Note: To include an announcement of your temple or organization’s obon-related events this summer, email thehawaiiherald@gmail.com. We reserve the right to edit your information for brevity before printing or posting it.

In times of uncertainty due to COVID-19, these details may change, so check with the temple or organization’s website, social media, newsletter or other recent messages. Event modalities might also alter at the last minute (whether services/activities are online, in-person or hybrid). Also some events might need advance registration.

Events Set to Run

O‘AHU

Mö‘ili‘ili Summer Fest [(808) 221-0991]:

Wahiawa Hongwanji Mission [(808) 622-4320]:

  • No public bon service.
  • Virtual bon dance: Saturday, June 26, at 6 p.m., via Zoom (meeting ID TBA; check wahiawashinbuddhist.org) and Facebook Live Stream (Wahiawa Hongwanji Mission Bon Dance Team).
  • Silent Auction: Items will be on display at above website through Saturday, June 26, at noon. Winners to be announced at the end of the Virtual Bon Dance.

Soto Mission of Hawaii (Nu‘uanu, O‘ahu):

  • No bon dance.
  • Live-streamed hatsubon service, for those who lost loved ones in the past 12 months from July 2020 to the present, on
  • Thursday, July 1 (6 p.m.)
  • Saturday, July 3 (9:30 a.m.)
  • Sunday, July 4 (9:30 a.m.) or
  • Tuesday, July 6 (6 p.m.)
  • You can also watch these services online later.
  • To register for that service; for sponsoring an “O-Toba” memorial stick for your recently deceased; for getting a dedicated chöchin (lantern) hung near the temple; or for making other O-Toba ($60/stick) or Chōchin ($10/lantern) Donations for those who died in previous years, print and fill out the 2021 Bon O-Toba Online Viral Service Request Form at sotomission.org/posts/2021bonservice and send it with a check for the appropriate total to Soto Mission of Hawaii, 1708 Nu‘uanu Avenue, Honolulu, HI 96817, by June 21, 2021.
  • Or if you wish to use a credit card, still send in the form, but transmit your payment through this donation page: sotomission.org/checkout/donate?donatePageId=60a8266b37e8a82d344746dd.
  • If you fill out the form and send it in by the deadline, you should be able to view the service on one of the above four dates that you requested in the form at bit.ly/348wTlH where you will be able to watch your O-Toba being dedicated and blessed by Bishop Shugen Komagata and all attending ministers.
  • For more information, visit the mission’s June newsletter at or sotomission.org/posts/2021bonservice, or call (808) 537-9409 or email info@sotomission.org with your questions.
Chōchin or Japanese lanterns from a past Soto Mission of Hawaii bon dance. (Photo courtesy of that mission’s Instagram page)

Jikoen Hongwanji Mission [(808) 845-3422]: Hatsubon service on Saturday, July 3, at 10 a.m.; bon service on Sunday, July 4, at 9 a.m.; Virtual bon dance on Saturday, July 24, time TBA.

  • During that online bon dance, the temple will share “short videos about Jikoen Temple, Buddhism, Jikoen members and Okinawan Obon dances.”
  • Also on Saturday, July 24, temple-goers can get their Memorial Ribbon and Mini-Chōchin Set/s to honor their departed loved ones; drive-through pickup will be from 8-11 a.m.
  • By Saturday, June 20, order these at $20 donation per ribbon/chōchin set by printing out and filling out the form on p. 9 of the June Jikoen newsletter (jikoenhongwanji.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2021/06/news_2021-06_web-1.pdf) and mailing it together with your check to Jikoen Hongwanji, 1731 N. School St., Honolulu HI 96819.
  • If you wish your recently deceased loved one (whose name will be printed on the ribbon) to be mentioned in this public video, include a photo of that person with the order form and/or email a file of the photo.
  • For more information, email jikoen.info@gmail.com, call the above phone no. or visit jikoenhongwanji.org.

Honpa Hongwanji Hawaii Betsuin [(808) 536-7044]:

  • No combined Bon Mairi/Hatsubon services this year.
  • For those seeking private services, call (808) 536-7044 to reserve Bon Mairi/Hatsubon for in-person groups of up to 25 (Zoom version is also available).
  • Suggested donation for these services is $100 for temple and $25-50 to the officiant minister
  • Read “Goji” newsletter for updates on upcoming events:
  • June: Bon memorial lantern sponsorship fundraiser
  • July: In-person Bon major service (with livestream coverage) with Rev. Koho Takata of West Los Angeles Buddhist Church.
  • August: Bon Dance drive-through experience and food pick up.

Windward Buddhist Temple [(808) 262-4560]: Bon service on Sunday, July 11, at 9 a.m.; virtual bon dance TBD.

Waianae Hongwanji Mission [(808) 677-4221]: Bon service on Sunday, July 11, at 10:30 a.m. No in-person bon dance.

Ewa Hongwanji Mission [(808) 681-5222]:

  • No in-person bon dance.
  • Bon service Saturday, July 31, at 6 p.m.
  • Obon Fundraiser that day from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
  • Pre-selling bento, noodles, andagi (regular or cinnamon), bon dance towels ($5) and windcatchers ($10: chōchin style lanterns with names of the beloved deceased hanging from them).
  • Call temple or see temple website to order.

KAUA‘I

Note: The Kaua‘i Buddhist Council canceled in-person bon dance, but individual temples will hold traditional memorial services, fundraising and virtual activities; the Council might hold a single, joint bon dance in Aug. or Sept., if the government gives an all-clear for large gatherings.

Lihue Hongwanji Mission [(808) 245-6262]: bon service only.

Kapaa Hongwanji Mission [(808) 822-4667]:

  • Hatsubon/obon service Saturday, July 17, at 10 a.m.
  • Same-day obon fundraiser, 11 a.m.-noon
  • Contact temple for bon-dance bento tickets and to volunteer help
  • Bento is a flying saucer, pronto pup, chicken yakitori stick, 2 pieces maki sushi and namasu

Koloa Jodo Mission [(808)742-6735]: Obon service Sunday, July 18, 10:30 a.m.

Kapaa Jodo Mission [(808)822-4319]: Obon service Sunday, July 25, 10:30 a.m.

BON DANCE CANCELLATIONS

Note: Despite not holding (virtual or in-person) bon dance, many of these temples will still offer virtual services such as streamed bon and/or hatsubon services and even in-person obon activities such as food pick-ups.

Also, we are not repeating information about other temples on these islands that we printed in the last issue.

O‘AHU

Waialua Hongwanji Mission

Waipahu Hongwanji Mission

MAUI

Kahului Hongwanji Mission

Makawao Hongwanji Mission

(also no public bon service)

Wailuku Hongwanji Mission

HAWAI‘I ISLAND

Kohala Hongwanji Mission (bon service TBD)

Paauilo Hongwanji Mission

Also no public bon service in addition to no bon dance:

Honpa Hongwanji Hilo Betsuin

Honohina Hongwanji Mission

Honomu Hongwanji Mission

Kamuela Hongwanji Mission

Papaaloa Hongwanji Mission

OBON CELEBRATION VIDEOS

Hawaii’s Plantation Village (Virtual Bon Dance was held on June 5, combined with drive-through food pickup and an open craft store on site): youtube.com/watch?v=j5tTatBVy2c.

Note: For more on O-Toba memorial sticks, see Ryan Kawailani Ozawa’s “Hawaii Weblog” 2015 article on them, “Otoba Stand as a Spiritual Sign of Summer, at hawaiiweblog.com/2015/07/05/otoba.

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