Typically recruited to work on sugarcane and pineapple plantations, the waves of Japanese immigrants to Hawaii between 1868 and 1924 profoundly shaped the modern multiethnic culture and cuisine of the islands. It’s easy — and delicious — to experience their impact on Kaua‘i, especially during the summer Bon dance season. That’s when Buddhist temples across the island invite the public to join their members in folk dances honoring the return of ancestral spirits, part of a festival known as Obon. The two nights of dancing are paired with sales of traditional and contemporary Japanese and island treats, such as sushi, yakitori, andagi (Okinawan doughnuts), bento boxes, pickled mango and shave ice.
Like funnel cake at a county fair, some dishes have strong associations with Bon dance season. The Kauai Soto Zen Temple in Hanapepe claims the creation of the savory handheld pie known as the flying saucer: two pieces of bread filled with hamburger meat and cheese that are grilled in a special plate that compresses it into a spaceship shape. A school cafeteria worker introduced the flying saucer in the 1950s, and they quickly took off, so to speak, with slight variations temple to temple. The Kauai Soto Zen Temple sold over 4,000 during its two nights of Bon dances last year, according to a PBS Hawai‘i video on the origin of the flying saucer.
Featured photo: A Bon Dance, courtesy of West Kauai Hongwanji Mission
Another Bon favorite is the anda-dawg, the local variation of the carnival Pronto Pup: Instead of a hot dog in deep-fried pancake batter, these frankfurters come coated in sweet andagi batter. Offering a similar sweet-savory appeal, the KC waffle dog — a crispy rectangle of waffle-encased hot dog — has its origins in a former Japanese American family restaurant chain in Honolulu.
Food sales typically start in the late afternoon, when parking is often easiest, but be prepared for warm weather. Daylight hours are also a good time to view the vintage architecture and art of the temples and their grounds, which may include sculptures. Expect a prayer service with chanting before the dancing starts in the evening, with traditional Japanese paper lanterns lighting your way. Music may be live, including taiko drumming, or recorded.
Dances take place in a large circle with concentric rings and repeat the same simple steps and motions many times. Many dancers will wear lightweight yukata robes or shorter happi coats, but special dress is not required to join in. Wearing soft-soled shoes, though, is highly recommended since it’s easy to step on someone’s toes inadvertently, especially when the dancers suddenly go into reverse. Note: If you see a large group of people in matching yukata or coats, follow their moves — that’s what they’re there for.
Here is the 2025 lineup of Bon dances on Kaua‘i, all within an easy drive of the OUTRIGGER Kaua‘i Beach Resort & Spa, with a few highlights of what you can experience year-round, too. Click on the links for details.
The current small temple under the red cliffs of Waimea dates to 1979, but first temple on this site at the end of Pule Road (“Prayer Road”) opened in 1926 and the congregation dates back to 1908. The most unusual feature is the miniature replica of the Shikoku pilgrimage route in Japan and its 88 temples, represented here by white artillery shells. Temple members, including Gold Star mothers — women who had lost a son in action during World War II — erected the unusual monument and a memorial tower in 1946.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the original small wooden temple was officially completed in 1903 when architectural embellishments arrived from Japan. It’s now part of a complex with a large modern temple, school and other structures off Kuhio Highway (Hwy. 56) in Kapaia, which offers practice sessions for Bon dancing May 1 and 15 at 7 p.m. (You can also learn dances by watching the Lihue Hongwanji’s instructional YouTube videos.) On the dance weekend, be sure to check out the array of baked goods, especially manju (a small pie-crust bun with sweet fillings) and mochi (sticky rice flour treats) plus the “Country Store” with crafts and other items for sale.
You can’t miss this ornate temple compound behind a loop-topped, open-weave concrete wall off Kaumuali‘i Highway (Hwy. 50) in Hanapepe, built in 1978 incorporating vintage design and modern building materials. The exterior of the temple features large shoji (paper sliding doors), bell-shaped windows and painted beams with floral pendants and stylized elephant heads at the end. The grounds include a rare-in-Hawai‘i bodhi tree, next to a 30-foot-tall statue of the World Peace Kannon, said to be the largest statue of the Buddhist goddess of compassion in the United States. A sprawling monkeypod tree stands by the bell tower and its large bronze bell, which has to be struck to resound. They were installed in 1934 at the original temple, built in 1918 at a nearby plantation camp (village), and moved here in 1979. The bell is struck 108 times on New Year’s Day — perhaps the most important Japanese cultural holiday — and for other celebrations, including the Bon dances. Don’t forget to try the original flying saucer.
Affiliated with the Jodo Shinsu sect of Buddhism, this modern temple turns 28 in fall and is also off Kaumuali‘i Highway (Hwy. 50) in Hanapepe. While its architecture isn’t particularly distinctive, its spacious grass lawn is ideal for large Bon dances and parking is relatively ample, too. In addition to trying the flying saucers and andagi at the Bon dance, look for saimin, the Hawaiian version of noodle soup.
Fire has claimed several historic temples on the Graden Island, including the first Kapaa Hongwanji temple, which burned down in 1929, just seven years after its debut. The U.S. Army took over the new temple, built in 1938, for use by officers during World War II — a period when the U.S. government also sent the temple’s minister, and many other Buddhist ministers and community leaders, to internment camps on the continent. The current incarnation off Kuhio Highway (Hwy. 56) near Fuji Beach in Waipouli opened in 1972 and required extensive repairs after Hurricane Iniki in 1991. Count on buying flying saucers and mochi at Bon dances, with 6 p.m. Monday practice sessions available through July 7.
Hurricane Iniki completely destroyed the original temple here, built in 1899, but the equally petite version that opened in 1996 kept its historic character with gabled roofs and decorated beams. Note that the address says it’s off Kaumuali‘i Highway (Hwy. 50), but it’s set back from the street down an unpaved road on the makai (ocean) side, just past Waimea Canyon Drive. The final Bon dance of the season — dates are coordinated by the Kauai Buddhist Council representing six sects — will include food booths, games and taiko drumming.
