We’re total slug today. It’s Sunday so, our biggest excitement is the Sunday paper – which we purchase at the market with our coffee after our morning beach walk. Hours of reading (at least for me!) at the picnic table out back. Then, after lunch of left over chicken, we decide to drive over to the Byodo-in temple, a small scale replica of a Japanese temple built over 950 years ago in Uji, Japan. It was built here to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the first Japanese immigrants to Hawaii.
The temple is located in Kaneohe, on Valley of the Temples Memorial park – a huge and ornate cemetery. It’s a quick drive over – only about 20 minutes – and a beautiful setting nestled up against the Ko’olau Mountains.
We drive through the cemetery, taking note of all the cars and action here – no burials, but lots of tents put up and people hanging out in chairs, with tables and food???? Ok. So this must be some ritual – where you come here and have a family meal on the grave site? Not sure – but there are tons of people here doing this – tents, picnic tables, chairs, food, incense….
So, on we go to the temple – which is a lovely Buddhist temple in the middle of this graveyard. So peaceful and – well – Buddhist. The lovely Koi pond surrounding the temple is full of fish – and geese – an this totally cool spotted bird that just enthralls me….
The temple itself is beautiful – full of all the typical Japanese architecture, but then with the amazing Buddha statue inside. People are leaving incense offerings – and you really feel like you are in Asia when you step inside. Very peaceful and relaxing and, well, Buddhist.
It is a lovely place and we spend some time just soaking up the atmosphere. It’s incredibly peaceful, except for the Bon-Sho – the sacred bell. The bell is customarily rung before you enter the temple – but the replica is off to the side of them temple, and anyone can ring it – and they do. Annoying. Once or twice would be lovely, and spiritual. Every 60 seconds is totally annoying and we’re ready to smack the next person who heads over that way. Ack!
After soaking up as much peacefulness as we can, we head back to the car and decide to drive up to the “ocean view estates” open house. Hmmmm….you can enter to win free airfare to China for two….what could possibly be so valuable? Well, it’s gravesites – up on a terrace –with no ocean view that we could see, but lots of people with their tents and food and incense burning. And some lovely landscaping – but still – how much could this cost if they are giving away airfare to China???? I think the answer is “a lot”!
All righty. So enough of the of the cemetery. We head back to Kailua, where we spend the rest of the day out back reading and watching the cute little geckos visiting us on our picnic bench.
Dinner tonight is at Lemongrass – a Thai and Vietnamese restaurant. It’s great – we share stuffed chicken wings and then I have pork curry and Ed has brisket and rare steak Pho. Awesome totally authentic food! Great way to end our stay in Kailua.
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