| General Info | Sponsors | Opportunity Drawing | Silent Auction | Volunteers | Donors |
General Info
The 2023 Venice Hongwanji Buddhist Temple Obon Festival will be held on July 15-16 from 3PM to 9PM. We invite you all to join us in person for some delicious food, fun games, our opportunity drawing, silent auction , and of course Bon Odori (dancing), which will run from 7:00PM-8:30PM both days.
We are returning to our traditional food offerings of chicken teriyaki, fried wonton, udon, andagi (Okinawa dango), sushi, Chinese chicken salad, hot dogs, chili, and shave ice.
Our Obon Festival is open to the public. Masking is not required but recommended, especially indoors.
Obon Sponsors
Venice Hongwanji Buddhist Temple (VHBT) gratefully thanks and acknowledges SPONSORS of our 2023 Obon Commemoration. To become an Obon sponsor, please visit https://givebutter.com/VHBTObonSponsor2023 or complete the form HERE. Thank you to our Sangha and community for your generous support!.
- In Memory of Dino & Colleen Belli and Chikao & Mary Kujubu
- In Memory of Janet Mitsui Brown
- In Memory of George Ta-Min and Tsui Lin Chan Ching and Rev. Sentoku and Mrs. Emily Hideo Uyeda Mayeda
- In Memory of Ray Enomoto
- In Memory of Mr. & Mrs. Fred Higa
- In Memory of Kho & Minako Iseda
- In Memory of Irwin Kirashige
- In Memory of Shigeo Kita
- In Memory of Shigeo Kita, Heiji & Kiyoko Kita, Ed & Ume Kita
- In Memory of Shigeo Kita, Rev. Ken & Yuri Yamaguchi
- In Memory of Mae & Sharon Kumagai
- In Memory of Jim & Akimi Mayeda
- In Memory of Hidematsu Morimoto, Toyo Morimoto, Edward Toshiyuki Morimoto, Morikichi Somen, Hatsuye Somen
- In Memory of Nancy Nakagiri
- In Memory of Shig & Donna Nakagiri
- In Memory of Setsuji & Masuyo Nakao
- In Memory of Nobuo Frank Nishina
- In Memory of Todd, Ron & Naomi Nishina
- In Memory of Our Parents
- In Memory of Haru & Fumio Ozaki
- In Memory of Hitoshi & Kay Shimizu
- In Memory of Spud & Trea Shiraki
- In Memory of Gary Uyeno
- In Memory of Tack & Betty Wong, Tillie Masgai & Kristine Parvin
- Anonymous
- The Gee Family
- Phyllis & Eugene Hiyashibara
- Leonard Imada
- Jill Ishida
- Kei & Tomoko Fukuda
- Milnes & Noriko Kurashige
- Jennifer Macfarlane
- Ayako Masada
- Jackie Motobo
- Rip Rense & Annie Chuck
- Ishiko Sakamoto
- Darrick Sogabe
- Mari & Randy Tamura
- The Tokirio Family
- Richard Yamashita
- Angel Maid Bakery
- Eugene & Akemi Hayashibara, DDS
- Union Bank
Odori Dancing
Bon Odori practices start on Wednesday, June 28th at 7:00 PM. Additional dates are June 30th, July 3th, July 5th, and July 10th. We are bringing back many of our favorites so it is easier to pick up the moves again:
Kangi-e, Honen Bon Uta (towel dance), Hibari Ondo (fan dance), Gassho Ondo, Shinran Ondo, Ei Ja Nai Ka, a new kachi kachi dance, and others!
So, start stretching and get ready to dance and come to practice so you can get your popsicle too!
Opportunity Drawing
Our Opportunity Drawing offers the chance to win the Grand Prize of $1000 cash, 2nd prize of $500, and 3rd prize of an Apple iPad. In addition, through the generosity of local merchants and Temple members, a number of other prizes will be available.
The Drawing will be held on Sunday, July 16th, 2023, at 8:00PM. Winners need not be present and will be notified by e-mail or phone.
Email us at obon@vhbt.org or call us at (310) 391-4351 for more information.
Silent Auction
Our 9th annual silent auction is now live for taking bids at www.32auctions.com/vhbtobon2023
Featured items include LA Dodgers Tickets, a Lenovo laptop, handmade quilts and aprons, LeSportsac bags, restaurant gift cards, Gift Baskets and much more.
You may bid online and you may also bid in person where you can see some of the items yourself.
But why wait? The more bidding that happens, the more exciting the auction is. Online bidding is easy, you just need to sign up for a 32auctions account (free)- they will walk you through it. If you have an account from last time, you may use the same one.
Questions? Contact Aya Masada at (310) 418-1453 or Tommy Nakagiri at (310) 892-4686.
Volunteers
We have started taking signups to help us stage our Obon Festival! Obon requires a lot of resources, so we can use all the help we can get! On the Signup Genius website, you may click on the various tabs and links to help us in the food or game booths during the festival, the raffle, silent auction and marketplace, general ground support, and also at the various prep sessions in the week leading up to the Obon.
It takes a village, and we are asking everyone who is able to take a few hours to consider helping us in any way you can. We can promise that everyone will have a fun time while albeit working hard.
To sign up, please go to the Signup Genius website. Signup Genius is pretty easy to use. If you have questions or prefer to email us to sign up, email vhbtlive@gmail.com or call 310-391-4351 to sign up- we’ll make it as easy as possible.