Obon honors the memory of relatives and friends who have passed away. Hatsubon Service will be held for families that have lost a loved one since the last obon on Saturday, July 23rd at 3:00. Obon Family Service will be held on Sunday, July 24th at 10:00 am. Guest speaker will be Rev. Alan Sakamoto from OCBC.

Obon comes from the story of Maudgalyana, a disciple of the Buddha, who sees his mother suffering in "hell". Maudgalyana goes to the Buddha for advice and is instructed to make a gift (a vegetarian meal) to his fellow monks. He did so, and immediately his mother is saved from the miseries of hell. Overjoyed, he and his fellow monks clapped their hands and danced in joy. Obon, therefore, is an occasion for rejoicing in liberating others and ourselves from suffering.

Food booths served BBQ chicken teriyaki, chow mein, sushi, and snow cones. A few game booths will help entertain the youngsters. Festivities begin at 4:00 and end at 9:00 on Saturday and 8:30 on Sunday.

Each evening, dancers from around the Southland gathered around the yagura and danced the traditional Obon Odori (dances). Dancing is scheduled to begin at 6:30 pm each evening. Obon odori is to dance for joy. Everyone is invited to join in to "just dance" and be accepted as we are. Obon Dance Practices will be held on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 7:00-8:00PM in the temple parking lot beginning on June 28th.

Taiko Performances are scheduled each evening during the dancing break (around 7:00 PM). Saturday will feature Matsuri Taiko and Sunday will feature Kitsune Taiko (Higashi)

For more information about the Obon Religious events, contact Reverend Rosenthal. For information regarding the Obon Festivities, contact Jeannie Toshima.

To see a total listing of all obon festivals, go to Japanese-City.com.