Let's celebrate and dance cause it's Bon Festival time!!!…read more Not that I can recall I've never been to Honpa Hongwanji Bon Festival and realized that I long long missed it last year *sob* I have a fellow bestie who loves going to Bon Dance and this one is her particular favorite so I made sure early to find the dates and make sure we don't miss out this year. She wasn't worried she says about parking and since I was working to take my time which I had doubts and I was so right, I'm sure not having it for a few years has brought back the excitement to have this festive gathering which brings more meaning than just what it seems. Typically a Japanese Buddhist festival to honor and remember our loved ones who passed and it was so lovingly done in the main temple to offer a prayer and write a note to hang was just comforting and healing, majority of the people were dressed either in a kimono or happi coat with was a stunning view. I do have a few family members here at Honpa Hongwanji and have gone to some events here as well and what massive masterpiece of a temple and as large as the property everything here was just scattered and wished there was a map of events so we know what was going on as getting around isn't as easy between grassy area and some uneven surfaces. As we made our way back to our chairs of course I had to shop at the tent and of course the bag collaboration with by Eden in Love was too hard to pass along with the cooler bag it was a great find going to a wonderful cause. Through with my urging we then head for the food before it gets insane and eventually it really did...with items like fried noodles, soy beans, bbq plate and even shaved ice I decided to start with the fried noodles and bbq plate for my bestie. It's definitely festival size and it was good just not enough...as we sat and enjoy the festivities we were contemplating our next move. The weather had done us in sadly as we saw nothing but grey skies and it constantly rained and we were so underwhelmed with the food situation and super insanely long line that we just got discouraged with everyone trying to find a place to sit and no set path for people to get around it was a slight hot mess. To start things was the taiko drums and I'm sure for the respect of the temple the drummers were facing the temple while everyone was behind them we it was nice hear them of course but I'm not walking all the way around for a pic so sorry there's none lol! It kept raining so we left as we had quite a cardio hike to get back to our car. Thank you!

Great bon dance with a nice mix of live and recorded music. Hawaii Eisa Shinyuu Kai, Honolulu…read moreFukushima and Iwakuni Odori Aiko Kai provided live music this year. Favorite (Past) Eats: * Pickled Mountain Apple * Deluxe Spam Musubi Cons: * No tsukemono (pickled vegetables) this year * No deluxe spam musubi this year * The chili didn't really have flavor

While the shuttle from Sacred Hearts was a nice idea I hope you actually read this review and work…read moreon it. [HANDICAP ACCESSIBILITY] While the idea of having off site parking and shuttling people is a nice idea but at the same time taking away the handicap parking that use to be at the temple is not. The parking formerly set aside for handicap parking was even empty. If you are handicap and plan to take the shuttle bring a chair. The drop off area for the shuttle is at the steps of the temple is great, don't change this. [SHUTTLE SERVICE] Learn from this year and get a 2nd shuttle. Actually saw a group of people who were in line get into an Uber and they were ahead of me. [TO THE TEMPLE, SUGGESTIONS ON HOW TO IMPROVE THE SHUTTLE SERVICE] + Set up chairs for handicap / disabled people at the shuttle pick up area. + Get a 2nd shuttle. + If cost is a factor set up a donation box in the shuttle for it. [YELP] While this review may mainly focus on the bon dance event to me how a temple runs their event is a direct reflection of themselves.

