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.