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.

This Byodo-In Temple is a must see when visiting Oahu!…read more If you are planning to drive here I highly recommend getting as soon as they open. They have very few parking spots and a majority of them are take by the big tour buses. The parking is $6 dollars and you will need to show proof of parking when entering the temple. Also, the entrance fee is $10 for adults and I believe it was $6 for children. At the entrance you can also purchase food for the fish and birds, which I highly recommend if you are brining little ones. The temple is absolutely beautiful and very well taken care off. Just be respectful when walking around and observing. Also, if you plan to enter the temple you must remove your shoes and they have a rack on the right hand side of the building. There are also people selling local craft and some food as well. Overall this was a wonderful experience and I think it is very family friendly.

An original remake of a traditional Japanese Buddhist temple which is in a cemetery. This is a…read morepretty fun spot to check out and I actually liked how some of the hedgestones before the temple were all black. It was kind of cool. The inside of the temple has a bell that you can ring. Also, there are a ton of koi fish in the pond. A very relaxing spot and it just feels super peaceful here. Even though it's in a cemetery. The temple is literally in the right spot with all the trees and pond covering it.

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.

Zen! Even in Japan…read moretemples are placed in the midst of life as if it's a sign for you to come in and take a moment for yourself, Juan Yin Temple is no different as it's right in the midst of busy Vineyard Boulevard right beside Foster Botanical Garden. Here I did come for a specific reason...their stunning water lily flowers which they have two pots of and it's constantly growing and on other visits there were just buds so instead took in the view and enjoy this lovely gem. Today on the eve of the upcoming Lunar New Year I made a bangle I designed back in November that I had made for some friends for the New Years and it's a infinity blended into a lotus flower, one of my favorite since it represents so much to me. The symbolism of the Lotus is spectacular and making my bangle had the same issues of forming it with struggles with the vision to have the colors only for it to be altered with then end result of something still beautiful. Yes I took several pictures respectfully as this temple is free to the public to pray, offer incense or just take a moment. I'm just so grateful for their generosity to their open doors I do constantly make an offering and give thanks, it's another humbling experience and timing to capture what I've been searching and am feeling so blessed. Thank you and a Happy Lunar New 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.

Amazing! Came with Doc to try the food here. She mentioned it her last trip home so we came…read moretoday. So many people like us who enjoy Thai food. Freshly prepared on the spot: papaya salad, noodle soup and bbq pork skewers.

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.

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!

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

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.

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