We went to the bon dance at Palolo Hongwanji last night and it was great. A few weeks ago we tried…read moreto go to the big Moilili bon dance but we couldn't find any parking. There was parking at UH but we would have to catch a shuttle and that wasn't gonna work. We just wanted to check it out and then leave when done. Anyways my daughter was pretty upset that we didn't get to bon dance so I looked up more dates that they were having bon dance. And I found one at Palolo Hongwanji. Works out perfect because my parents live in Palolo so we didn't have to worry about parking at all. They just dropped us off and picked us up. This bon dance was a welcome surprise. We went to the Moilili one a few years ago and it's too commercialized. There's food trucks and different vendors selling things. This bon dance helped me remember what it was like when I was a kid. We used to go to the bon dance in Pearl City. There weren't any food trucks and instead it was just Japanese culture all around. That's how it felt at the Palolo bon dance. From the moment you walk in, they're selling Japanese food, Japanese crafts, etc. It is a small bon dance but I enjoyed it because it didn't have all the fluff some other ones have. The food there was very cheap and quite affordable. We got three andagis for $1. And because it was so cheap we got to try a variety of items. My favorite was the garlic fried rice. My husband liked the yakisoba. We also had chili, Curry rice, yakitori sticks, and inari sushi. We didn't know any of the dances but I went out with my daughter to just have her try. All of us had a fun evening and we are glad that we came to this bon dance. We are already making plans to come again next 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.

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.

[HANDICAP ACCESSIBILITY] If I have recommended this temple…read morefor their bon dance in the past because of the great handicap parking and you were affected by it this year I am deeply sorry. This year they took away the handicap parking and made all of the front stalls for the workers and volunteers to park including the marked handicap parking stall. The minister when asked if non handicaps would be parked in the handicap stall he stated yes. When asked what about people who come on their own since I have recommend to fellow disabled people that drive themselves the minister stated he had to ask the bon dance committee. No matter how unpopular this makes me within the Japanese community this is the truth. The main tenant of Buddhism is compassion. Think about that. [TO YELP] I posted this on the church page and not the event page because this review in the end is a comment/review about the Minister and those that run the temple.

Yelp 100 Challenge #60/100…read more This review is for the Bon Dance. I honestly have never been to this Bon Dance before so I was excited to check it out. Went there on Saturday around 6:00 pm. Parking was getting full at the school and I was lucky to find some street parking a little down the ways. After we parked the fam headed to the bon dance. Once there I saw a bunch of chairs and pews to sit on. We brought our chairs just in case too. Then I headed to the Shimazu shave ice stand. They had I believe all or most of their flavors that is usually at the store. It was $4.00 for a bowl and an add on like condensed milk, haupia, li hing, mochi, or azuki was $.75. Come to think of it I ordered mine with azuki beans and didn't get it with my order. Oh well. But the shave was great and refreshing and we got one later after we were taking a break from dancing. The line moved quickly and there was hardly a wait. Then there was andagi which was good as they had something called poto-gi andagi which was a portuguese sausage wrapped in the andagi batter for $1.00. It was a small sized sausage and tasted pretty good. Almost like a small version of a KC waffle dog. I did like the andagi which was very hot and fresh. It was $1.50 for either 3 original or cinnamon and sugar. I tried the cinnamon/sugar and it tasted good. I would get that again in the future. They had a system to order food. It was in rec sized area which was pretty big and there were seats and tables in there too. I walked up to look at the menu and someone was there to take my order. This is pretty organized. I had the beef curry rice and spam musubi. I then got an order slip and paid inside. Two ladies rang me up and pointed to an area to pickup my food and gave me an order number. I then got my order about 1 minute later. Did I say this was very organized. The beef curry was okay, but I didn't try the musubi so I can't comment on that. The Mrs. tried the nishime and said that the vegetables weren't washed good or something and it tasted nasty. I was bummed for her as I read someone had the nishime and liked it. The Bon Dance was great as it wasn't that crowded and I loved the live performances. They had a troupe of older obachan's singing and then a little girl with musical Japanese instruments in the background. Then midway in the Bon Dance the Okinawan drum troupe showed up and they were great as well with tons of energy as always. Overall this Bon Dance was great and I loved it. I will definitely be coming back to this one. Great job to the HIgashi Hongwanji Mission! See you again and Aloha!

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!

