Two years ago I flew to Hilo to meet my childhood friend who had travelled from the East Coast' for…read morea taiko conference at the Pahoa Bon Dance, The outpouring of energy taiko talent blew me away. This summer I unexpectedly ended up at the Hilo Meishoin Bon dance when I found out my aunties and uncle were working there. . Like the other neighbor island Bon Dances I've been to this one impressed me with the efficient and well staffed volunteer support. There are many hands that go into making these cultural events such a success. The food, including smoked meat, fried fish, anadagi, and many other delicious offerings puts Honolulu temples to shame. Though Hawaii bon dances generally follow the same structure, there are many variations . The dancing here was energetic, fast paced and mostly synchronized with experienced dancers in the center. They were well rehearsed and helpful to those not in the know. The mix of modern and traditional dances made for an interesting contrast allowing dancers of all ages to do their thing. But what impressed me most was the kalua pig and cabbage bentos that were passed out at the end. At first I thought it was only for volunteers. Then when we were given some, I though they had too many leftovers. I was informed that it's tradition there to feed all the participants who make it to the end of the night at 10:00. I've been to many many Bon dances in my life, but this was a first! Only in Hilo Hawaii!

I used to come here for church when I was little. Now, I come during bon dance. This is a good…read morechurch with a lot of parking, and good people. I like it here, no pressure or strict rules. Now that I live in hilo again, I'll be visiting more often!

Who doesn't like a bazaar? Especially one with lots of grandma made quilts and craft work, home…read morebaked goodies, piles and piles of second hand clothes, sushi rice, preserves, local veggies, books from the 70's, bags of cinder and all kine of miscellaneous knick knacks. I walked away with a 1968 French provincial and northern italy cookbooks, got my recipe to make cassoulet! Just watch out for the grandmas as they fight their way towards the bargains!

This is a temple and activity center for the village of Papaikou. We just attended the Hawaii…read moreBamboo Society annual Bamboo festival there. Amazing view, tons of useful info and many nice folks.

Thanks to Damon Tucker's blog (www.damontucker.com) I read about a lecture at this temple, by a…read morevisiting Buddhist scholar from Oregon, Dr Mark Unno. I am so glad I went! The building is a very cool old structure which they are working at fixing up and restoring. There's some unique trees on the grounds... that weird giant pine tree is actually a species of very primitive "living fossil" from the Mesozoic (as in dinosaurs!) period. Also known as a Monkey-puzzle tree, because it looks like even a monkey would have a hard time climbing it. Another tree is a cutting of a cutting of a cutting of the tree that the Buddha was sitting under when he found enlightenment. I need to find that tree and sit under it! Inside the building... wow... I did not expect the whole over-the-top temple display in the front with multiple elaborate colorful bright altars. (The pews are sized for an old Japanese lady so that part was not so comfortable for me) The Resident Minister is a young "local boy" named David Fujimoto. He gave me a warm welcome, as did several members of the congregation. There was a heavy incense smell, and we did some prayer chanting in Japanese before the lecture... i did my best to follow along... it was printed phonetically in a little red book. The minister and the lecturer were both down-to-earth, casual, funny men. I did not expect to laugh as much as I did. The lecturer started by taking several minutes to stare thoroughly at each person in the audience. This was a strange quiet moment, but I liked it. He saw me. We communicated in silence. He didn't get into anything too technical. He talked about his cats, his aging parents, and somehow moved from those topics to the upcoming collision between the Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies. He basically spoke about our search for meaning in life and finding our place in the universe. It was very similar to what I hear in Christian churches if you substitute the words "nature" "the universe" and "life" for the Christian word "God." He made a lot of sense, and I did feel that I walked away a little more enlightened and at peace. They have Sunday services at 9 am. Plus I read in their newsletter that they volunteered at this years first Big Island Aids Walk. Very cool. I'll be back! I definitely got a five star feeling from this place.

Friendly local Pure Land Buddhist temple with a historic connection to a historic place. About a…read moremile from their historic cemetery. A different part of local Hawai'i that too many visitors don't try to find out about. If you can come for the Obon Festival time, that would be perfect. If you're just dropping by on the way to other nearby sites, read about the history here: https://www.hakalauhome.com/honohina-hongwanji.html