky with the mountains and valley in the backdrop is just stunning. Yes parking is limited (so park on Oahu street instead) but I think the fact that this temple is "hidden" with limited parking really limits the crowds which makes this venue that much much more magical read more

I have participated in many Bon dances over the years and without fail, this Bon dance always gets rained out. This year was no different. The temple is beautiful but unfortunately it's in a bad location as parking is horrendous, and weather conditions are historically rainy in Manoa. Food prices are way over priced and unfortunately this event has turned into more of a fundraiser than a tribute to obon. Glow sticks are sold to raise more money and unfortunately take away from the tradition and spirit of obon. Of all the Bon dances in the island, unfortunately Koganjis ranks at the bottom. read more