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.

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!

Byodo-In Temple is absolutely beautiful. We've been coming here for over 12 years, and we never get…read moretired of it. We truly love this place. If you visit, I highly recommend going early in the morning. Parking is limited, and the grounds are much quieter earlier in the day, making it easier to take in the peaceful surroundings. For us, it's more than just a beautiful place to visit. It's an opportunity to slow down and reflect on life while enjoying the tranquility of the grounds, watching the koi, and ringing the bell. If you visit the temple, please be respectful and remove your shoes before entering. Take your time, enjoy the serenity, and appreciate the beauty of this special place.

Absolutely loved the Byodo-In Temple. Despite having so many people there, there was a tranquility…read moreyou could feel in the air. Highly recommended to visit even if just once. Tip: purchase your tickets online so you don't have to wait in the box office line.

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!

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.

Bring Friends and Come Hungry…read more Bring a bunch of friends or your family so you can try as many different things as possible. Delicious Thai food made fresh on location. I came with my sister and nephew, and it was a foodie's delight. We wanted to try everything and somehow ended up buying enough food for an army. Definitely get the fried chicken. The curries and stir-fries were also so tasty. Just be careful with the green papaya and mango salads because they can bring the heat. Thank goodness for the sweet Thai iced tea that helped cool down my mouth when it was on fire. Bring cash. The lines are usually short and move quickly. There are tents, tables, and chairs where you can sit and enjoy your food. Come hungry and bring enough people to justify ordering way too much.

What an awesome place. After driving by and always hearing about their Sunday food offerings, I…read morefinally decided to stop by. Come early because it will get busy. And some of the food lines can get long. There's multiple lines depending on what you want to order. The fried chicken line and the papaya salad lines are the most popular. They put out the weekend menu online through their social media pages so at least you have an idea before you get there. The fried chicken. Was super flavorful and crispy. I also enjoyed the spring rolls and mango sticky rice. Really great authentic Thai food that's affordable. The workers are all super friendly and the atmosphere is so welcoming. I'll be back for many more upcoming sundays.

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.

Wat lao is a Theravada Buddhist Temple open to Lao, Thai, and Cambodian cultures, as well as…read moreothers. The facility has recently been renovated and improved greatly! There's is parking on the grounds and along the street. The people are very warm and friendly and is my favorite Oahu Temple to visit.

For the most people who are visiting from the other states, there are two Lao temple but same monks…read moreand name on both locations. All events and activities are done at the new temple.

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)

Visiting this Japanese temple to get some omamori for friends. It's small but well maintained…read more There's a small office for you to get omamori and the staff was so patient to walk me through as I was not familiar with them. Very peaceful inside. There are some street parking on N Kukui Street. I would avoid the other side of the temple (along the river) where there're gamblings and some people doing shady transactions.

明けましておめでとうございます！…read more Happy New Year as we welcome the year of the horse it's 2026 and I couldn't think of a better place to be right as it hits midnight as this temple has been a long tradition to start the year right. As this shrine dresses up for the occasion many gather here for various reasons whether it's to pray for good fortune, health and happiness, you start with a purification wash first to then make your way up to right the priests and wring the giant bell to follow with the ritual for your offering and prayer which they will help you and once done make your way down for your amazake and purchase your omamori after you rid of your previous years charms. It feels great to start the year right and be grateful for what I've received and to pray for a fabulous year ahead. どうもありがとうございます！m(_ _)m

Beautiful temple, peaceful & serene with Avalokiteshvara/Kuan Yin greeting you in huge size outside…read moreand the 100 arms inside, my Goddess savior. The lead pastor is kind, speaks English and is very welcome. Services are conducted on Sundays. I pray to send loved ones to the Pure land which is heaven! Sept. 2024