I went to the 2025 Summer Bon Odori Buddhist Festival here. I have not danced here in several years…read moreor before Cvid. I moved to S. Seattle area, so it's closer to drive out now. They use the same dances and music as the Seattle Bon Odori at the Betsuin Buddhist Church. A volunteer let me change into my kimono in the No Access Area where the restrooms by the Hodo alter area was. It's a large handicap restroom that I used before. So it was helpful. At the Seattle Buddhist Church there was no public restrooms to change. They close them up and have sanicans ionly. I changed at a hotel after I went to a fest. At Seattle Center before going to Seattle's Obon. I bought and found some Kimono underwear gear that I could not find in Little Tokyo in LA. I also found small tabis that fot me at size 4.5. So that was only $3 each and found two luckily. I thought I needed more larger size Tabi. Today my left foot was swollen with a sprained ankle. So some of my other tabis did not fit. I wore a brace and only dance "Tanko Bushi," the Coal Miner's Dance. They do this standard dance all over other Obons all over the US and in Tokyo. I was lucky they had left over Teriyaki Chicken bowl and Tsukemono half price. Retail for chicken was $12 , Unagi was $15. It was not as cheap when they sold them 10 yrs ago. Somen was $4. They did not have regular soda. Just flavored water and water. There was a Beer Garden too but no entertainment there since it off to the side of the church and not in a quieter area. There were a few African Amer. In the audience and other non Japanese Nikkei there too. They drew people from other parts of Tacoma, And other areas besides from the Seattle Obon. After 8pm they had a short Obon Memorial Service for deceased members and for anyone who bought a candle for $10. There were floating lanterns and other nice paper lanterns in their small Jp Gardens. Even in Idaho, there is a Bon Odori, Chicago, LA, SF, Sacramento, Vegas, Vancouver BC,. Hilo, Honolulu, Portland, OR. You can probably find where ever there is a Japanese Community like in Brasil and Peru. The Bon Odorii in the Phillippines is more of a stage show sponsored by Jp Corp. , Jp Gov. and they get many locals selling food. I saw it on You Tube.

Came here a few times for Japanese related events such as the Bon Odori and the latest being the…read moreBazaar and craft festival. Each time we are here we are delighted by the helpful staff and the range of both handmade and well curated goodies. If you also are a fan of Japanese sweets, during these events they offer treats like daifuku and manju that is so fresh and chewy! A lot of street parking in the area but be weary, a lot of them are on hilly areas by the UW Tacoma campus! Also, if you can bring cash - some of the items sold at these events are cash only!

Very nice temple. Welcoming to all. Good place to go for Thai,Laos and Cambodia NY. Lots of foods…read moreaways after monks eat.

I moved here from Oregon, looking for thai temple, looked the reviews and decided to check it out…read more It is nice and welcoming. They do ask to wear mask inside sala (building). It even has a play area for kids and a big pond in the back. It was peaceful.

Beautiful Temple of Thien phai Truc Lam in Seattle. So proud of Thien Vien Truc Lam Minh Chanh…read more Please read more about this particular Meditation Center at: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trúc_Lâm Thiền phái Trúc Lâm (zh. 竹林禪派) là một tông phái của Thiền tông Việt Nam, hình thành từ thời nhà Trần, do Vua Trần Nhân Tông sáng lập. Trúc Lâm vốn là hiệu của Trần Nhân Tông từ khi xuất gia ở động Vũ Lâm (Ninh Bình), đồng thời cũng là hiệu của Thiền sư Đạo Viên, tiền bối của Trần Nhân Tông, Tổ thứ hai của dòng Thiền này. Thiền phái Trúc Lâm có ba Thiền sư kiệt xuất là Nhân Tông (Trúc Lâm Đầu Đà), Pháp Loa, và Huyền Quang (gọi chung là Trúc Lâm Tam tổ). Thiền phái này được xem là tiếp nối, nhưng cũng đồng thời là sự hợp nhất của ba dòng Thiền Việt Nam có từ trước đó là phái Thảo Đường, Vô Ngôn Thông và Tì-ni-đa-lưu-chi, cùng với sự pha trộn ảnh hưởng của tông Lâm Tế. Với việc lập ra phái Trúc Lâm, Vua Trần Nhân Tông đã thống nhất các Thiền phái tồn tại trước đó và toàn bộ giáo hội Phật Giáo đời Trần về một mối.

