Obon Fest 2010, Part 1

We went to the Senshin Temple obon festival today.

I didn't even know there was a Japanese Buddhist temple near USC, but maybe it's for the Japanese-American folks who live in the Arlington Heights area? Altho the ones in Little Tokyo are just as close.

Near the entrance.

I forgot to wear the G*mers hapi coat before we took the picture. Fail!

This obon fest is different from all the other ones I've been to... since it only has three food booths. One for spam onigiri & oden, one for snow cones & baking sale, and one for hotdogs & chili rice.

No kalbi or other Hawaiian BBQ-ish stuff, no okinawa dango, no kuri manjuu.
Le sigh.

Oh, there are no gaming booths, yard sale (bazaar) booth, nursery (plant) booth either.

Just a bon odori circle and those three food booths. Plus the usual raffle.

They did have a bunch of candles lined up on a table in a different courtyard, but we didn't stay for the lighting ceremony. But they look beautiful in the photos I saw. We just couldn't stay that late w/ Popo around.

We watched a bit of the bon odori.
I only recognized one song/dance out of five.

We left before it got dark b/c Sat got cold.
And we went to Little Tokyo to eat ramen at Koraku. Too bad it was too late to go to Hanaichi. Maybe next time.