Higashi Honganji Buddhist Temple, 505 E. Third St. (at Central Avenue) in Little Tokyo, will present its 2017 Obon Festival on Saturday and Sunday, July 29-30, from 1 to 9 p.m.
The Obon Festival, which is a celebration of the return of the spirits of our ancestors, features food, games, farmers’ market, flower market, tea ceremony demonstrations, traditional Bon Odori dancing, and various types of entertainment.
Obon/Hatsubon service will be held Sunday at 11 a.m. and Manto-E services at 5:30 p.m. both days.
Everyone is invited to participate in the Bon Odori starting at 6:30 p.m. both days.
Rodney Kageyama will serve as Obon stage guest emcee. The schedule is as follows:
Saturday, July 29
1:30 p.m.: ML Crisis
2:30 p.m.: June Kuramoto
3:15 p.m.: Fujima Kansei Odori Kai
3:45 p.m.: TaikoProject
4:30 p.m.: Kokoro
5:30 p.m.: Bombu/Kitsune Taiko
Sunday, July 30
1:30 p.m.: hereandnow and Lumbini Kids
2 p.m.: Halau Hula ‘a(chǎn)’ ala Anuhea
2:45 p.m.: Kinnara Taiko
3:30 p.m.: Erica Nagashima
4:30 p.m.: Bombu/Kitsune Taiko
6 p.m.: HappyFunSmile
Tea ceremony demonstrations will be given on Sunday at 1, 2 and 3 p.m.
Go green at Obon by bringing your own reusable bag and water bottle.
Parking will be available at the Medical Building near the temple at 420 E. Third St. Entrance is on Boyd Street. To receive a discount voucher for a maximum daily fee of $5 and complimentary raffle ticket, bring your parking stub to the raffle booth. Note that the parking lot opens at 10 a.m. and closes promptly at 10 p.m.
For more information, call (213) 626-4200 or go online to http://hhbt-la.org or http://facebook.com/hhbt.la.