Thanks and Congratulations to Sangha for Obon Observance

Ken Muraoka chaired and helped organize much of the activities around Obon this year, and he wanted to share share his appreciation to the Sangha.

Dear Dharma Friends,
The weather was perfect, the entertainment was fantastic, the food was great, and it was a wonderful night to dance and remember our loved ones and those who came before us. Of all this wonderfulness, my highlight came during the first song after intermission, “Ei Ja Nai Kai.” It was accompanied by Karly Maruyama, Raymond Ricafort, and many of the taiko players in attendance. What made it special to me was that the audience was encouraged to join in on the chorus of the song. The dancers were dancing in unison along the large painted circles, waving their arms, and loudly singing the chorus. The Taiko drummers, all from different groups, circled around the base of the yagura with their fluid moves pounding on their drums in sync with the music. It felt like everyone at the Bon Odori was dancing together as one. This will sound a little silly, but it was the energy from that particular moment that felt like the evening was a “Gathering of Joy.”
Obon would have no meaning without its religious base, and I would like to thank Reverend Gibbs, Reverend John Turner (our guest minister), and the Ministers’ Assistants, Sharon Sasaki, Bill Teague, Yukari Williams, and Arturo Rubio for their spiritual guidance to all of the Sangha.

The Hatsubon is another very important part of the day’s events. All the Hatsubon families were able to participate in the making of a lantern for their deceased loved one. Thank you to the Inouye Family, Lorena and Andrea Covarrubias, Ann Ong, Norman Kiyono, Jamie Shimizu, Margo Spears, Janice Shigehara, Fred Nakatani, Wendy Nakamura, Patty Nakamura, and Laura Yoshida who helped the Hatsubon families make their lanterns. Many of the same group helped others throughout the day to make lanterns to honor their loved ones as well.
Thank you to Junko Kajita for organizing this thoughtful event.
There are many people that are needed to make the Bon Odori portion happen. It really starts with our dance instructors. Junko Kajita, Avis Honda, Breven Honda, Eugene Hotta, JoAnn Hotta, Juliana Kruse, Kimberly Kruse, Sue Moribe, Shirley Omori, and Jamie Shimizu. From the first practice at the beginning of July, the Annex Hall was filled with people practicing all the dances. The new air conditioning made the warm July afternoons and evenings very comfortable for all in attendance.
Kris Tokunaga coordinated the food vendors for the evening. If you enjoyed the vendors, they were House of Bao, Vietnamese Grill, Cocobomb, Sumosize, Onigiri House, Ramen Mik, Love Pupusas, Japanese Cheesecake, and Kona Shaved Ice. A few more than last year, but all very delicious.
Chelsea Koga coordinated the taiko entertainment where we had many groups represented: Naruwan Taiko, Shokenji Taiko (Vista), San Diego Taiko, Asayake Taiko (UCSD), and our own BTSD Taiko. When I first started chairing the Bon Odori, there were only two taiko groups in San Diego: Shokenji Taiko (Vista) and San Diego Taiko. Today, there are 7 groups, and 5 of them played at our Bon Odori. That’s incredible.
We also had Matsumae Kai and their instructor, Mrs. Monji, as well as Mr. Masanori Kinjo and his group, Kinjo Ryukyu Minyo Kenkyusho, perform for the evening.
Angela Castillo designed the beautiful postcards and t-shirts.
Yuko Niwa and her students, Sachi, Shiho, Akiko, and Mayumi, helped the dancers with their Yukatas.
Karen and Roy Okuhara, Glenn Negoro, and their crew ran the refreshment booth, making sure all our guests were hydrated and stayed cool.
There was always a line at the Taiyaki stand. Thank you, Kaytee, Floyd, and Eric Sumida, and their crew.
Ralph Honda secured the parking at the ARC and the business along Market Street and made sure we had plenty of security available. Ralph also takes care of many things behind the scenes.
Superman Mike Kinoshita did the work of three people. Mike Ong was sidelined with a nagging injury, and Glenn Torio had a bad cold, so Michael stepped in and not only did his own Bon Odori work of setting up lights, mapping out the floor plan for the parking lot, and much more, but also made sure all the hard work normally done by Glenn and Mike was covered.
Super indeed.
The Obon Again store was once again humming along. This time, along with Joyce and Bill Teague, Jamie Brown, their daughter, took a much larger role in running the store. Thanks for keeping this BTSD tradition going.
The Jr YBA Opportunity Drawing had several donations from the community as well as temple members. All of this was coordinated by the Jr YBA, Sharyn Muraoka, and Lorena and Andrea Covarrubias. Thanks also go to the Golf tournament Committee and Bazaar Drawing group that shared some of their extra prizes with the Jr YBA.
Tim Kajita handled all the audio duties.
Andrea Covarrubias, Brian Sasaki, and Cassidy Muraoka handled the emcee duties.
Ricky Cheeks and Bobby Koga played the Taiko and percussion during the dancing.
They had help from some of the Dharma School kids and visiting Taiko performers. Ricky looked like he was born to sit atop a tall yagura.
Speaking of the yagura, Michael Kinoshita arranged with the help of Murz Construction to have the taller and more pronounced yagura. Let me know what you thought about it. Another important addition was having access to both the ARC Parking lot and Kimbrough Elementary School parking lot. We were supposed to have the rear lot of Kimbrough open, but it was not. I think it was for the better since many school items were left outside in front of classrooms at the rear parking lot as if the custodial staff was cleaning the classroom carpets. With the gate locked, the items were secure, but with the gates open, it would have made these items vulnerable to theft.
  A very special thanks to the BTS Crew (Behind The Scenes) who are led by Michael Kinoshita. The Crew: Mark Torio, LuAnn and Harold Lee, Gregg Yonekura, Curt Yasuhara, Nancy Martinez, Victor Yamaguchi, Ron Tokunaga, Floyd Sumida, Chris Marx, and a few others that escape me at the moment (sorry). These volunteers help set up during the week leading up to the Bon Odori and/or started setting up at 9 a.m. and help take down everything at 9 p.m.
Thank you.
A very, very special thank you to Junko Kajita, LuAnn Lee, Curt Yasuhara, Sharon Sasaki, and Michael Kinoshita. It is their leadership in the different areas of the Bon Odori that makes this event a success.
Every temple event requires volunteers. Volunteering is often selfless, with often the only reward being the smile an event brings to an attendee. We are so lucky to have a Sangha filled with volunteers that are willing to share the Joy of Bon Odori. My apologies if you weren’t included on this thank you list, but know that you are important to the success the Buddhist Temple of San Diego has in our community.
Thank you.
In Gassho,
Ken Muraoka

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