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!

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.

LOVED! It was surprisingly not busy on a Sunday afternoon. I purchased my ticket online for $10,…read morebut didn't realize I would also have to spend an additional $6 on parking upon arrival. So in total you're really spending around $16. The tickets can be used at any point once purchased, in other words you don't have to go on a specific day. You can feed the coy fish, birds, and ducks with the food you buy on property. It was like $4 per little plastic bag. The Buddha area is small but BEAUTIFUL! There's a bell you can ring which was cool. I enjoyed my experience here and I would totally go back

As someone who avidly visits this temple, I was very disappointed during my most recent visit. I…read morehave not been able to come as often lately due to being busy, but the changes since my last visits are honestly upsetting. According to staff, many of these changes are due to new management, and it really shows. It feels like the temple now caters heavily to tourists, even prioritizing bus and tour group parking over regular visitors. They no longer accept cash and are completely card-only, which was frustrating. On top of that, all parking now requires payment. It used to just be an entry fee, which was understandable, but now you have to pay for both parking and entry. You can really tell the shift toward a more tourist-centered experience. While the informational papers are nice, there are so many of them now that it feels excessive. They also charge for photos at certain "immersive" spots, around $20 for a single digital image, which feels unreasonable. What makes me the most sad is how the atmosphere has changed. I always loved coming here for the peacefulness, the koi, the quiet environment, and the kind staff. Now it feels less relaxing. There are no longer proper shelves for shoes inside the temple, just the floor, and the cubby areas seem to be gone. The shoe policy is also not enforced. Within 30 minutes, I saw multiple tourists walk in with their shoes on without any issue. It is disappointing to see how much has changed. Not accepting cash, increased costs with paid parking, and the overall shift in environment have made the experience feel less genuine. I have visited at least five times before, including before, during, and after COVID, and it is sad to say I will probably be coming much less often now.

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.

I went to the temple, partially because I read the reviews in this website, therefore, I think I…read moreshould also write my experience there in May 2025. As one review said, one should visit the Kuan Yin temple in your difficult time. I felt the merciful love there, and believe you or not, I got one cure of a hurting spot on my arm, which was likely the covid vaccine spot; my first hurting memory of that spot started when I contracted covid unexpectedly in summer 2024, and it was painful when I lifted up things or just at some movement. At that day in the temple, I did not think of praying relieving that pain especially, but that long lasting pain on my arm has been gone ever since I visited the temple, which was really magical. From one review in this website, I heard of drawing straw (without any charge). Thanks to that, and the help from the smiling and kind lady in the temple, I did straw drawing and then found the interpretation for the lot number I got. Altogether, this place is great and kind, curing pains physically and mentally, full of merciful love, and giving hope, without asking for any returns.

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.

I found this spot from my hours of research and I have been to the Hollywood one many times and…read morethought this might be a great spot to take my mom. She loves going to temples and loves Thai food so I definitely was excited to explore this temple together. Based on the address on Yelp, I got lost for a good 10-15 minutes. I almost gave up but luckily spotted it and had to do a U turn and we finally arrived. So I arrived 10 minutes before the food stalls closed but honestly they stayed opened a bit longer than their closing time. As I saw ppl arrive even later and was able to still make purchases. I do have to say that they do start cleaning, and not everything is available as things were being sold out. They have a table for you to grab utensils and condiments. There are some tables you can sit and eat the food that you purchase. Most of the food I purchased was about $10 each. And you pay each stall that you are at. My mom and I enjoyed everything we ordered, if only we were staying in Hawaii more days, we would definitely come back or even order more. The hard part is that they do not have a website and they are not open every Sunday either. So try calling or just randomly go and pray that it will be opened. I honestly really enjoyed my visit. Both a cool temple to go see and being able to eat authentic Thai food it was an extra bonus. 2 thumbs up from this Yelper. I highly recommend coming here if you have not been. Ordered: *Fried Bananas *Papaya Salad (you can request how spicy you want this) *Pork noodle soup *Sugar Cane Juice *Fish Cake *Water Bottle $1 *Pork spare rib Tips: *Cash Only *Restroom available. *Outside temple street parking in the dirt or pull in and try your luck to find parking.

We came here one Sunday around 10:30 am and it wasn't too busy. There's decent amount of parking…read more They have an area for food and another spot for some Thai grocery items. My favorites were the pumpkin curry and fried bananas. Everything was super delicious and well balanced flavor. Everyone was super nice and the food was cheap. One thing to note, the food stalls are only open on Sundays. Remember to bring cash.

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.

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.

Went to the temple on a Sunday morning. Wanted to get the fish cake but it was sold out. Got to…read moremake my own papaya salad. It was an experience.

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.

I met my dad's cousin for the first time and she told me about this temple. I didn't know what to…read moreexpect. I mean, once you drive up, it's a little hard to believe that it is located in a residential area. It is really something to look at! Respecting the temple is the first thing to remember because you don't know who is watching. It was interesting that I took off my shoes and put them on a shelve with a bunch of other shoes, but no one else was inside. I walked around and looked at the different statues. I read some of the stories. I did take some pictures which I wasn't sure was okay or not. The one Buddha that called to me was the one with the many arms. I felt like him the past few months, doing way too much and juggle more things than I probably could handle. I knelt, lit an incense and said a little prayer. Hopefully He heard me. I also gave a money offering, which you should always do. Definitely worth coming to. Next time I'll spend more time meditating. 谢谢!

Ring in the New Year with a visit to Izumo Mission in Honolulu. Visiting Izumo Shrine on New Year's…read moreDay has been a personal tradition of mine for many years. After watching the first sunrise of the year, I make my way here to begin the year with gratitude, reflection, and hope for what lies ahead. Each visit, I receive omamori for traffic safety and good fortune, along with a lucky arrow for protection and continued blessings throughout the year. The shrine feels especially meaningful on New Year's Day, filled with a quiet sense of reverence mixed with shared optimism from the community. Even with the crowds, the experience remains calm and grounding. If you plan to visit on New Year's Day, it's best to arrive early, as it can become quite busy later in the day. It's a meaningful and time-honored way to welcome the New Year and carry on a tradition that connects reflection, intention, and good fortune.

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