While I was on Oahu we visited the beautiful Byodo-In Temple in the Valley of the Temples. It was built in the 1960's to commemorate the arrival of the first Japanese immigrant workers in Hawaii. It is a replica of the 950 year old Byodoin Temple outside of Kyoto, Japan. If it looks familiar to you maybe that is because it was used in an episode of Lost.
This gorgeous temple is so peaceful (until the groundskeepers start up the leaf blowers, lol) and I'm very glad I had the opportunity to visit. There are koi, black swans, and this really cool bell to ring before you enter the temple. It is said that ringing this bell brings happiness, blessings and a long life. It was funny to me because a little boy was hanging on the post ringing and ringing the bell- afterwards he told his dad "I'm going to be so so lucky!"
And in the gardens there are these plaques to put the names of loved ones. I saw a baby 'Angel', another one with the same symbol that may be a child "Haruko Mirai" and then Jamil Ma'ema'e Dubie who's plaque said "Kealani Aloha A Me 1999 “Unborn gone without a cry We mourn but go with God now In the Arms of the Angels and ?” I tried and tried to see what the last word was but it was covered by that flower and I didn't want to step in the landscaping. I THINK the last word was 'fly'.
Anyone lucky enough to get to Hawaii should stop in and visit this beautiful, peaceful spot.
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4 comments:
Beautiful pictures. It does look peaceful. My son went to Japan last summer and all the pictures were amazing. I need to go to Hawaii one of these days. We have talked about it for years.
I have actually visited this temple several times. The most recent being October 2005 on my honeymoon. It is a wonderful place. Very peaceful and serene. Thanks for sharing the pictures. It brought back a lot of memories.
Beautiful photos!
Dara
I visited this temple in April 2008 with my son and sister-in-law. Very peaceful and beautiful!
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