This review is for the annual Friday-Saturday bon dance, rather than the dormitory rentals…read more What's better than Christmas? Christmas in July! Okay, that's not better than Christmas, but July is definitely bon dance season, to which the Shinshu Kyokai Mission eagerly partakes. The Shinshu bon dance is very similar to other dances across the state, with the music both live and recorded, Yagura, food, opening prayer, so on and so forth. However, they like to put on a few cute touches of their own, including having a small quilt shop with a raffle for designed yukatas, along with lanterns printed with the mission's name. Food this year includes the usual bon dance hotdog, chili, teri burger, spam musubi, saimin, bbq stick, but also includes mini bentos with a choice of shoyu pork, shoyu chicken, or bbq meat, as well as a Oyaka Donburi. In addition to the mission's hot food, the andagi and fried noodle fundraiser folks were selling $5 fried noodle plates, andagi and andagi dogs, which are hotdogs drenched in andagi batter and fried corndog style. The Kona Ice Truck also made an appearance to cool dancers down. Dance starts at 7 pm to 10:30 pm, with hot food starting at around 6 pm. Friday has a martial arts show. Free parking at Central Union on their lawn, with accessible bathrooms in the temple. The temple provides a large number of fold out chairs.

I don't mean to call out some of the other bon dances on the island, but ya'll need to step up your…read morefood game. Jikoen offers the usual fried noodle, KC waffle dog, andagi, spam musubi, chili, shave ice, and Teri burger, but also amps up the game with a combo bento of Teri beef and Teri chicken. It then sets the dial to 11 with another separate hot food section offering specialty slow cooked Okinawa-style pork bowls, Okinawa soba with pork slices, and rice soup with potato leaves and pork. Oh did I forget dessert? Silly me, they have for $3, squares of Okinawan sweet potato over a crumbly crust, topped with haupia. I was sorely unhappy that they ran out last year before I could savor this tasty treat. There's also the usual baked goods, but an added specialty of Nantu, a Okinawan traditional mochi, which is a steal for $5 considering how much they give. As my stomach only had so much space and having a late lunch post Saturday gym session, I had to make some hard choices. I mentally defenestrated all ideas of the regular bon dance food and went straight for the Okinawan sweet potato pie while I waited for my friends. Oh jeez, this stuff is addictive. The crust is buttery and crumbly, the sweet potato a glorious shade of lavender, with both starchy richness and subtle sweetness, topped with delicious haupia. If I had no self-control, I'd eat five of these. But (this) man cannot live on dessert alone, however with dwindling digestive space; I asked the experts which they'd food choice they'd pick, the Uchina soba or the Rafute (pork) bowl, and the Rafute won. That bowl encompasses three large, flavorful, tender pieces of slow cooked pork, with flavor infusing layers of fat over rice flavored with sauce, and pickled ginger, I think I made the right choice with this winner. Okay, now the "GET IN MY BELLY" aspect has been covered, let's move on. Jikoen has a large number of activities for attendees, including arts and crafts, kiddie games like the fish pond game, temple tours, shopping, Taiko performances, and since the Mission is more Okinawan focused, the Shisa performance of the myth of the Okinawan dog and the dragon. Dance wise, Jikoen tends to use more live music than recordings and has a large area for the dance along with lots of chairs for those needing a rest. They also have songs where the Taiko drummers dance among the crowd, drumming their hearts out. Food booths open at 5:30 pm, followed by opening messages and prayers and performances with the dance starting at 6:00 pm. It can be rather hot, but the interruptions of rain and wind. There is plentiful free parking across the street at Kapalama Elementary school.

If you like to go to Bon dances either for the entertainment or food. This is probably one of the…read morebetter, if not best ones on island. Our family likes to go to this location because unlike most dances, its live entertainers playing and singing all night. Majority of the Bon dances you go to, the music is purely of recording. The kids did a great story line and a few dances with the dragon and Okinawan dog. Afterwards there was a contest for children and then for adults, which the Mayor competed in. Tons of food options... Poke bowls, mixed plates, shave ice, musubi's, burgers and of course andagi! Make sure you look at all the food booths before choosing what you'd want to eat, indoors and outdoors. Indoors there are some food booths, including poke bowls and KC waffle dogs! Lots of things for the little kiddos too... One of the most popular things to do is to try and catch a fish. If you do, you get to take it home! Lots of parking options right across the street at Kapalama Elementary School. All in all its good food and lots of fun for all ages.