A very beautiful, peaceful, and calm place! Great place to…read morepractice meditation. Must visit to experience the peacefulness and calmness of this gems.

Wayside is a church that boasts extravagant welcome but not overwhelming or overdone. Wayside…read moreaccepts as deep as you wish to wade in faith and involvement. Supportive of FW Pride events, local queer community, a community pantry and AA meeting Friday night. The sanctuary feels like worship in a yurt or treehouse and the group of 25-30 who join for worship Sunday at 10AM are warm and welcoming. I've been attending regularly for about a year.

My girlfriend and I attended service last Sunday. I come from a non-church going background, she's…read moreattended since birth. I have had only a few experiences with churches, most left an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach, like it's all just put on, a show. Being a lesbian couple we did our research before trying to find a church that fits us. As we walked through the parking lot we were met with smiling faces, and open arms. We barely made it through the door before several people approached and introduced themselves. Guided us to the chapel and may I say...it's beautiful. A round room with floor to ceiling Windows set in a wooded area. The sermon was lovely. Easy to follow and made you think in terms of today. The congregation felt like a family. Very connected. I felt no judgement, no bias, no pre conceived notions...just love. It was amazing. We will be back.

A warm, welcoming Sangha traditionally led by a teacher with great lineage, Eido Carney. Newcomers…read moreare welcomed and treated well. If you're looking for a Soto Zen Buddhism center, check it out!

This is a really great church, very down to earth genuinely kind warm hearted people. It is a bit…read moreof a drive but I will definitely make that drive to hear the bible shared in such a direct and meaningful manner. The manner in which the congregation reflect Jesus's nature is very motivating to be a better person and really brings pride to the term Christian. Also this is a beautiful setting for a wedding very warm and home like, there is a big screen to project pictures, good sound system and enough room for a desent sized group. I highly reccomend giving this place a shot no matter who you are or what you believe you won't regret it.

Pacific Christian Center Church is a welcoming place of worship that tell the truth according to…read morethe word of God. I like that the ministers don't teach from their own opinions but through the word of God. (Bring your bibles).There are services for the entire family between Sunday morning and Wednesday evening. Come see for yourselves, awesome.

Pacific Christian Center is the real thing. Pastor speaks God's Word; he tells us the truth! God's…read moretruth! This is a lifestyle ministry. Come! You will grow from glory to glory.

I've been wanting to go to this Buddhist Temple for a while. I really admired the architecture from…read morethe road frequently as I would go by it. I wanted to go in just to pay a visit but wanted to arrive at an appropriate time to check it out. My wait finally ended as this temple was having a yard sale. I took the opportunity immediately not only to go to the sale but to admire the area as well. I briefly took some pictures of some beautiful statuary and the buildings. The garage sale was very impressive! All kinds of different clothing and other household items to browse through. Such a great selection! I don't know if this garage sale is held every year here at this temple but if you ever do see one be sure and drop by!

I lived in Seattle in the 1990's and had been a practicing Buddhist for about ten years. I usually…read moreattended Lao temple in Seattle. I had a friend who was a Theravada monk and had been teaching over in Tacoma. In 1996 he said I ought to come over to Seu Mi Sa to take that five precepts with some of his students. I thought this was going to be a small private affair. I failed to realize it was the late April day when Buddhists celebrate the Birth, Enlightenment and Entrance to Nirvana by Buddha. There were hundreds of people there including the mayor of Tacoma and Mike Lowrey, the Governor of Washington. The temple has an interesting history. It is a Korean Zen temple. It was built by a donation from a wealthy Korean businesswoman. The Temple Building was originally in Korea. It is quite old and was dismantled and shipped to the US and reassembled. It is entirely made of wood and has no metal nails or bolts holding it together. The interior and exterior are very ornate and there are hundreds of small donated Buddha images inside. There is a meditation hall in the hill under the temple. The grounds around temple include the monks quarters and a large meeting hall for meals and other activities. After the ceremony I received a certificate in Korean and Chinese and I was given a Korean name. This was followed by a vegetarian meal in the assembly hall.