2026 Jodo Mission Bon Dance
APRIL 2026
Team 359 volunteered at the Haleiwa Jodo Mission for the Bon Dance on the 17th and 18th of July, helping to preserve this community-unifying and culturally significant event.
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For the second time in two weeks, volunteers from our team arrived early at another Buddhist temple, approximately an 8-minute drive from our STEM center. Students once again split into teams, with some setting up benches, others putting up signs, managing parking, and preparing food. With everyone contributing, the event ran smoothly over two days, welcoming hundreds of visitors.
TORO NAGASHI
The student volunteers worked alongside adults to run the food booth and ensure it was running throughout the night. Students were responsible for constructing teri burgers, taking orders, and fetching customers their delicious food to enjoy! At the food booth, they offered bentos, Teri Burgers, Cone Sushi, Maki Sushi, and beverages. After eating, you could enjoy an Aoki Ice Cake as a refreshing dessert during the day's hot hours. While serving food, the volunteers could watch the taiko players and the energetic people dancing around the yagura. Some volunteers even took breaks to join in on the dancing and festivities.
BON ODORI
Bon Odori, or Bon Dance, originated in Japan 600 years ago and was later brought to Hawaii by Japanese Buddhist monks. During the festival, people dance around a Yagura to celebrate and honor the spirits of deceased loved ones or ancestors. It has now been about 141 years since the first recorded Bon Dance was held in Hawaii at a sugar cane plantation in Wainaku. We hope this part of culture stays alive for many years to come!
FOOD FUN
Tōrō Nagashi is held on the last day of a Bon Dance Festival. A shōrōbune, or mother boat, is sent out into the water first to lead all the other ancestral spirits back to the spirit world.
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REFLECTION
We had a super fun time volunteering with the Haleiwa Jodo Mission and are glad to be a part of the force that keeps cultural events like these alive in Hawaii. People from across the island came together to dance, eat, and honor the spirit of their loved ones. We are so excited to come again next year!