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September 2023 by Mone
It is a very peaceful and a beautiful place even though it is small, the people there are so nice and kind to me.I went there today to perform as a band member but everyone watched us as we perform and clapped to us it was such an amazing moment I experienced. Thank you all so much for watching our performance today and Namu Ami Da Butsu. 南無阿弥陀ごちそうさまでした。
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August 2023 by CharM
I attended the Jikoen Bon dance this year, and it was a blast. The food was excellent. There was delicious andagi, rafute and juushimeshi and of course nuuchi (mochi). It was very hot that day and the tents and shave ice were a welcome relief. I just wish the parking situation was better. Good job Jikoen for hosting a successful bon dance.
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July 2023 by kev n
Great place, great people.
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April 2023 by Kent S.
Jikoen Hongwanji is full of warm, caring, and lovely people.To refute some other reviews that might be on here for the bazaar, the event was quite enjoyable and my only complaint was that I wish it was open longer (the bazaar was on Saturday, April 1 from 8:30am to 12:00pm). Due to covid, they haven't had it for awhile and we were ecstatic when we saw that they were holding the bazaar again.Parking - The parking at the temple can be difficult (especially if you are making a left turn in). Luckily for the bazaar, Kapalama Elementary was available for easy parking one block over. They had several volunteers and a police officer helping to direct folks to ample parking and to oversee the lot. I felt very safe parking there.Food - The food was great! Unfortunately we arrived at about 10:00am and a lot of the food items were sold out (I really wanted to get the maki sushi). The andagi was delicious and the fresh tofu was refreshing. I will wake up early next year to get my fill.Items for sale - There was a large variety of items including men's and women's clothing, bags, toys, housewares, fabric, knitted goods, random curios (I bought a large metal globe for $5!), and much more. I think everything was more than fairly priced. There were some great deals, and I had to resist buying more.Plants - By the time we arrived there was a limited selection of plants. These were also very well priced (anyone with a plant buying problem should avoid this event). We got a beautiful large lily that just bloomed for $5. There were some aloe vera plants priced from $1-3, and the man working the booth gave us several for free (although we ended up donating some extra money to make up for the plants since it went to a good cause).Overall, it was a great event and my family is looking forward to coming back again.
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April 2023 by Lisa-Britt L.
I just went to a Bazaar at this temple and I think it should be mentioned that it was not priced as a Bazaar should be. They said they modeled their prices after Savers when I asked why things were so expensive. Savers is a very pricey thrift store. It is not Bazaar priced.If you are going to have those kind of prices it is fair to let the public know before they get there and stand in line for hours to get in. Drop the word Bazaar from your banner. Saying the word Sale instead would have made things more honest for me. Honesty is after all a virtue of Buddhism and this was false advertising. It was tricky and anything but transparent. While I do not blame this organization for trying to make up for lost monies during the pandemic when they couldn't hold their annual Bazaar, no one wants to be fleeced going to what should be a cheap sale with lots of bargains!They could have kept their prices lower and still made their bottomline if they had stayed open another 2 hours. As it were they only had the sale for 3 & 1/2 hours from 8:30 am till 12:00 pm. If their prices had been lower they would not have had to change the name of the sale either. It could have qualified as a bazaar.I believe in keeping the integrity of the religion you represent and walking the talk of your beliefs. If money becomes more important to you than upholding the principles of Buddism (or any religion, really,) in general - then that sets a bad example and poor role model for the whole Buddism community. I know about lukewarm and Laodician Christians who profess Jesus with their lips and deny him with their lifestyle. That made me leave the Christian community in fact. I had never heard of Buddhists that were lovers of money over Buddha and Buddhism beliefs before. I wonder what the Dalai Llama would think about this. I will not support this temple again in the future. Why do that when they don't practice what they preach?I no longer think of Buddhists as being squeaky clean and I am disappointed in these individuals. I guess no one religion is perfect.
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March 2023 by Dean Shimabukuro
Very welcoming Sangha.It's been a while since I've attended a Sunday service.
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July 2022 by Nancy Cullen
Fun dance
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April 2020 by Nite Lime
Cool cultural experience
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February 2020 by Angela Lo
Very welcoming
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October 2019 by Dean Shimabukuro
Very inviting people; they always make you feel welcome
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September 2019 by trl1971
A lot of wonderful people and culture behind this place. Unexpectedly went got invited to go to a Bon Dance and it was uplifting
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September 2019 by Mai
It's a temple
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July 2019 by Dathan C.
I don't mean to call out some of the other bon dances on the island, but ya'll need to step up your food game. Jikoen offers the usual fried noodle, KC waffle dog, andagi, spam musubi, chili, shave ice, and Teri burger, but also amps up the game with a combo bento of Teri beef and Teri chicken. It then sets the dial to 11 with another separate hot food section offering specialty slow cooked Okinawa-style pork bowls, Okinawa soba with pork slices, and rice soup with potato leaves and pork. Oh did I forget dessert? Silly me, they have for $3, squares of Okinawan sweet potato over a crumbly crust, topped with haupia. I was sorely unhappy that they ran out last year before I could savor this tasty treat. There's also the usual baked goods, but an added specialty of Nantu, a Okinawan traditional mochi, which is a steal for $5 considering how much they give. As my stomach only had so much space and having a late lunch post Saturday gym session, I had to make some hard choices. I mentally defenestrated all ideas of the regular bon dance food and went straight for the Okinawan sweet potato pie while I waited for my friends. Oh jeez, this stuff is addictive. The crust is buttery and crumbly, the sweet potato a glorious shade of lavender, with both starchy richness and subtle sweetness, topped with delicious haupia. If I had no self-control, I'd eat five of these. But (this) man cannot live on dessert alone, however with dwindling digestive space; I asked the experts which they'd food choice they'd pick, the Uchina soba or the Rafute (pork) bowl, and the Rafute won. That bowl encompasses three large, flavorful, tender pieces of slow cooked pork, with flavor infusing layers of fat over rice flavored with sauce, and pickled ginger, I think I made the right choice with this winner. Okay, now the "GET IN MY BELLY" aspect has been covered, let's move on. Jikoen has a large number of activities for attendees, including arts and crafts, kiddie games like the fish pond game, temple tours, shopping, Taiko performances, and since the Mission is more Okinawan focused, the Shisa performance of the myth of the Okinawan dog and the dragon. Dance wise, Jikoen tends to use more live music than recordings and has a large area for the dance along with lots of chairs for those needing a rest. They also have songs where the Taiko drummers dance among the crowd, drumming their hearts out. Food booths open at 5:30 pm, followed by opening messages and prayers and performances with the dance starting at 6:00 pm. It can be rather hot, but the interruptions of rain and wind. There is plentiful free parking across the street at Kapalama Elementary school.
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July 2019 by Tracy D. Yang
Beautiful
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June 2019 by Karen
Jikoen welcomes everyone. You are accepted for who you are. It's a place where you can feel the love.
