The smell of ono local food and sounds of traditional Japanese songs filled the Waimea Higashi Hongwanji temple grounds last weekend as hundreds of people attended the annual bon dance festival. The festival, which kicked off on June 21 and
The smell of ono local food and sounds of traditional Japanese songs filled the Waimea Higashi Hongwanji temple grounds last weekend as hundreds of people attended the annual bon dance festival.
The festival, which kicked off on June 21 and ended on June 22, marked the third dance in this year’s obon season calendar on Kauai.
In addition to the mixture of traditional Japanese and Okinawan songs that were provided to dancers of all ages, this year’s festivities included a shi-shi-mai (Okinawan lion dance) and taiko (Japanese drum) performances from several local groups, including Ryukyukoku Matsuri Daiko Hawaii and Taiko Kauai.
The festival also featured a traveling display from the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii in Honolulu based upon “Japanese Buddhist Temples in Hawaii: An Illustrated Guide,” written by George J. Tanabe, a professor emeritus at the University of Hawaii’s Department of Religion, and his wife, Willa Tanabe, a professor emeritus in UH’s Department of Art and Art History.
The next bon dance on Kauai is scheduled to be held today and Saturday at the Kauai Soto Zen Temple-Zenshuji, located at 1-3500 Kaumualii Highway, in Hanapepe.
