Must visit spot if you're visiting Kaneohe. It's about 15-20 min drive from the botanical garden…read more You have to enter the Memorial Park to get to this temple. It's a smaller replica of the actual temple from Japan. We ordered tickets online for $10/person and $6 for parking. They don't check your tickets when you enter which we thought was very strange lol. It's very beautiful and peaceful with the mountain and smoky cloud in the background. They have a couple benches for you to sit. You can enter the temple but it's actually pretty small. They have artists and vendors under the temple too. I loved seeing all the koi fish and mini pagoda up hill. There's also a large bell that you can ring for funsies.

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.

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.

I have been attending the in person meditation and now the Zoom sessions since the lockdown and I'm…read morevery thankful for having this practice. It has helped me to deal with all the negativity surrounding us and provided the opportunity to appreciate our precious life.

Katog Mati Ling is a true authentic source of the Nyigma Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. The community…read morethere is lovely, warm hearts, inclusive of others and harmonious amongst themselves.

This is a review for the bon dance on Saturday, July 2, 2011…read more Parking wise there were 3 parking lots at stores nearby that people were authorized to park at. So get choke parking if you know where to park. Also be prepared for a slight walk. So my tip is to call ahead of time to ask where you are able to park. Food wise. The Curry Rice was super ono. When I first looked I was wondering where was the beef, but when I stirred it then you could see it had a lot of shredded meat. The sauce itself was light but full of flavor. So 5 stars in itself. Another winner was the Nishime and Rice. The nishime was nice and tender, while the sauce was light not overpowering the vegetables flavors. Music wise. Live music was provided by Iwakuni Odori Aikoki and Hawaii Eisa Shinnyukai.

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 always enjoy my visits here. A quiet and peaceful oasis in the valley with warm and welcoming…read morecommunity. The people here are always very nice and helpful with the practices. They have 2 resident lamas, Lama Rinchen who I've met a few times is a very nice man who was born in Tibet (very surprising considering Tibet's history). He was kind enough to share some stories of his life and motivation for becoming a monk (which was very much appreciated as it was late). I've only met Lama Tempa Gyeltshen once though my impressions are him being very nice as well with a very beautiful voice. I'm not an expert or well practiced in chanting by any means, however, if you join them, I recommend listening to his voice. The tone, melody and subtleties of the sounds are really enjoyable and make changing along easier! If you are able to donate, I recommend doing so! They are such a gem. While covid is happening they are conducting their programs online. I look forward to practicing in person with them when it is safe again!

We visited this temple and was fortunately invited in and had a chance to talk to the Lama. I…read moreforgot his name, but he is here visiting from France. He was very friendly, kind and welcoming us like special guests. We were offered a delicious tea by a young lady who was very sweet. This temple is very nice, peaceful. We will definitely visit here again the next time we are on the island.