Thai temple hidden within Long Beach. They usually have food on Sundays ranging from $3-$10…read more... pretty tasty, you trade dollars into tokens. This was my first time here. It's nice that there's some sort of Thai representation in Long Beach... They have a mini parking lot that you access by taking the anal alley way but there's also plenty of street parking.

Went today and saw only one stall available until June 15th. Apparently the food court here is…read morepermanently closing. Food was mediocre.

First time attending their Obon and what fun and eats for everyone!…read moreEveryone was so nice and kind to answering questions! Teriyaki chicken bowl was soo delicious with melt in your mouth grilled chicken, cabbage salad, ginger and rice...generous Chinese chicken salad was amazing with a great dressing, ditto on the tofu salad...did I mention delicious won tons and oh the perfect shaved ice? Hot dogs and chili and the yummy Okinawa Dango holes? And, haha, the Beer Garden! Games for kids and the music and oboe dancing - fun!!! Inside merchandise! Can't wait for next year - Online auction and raffle too!

I had no idea there was a temple near me! I am not at all religious so it's not like I would come…read morefor services or anything, but bon dances happen at temples. I have been to the Gardena bon festival once and that was a big affair. This one is a lot smaller, but it was still fun. My friend and I met up right as the dancing started. We watched for a few mins. and then made a beeline for the food booths before they ran out of the goods! We got cinnamon sugar dango, crispy wontons with sweet sauce, and veggie curry. There was only one game booth. There was also a booth selling flowers and books. I was most impressed with the taiko (drum) players. People took turns and I saw more women than men. They looked so dainty in their hakatas (traditional Japanese summer kimonos) until they started playing! It was awesome. I could see myself going again next year and trying some of their other foods. Might be fun to learn the dances too. I've never participated in one. There's a parking lot down the street from the temple and plenty of street parking in front of the nearby middle school.

Excellent community street fair! The dancing, food , music and everything is so much fun! I highly…read morerecommend checking this out next July.

Came here last night for the annual Obon festival what they do is block the side street next to the…read moreTemple for the traditional Obon dances. The parking lot for the Temple has booths set up with traditional foods and games mini carnival style. Of course the food lines were long and some booths actually ran out of food for the night. Saturday it goes from 4 to 10pm and Sun 3 to 9pm. One thing is parking is really bad here cause it's street parking and some areas have limited metered parking also they are using a parking structure about a block away but that fills up fast too and it can get messy in there. Other than parking this festival is a nice time to bring family and friends and enjoy the Japanese traditional Obon dances and foods. Summer time is the time of Obon festivals all over LA and OC you can see the schedules at http://buddhistchurchesofamerica.org/2015-obon-bazaar-schedule/

Beautiful monastery. The space is spacious and quiet…read more The rows of green bamboo make me feel closer to my country . They have free food on Lunar new year and Sunday. Also if you buy them on the table, they are delicious with affordable price. Vermicelli, sticky rice, sweet soup, spring rolls, spring rolls I love all , Many delicious and very special dishes made by extremely skillful young nuns. Peaceful place and nice people. A lot of parking! .

A very spacious Buddhist monastery. They have many gazebos, so you're shaded from the glaring sun…read more We came here on Sunday and got free vegetarian food, but they also sell as well. Not sure if they offer free food on Saturday. It seems like they have ample parking spaces but the parking was tight. The interior of the monastery was mediocre with respect to the decor, it's not as glamorous as what I'm used to seeing.

This year I decided to help out and sing in the required during the high holy days, my husband has…read morebeen singing as part of the choir doing the high holy days Services and this is the first time I decided to volunteer on my own. The people there are friendly. Security is great. They do not allow anybody into the temple area unless they can clear themselves with the guard and it is a locked secured facility. Although I'm not a Jew there, there is no prejudice here. People are very welcoming.

Everyone is so sweet and welcoming and Rabbis, cantor and musicians are so inspiring. I love the…read moresense of community and feeling renewed in spirit. The joys the blessing the love.

