Sadly, I’m travelling all weekend and so won’t have the opportunity to attend the festivals down here in Orange County and Venice. There are still plenty of Obon festivals left to attend this summer. It’s never to late to break out your kachi kachi!

Southern California and Nevada

• Orange County Buddhist Church (July 16–17)
• Venice Hongwanji Buddhist Temple (July 16–17)
• Pasadena Buddhist Temple (July 23–24)
• Vista Buddhist Temple (July 23–24)
• West Los Angeles Buddhist Temple (July 23–24)
• Guadalupe Buddhist Church (July 24)
• Buddhist Temple of San Diego (July 30)
• Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple (July 30–31)
• San Luis Obispo Buddhist Temple (August 6)
• Gardena Buddhist Church (August 6–7)
• Las Vegas Buddhist Sangha (August 13)

Northern California (Bay, Northern and Coast Districts)

• Enmanji Buddhist Temple (July 16)
• Mountain View Buddhist Temple (July 16–17)
• Buddhist Church of Florin (July 16)
• Marysville Buddhist Church (July 16)
• Walnut Grove Buddhist Church (July 16)
• Buddhist Temple of Marin (July 17)
• Watsonville Buddhist Temple (July 17)
• Stockton Buddhist Temple (July 23)
• Buddhist Church of San Francisco (July 23–24)
• Buddhist Temple of Alameda (July 30)
• Salinas Buddhist Temple (July 31)
• Buddhist Church of Oakland (August 6)
• Palo Alto Buddhist Temple (August 6)
• Placer Buddhist Church (August 6)
• San Mateo Buddhist Temple (August 13)
• Southern Alameda County Buddhist Church (August 13)

Northwest (Washington and Oregon)

• Seattle Buddhist Church (July 16–17)
• White River Buddhist Temple (July 23)
• Tacoma Buddhist Temple (July 30)
• Oregon Buddhist Temple (August 6)

Eastern and Mountain States

• Ogden Buddhist Church, Utah (July 16)
• Cleveland Buddhist Temple, Ohio (July 30)
• Seabrook Buddhist Temple, New Jersey (July 16)

Canada

• Buddhist Temple of Southern Alberta (July 16)
• Steveston Buddhist Temple (July 16)
• Montréal Buddhist Church (July 31)

More details about Obon dates and locations can be found at the Japanese City Obon Festival and Bon Odori Schedule! (I wish I’d known about this before I typed up this list.) If you have photos, I’d be most delighted to link to them! Corrections are much welcome too. Many thanks to Rev. Bridgeand Rev. Usuki for their help in putting this list together.

Bon odori is a dance linked with Obon. Entire festivals and bazaars have developed around bon odori, and these Obon festivals are good opportunities for interaction between temples and local communities. A number of Obon festivals are happening this weekend, from New York to Virginia to Chicago to Berkeley to Vancouver! If you happen to live near one of these temples, I encourage you to stop by and join in the dance and festivities. I’ve provided a list of some of this weekend’s festivals below.

Western Temples

• Berkeley Buddhist Temple (July 9)
• Berkeley Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple (July 9)
• Fresno Buddhist Temple (July 9)
• Oxnard Buddhist Temple (July 9)
• Buddhist Church of Sacramento (July 9)
• Salt Lake Buddhist Temple (July 9)
• Los Angeles Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple (July 9–10)
• San Jose Buddhist Church (July 9–10)
• Monterey Peninsula Buddhist Temple (July 10)

Eastern Temples

• Midwest Buddhist Temple, Chicago (July 9)
• Ekoji Buddhist Temple, Fairfax, Virginia (July 9)
• New York Buddhist Church, New York City (July 10)

Canadian Temples

• Fraser Valley Buddhist Temple (July 9)
• Tornoto Buddhist Church (July 9)
• Vancouver Buddhist Temple (July 10)
• Kelowna Buddhist Temple (July 10)

If you want to attend a bon odori in Hawai‘i, you are fortunate that there’s a website for this: Let’s Bon Dance!

Let me know in the comments of any corrections needed with the lists above.

