Restrained, Limited Obon in August (UPDATES)

The Temple will be observing Obon as its first major in-person service next month on August since the start of the pandemic. As such we are keeping it small and within the Sangha, along with extra caution to protect our Sangha members.

This Sangha-only event will take place on Sunday, August 22. A brief schedule of the events follows.

Safety First

Kenji Sensei explains. “Due to the infectious nature of the new Delta variant of the COVID virus, the Obon service and Odori will be downsized and limited to the Sangha.”

Brief Schedule

Hatsubon. 2 p.m., Hondo. Hatsubon families only, observing the death of loved ones in the last year, will meet in the Hondo with social distancing. Most Sangha members will join us at 4 p.m. for the main service.

Obon Service. 4 p.m. Parking Lot. Sangha Only. Held outdoors, this will be a stripped down service with less ritual than under normal circumstances.

Bon Odori. 4;30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Parking Lot. Sangha Only. This scaled down Odori session is limited to eight dances with no intermission. Sangha members are encouraged to dress casually and perhaps wear happi coats but not kimono or yukata as there will not be time or facilities to change one’s wardrobe for the dance.

No Food Served at Temple. Unlike most Bon Odori, there will not be any food for sale to be eaten during the dancing. 

Bentos to Go. However, following last dance, we are making pre-ordered Bentos available to go for our Sangha to take home and enjoy. UPDATE: Orderis for Obentos are now closed.

Simple and Reduced

Our Obon service is trimmed back to the basics to limit potential exposure of the Sangha. Many of the amenities associated with the Bon Odori are not available. We also confirm that our Obon Again Asian Resale Shop will not be present for our Obon observances or Odori practices.

Odori Practice (Sangha Only)

We are holding two rehearsals to practice the limited set of dances for the Bon Odori. Both practices are taking place in the Temple parking lot.

  • Sunday, August 15 at 10 a.m.

  • Wednesday, August 18 at 6:30 p.m.

BT SD