I highly recommend this group to people who are spiritually searching…read more The people at this center are incredibly friendly, welcoming and genuinely care about even first-timers. The service is in Japanese, but this doesn't matter because it is a chanting meditation using a book which is easily followed. After the chant there is a short lesson in English. Then there is a 30 minute break before dharma talks separately in English and Japanese. During the break member socialize and talk to all. I can only speak for the English dharma talks, which are very good. Yuichi is very well organized, and is adept at answering questions, even if they don't necessarily relate to the topic. It's obvious his knowledge is broad and his understanding is deep. If you can't make it to Gardena, he and Bita (the manager) conduct meetups throughout the region.

I've been going to this temple almost five years now and am so excited about all the changes we've…read moremade to our temple this year. We just had an amazing remodel of the interior with vibrant red carpet and freshly-painted white walls! After a lot of hard work and donations, we were able to plant a lot of flowers and trees around the building as well. Our temple is now a beautiful little refuge providing a peaceful atmosphere to reflect on our purpose of life. This Pure Land Temple (Jodo Shinshu Shinrankai) has a broad range of lessons and topics spanning from simple kindnesses we can do to improve our daily life to tackling life's biggest questions in our advanced lectures. The staff and translation team is warm and friendly, and you can ask them questions anytime. We also have many round-table discussions which encourage participation, deep questions, and sharing about our experiences. We also have chanting service available if you would like to join or just observe. Our chanting is a meditation on gratitude toward Amida Buddha. You can learn more about this and what Pure Land means at the temple though. At our center you can seek refuge from modern life and learn the teachings of Buddha. They also have a wide assortment of inspirational books and even Japanese Animes on Buddhism as well. In fact, if you were ever interested in learning Japanese language or culture, this is a great place to come to explore. Yokoso! Our temple also visits local libraries, Starbucks, and hold events at people's homes. For fellowship, we go out on hikes, karaoke, visit museums, and have potluck parties. However, the purpose of our temple is solely aimed at helping you discover your purpose of life. It's to find out who you are and discover absolute happiness in this lifetime! I hope you drop by and check us out!

We have known Rabbi Yossi, founder of this JCC and his lovely wife Sarah for almost 40 years. They…read morehave worked hard to make it a very welcoming and enriching place. Whether you are Jewish or not, or just moved into the neighborhood, please checkout their website. The JCC of the Beach Cities offers many enjoyable events, opportunities to volunteer, and countless learning experiences. There is no annual fee, and you will feel as if you have created an instant extended family!

The Friendship Foundation is the best!!!! My daughter has…read morebeen participating in all their activities for years

Pre-pandemic, this temple was a smaller lot that eventually extended to what it is now. During…read morenon-celebratory days will allow for parking on the lot, but during days of observance and celebration, you'll have to find street parking. Parking in the neighborhood is impacted, so it's best to just get there early. The monks here speak various languages and chant in Pali. If you only speak English, some do speak English, so don't shy away from asking questions. Volunteers and temple devotees are usually on site to help with inquiries. If you read Khmer, this temple has the chants pre-printed in booklets in Khmer, so you can follow along. For those who are not familiar with temple schedules, monks eat before noon, so all the substantive services occur in the morning. I visited for the Killing Fields Memorial Center annual observance, which is every April 17th. DO: - Bring something to share or offer. Donuts and coffee are usually staples because it's an easy, economical, portable breakfast. I brought individually wrapped pastries to add to the mix, because it's self contained and there's usually children who are finicky about their foods who will eat them. - Take off your shoes when stepping onto the straw mats or seating area in front of the monks. - Because of previous point (taking off shoes), do wear shoes that are easy to take off. It's not uncommon for some folks to wear slip-on's or flip flops... don't judge. - Do help clean up after services and eating. After dharma talk, lunch and fellowship, help clean up. At least clean up after yourself or your group. DON'T: - Do not touch the monks. Women, do not try to shake their hands or otherwise make any physical skin-to-skin contact. My fingertip accidentally touch a monk's hand during a blessing of a commonly held item, and I got some harsh lip service back in the day. Learn from my experience. - Do not double dip. So, there's sort of an art to community eating. After dharma, the monks bless the congregation and food and everyone goes eat. If getting your own personal portion and you go for seconds, get a new plate/bowl each trip. Use buffet etiquette. Secondly, if you are eating family style amongst friends/family, place a serving spoon for each dish. It's a pandemic, let's not spread the funk. I enjoy going to this temple because its spacious. Parking is a headache, but, again--go early. Dharma talks have been informative and practical.