Photo credit to the Berkeley Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple. Thanks also to @Kyoshin, @djbuddha and Rev. Usuki for helping me find the lists of temples above.

We are already well into Obon season, and I haven’t even started to practice my moves yet!

I’ve posted about this holiday and festival before, and you can probably expect a few more posts this summer. My favorite explanation is still this article by Rev. Patti Usuki.

In Japan, Obon has been held since 657 CE. It is observed in July or August. A commonly held belief among people in Japan is that the disembodied spirits of the dead return to visit at this time of year. This belief is not supported by Jodo Shin Buddhists, who consider such a belief to be an unfounded superstition

Most Japanese-American Buddhists belong to the Jodo Shinshu school (including the sangha of West LA Buddhist Temple), so it is important to understand the history and significance of our Obon Festival. It is not, as some mistakenly believe, to welcome back the spirits of the dead. Instead, it is a time of gratitude, giving, and joy in the Truth of Life. Hence, it is also known as Kangi-e, or the Gathering of Joy.

There are already videos up of this year’s bon odori at the Arizona Buddhist Temple and the San Fernando Valley Buddhist Temple. If anyone has any other photos or video—especially from the recent Senshin or West CovinaObon festivities, I’ll most happily post those here too!

The last Obon celebration in Southern California took place at the Gardena Buddhist Church. This year felt more crowded than last year. Below is a joint taiko performance with the UC Irvine Jodaiko (in white and blue) and the Gardena Buddhist Church Junior YBA (in black) playing together.

We could barely squeeze into the dance circle. As usual, I forgot all my moves, but I was far from alone—no matter, the other dancers were more than happy to help us out. The best way to practice is to go Obon hopping as much as you can during the summer!

The next Obon festival is at the San Luis Obispo Buddhist Temple next weekend. Not quite Southern California, but it’s a matter of perspective. The last one in the Southwest is in Las Vegas on August 14.

That’s enough posting about Obon for this year!

In a little bit, I’m going to get some vegan ramen and head off to the Obon festival at Gardena Buddhist Church. No doubt, I will (be trying to) dance.

This video is from last year’s Higashi Honganji Obon. Check out all those young Buddhists! I’m somewhere in there. If you’re in Northern California, check out the Buddhist Church of Oakland, which is holding its Obon Baazar this weekend.

I started posting too late on Obon to mention the festivals out in the Eastern United States. And by “Eastern,” I’m talking about anything East of the Mississippi. Below are the dates of Obon festivals that have passed. I believe there was also an Obon festival at the Buddhist Temple of Chicago, but I couldn’t find the past date online.

• Ekoji Buddhist Temple, Virginia (July 10)
• Midwest Buddhist Temple, Illinois (July 10)
• New York Buddhist Church, New York (July 11)
• Seabrook Buddhist Temple, New Jersey (July 17)
• Cleveland Buddhist Temple, Ohio (July 24)

The past few posts on Obon have been a bit carried away over the dance and festivities. The other (and for many, the primary) side of Obon is that it’s a memorial occasion. If you happen to look up “Obon” on a local temple calendar, it’s probably a good idea to find out first whether you’ll be attending a party-like festival or a more somber memorial occasion.

In a few hours I’m heading up to Northern California, which reminded me that my last post was exclusive to Obon festivities in the Southern California Shin network. Unlike most of Southern California, temples Northern California seem to schedule their events separately.

• Buddhist Temple of Alameda Bon Odori (July 24)
• Buddhist Church of San Francisco Bon Odori (July 25 August 1)
• Buddhist Church of Oakland Bon Odori (July 31)
• Palo Alto Buddhist Temple Obon Festival (July 31–August 1) & Bon Odori (August 7)
• San Mateo Buddhist Temple Bon Odori (August 7)
• Southern Alameda County Buddhist Church Bon Odori & Obon Festival (August 14)
• Buddhist Church of Sacramento Bazaar (August 14–15)

This weekend, you can catch Bon Odori at the Buddhist Temple of Alameda and the Buddhist Church of San Francisco. (If you’re in Southern California, you should check out the party at Higashi Honganji this weekend!) I’ll post more about Obon happenings elsewhere in North America after I get back.