San Jose Betsuin’s Obon Festival This Weekend

SAN JOSE — San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin’s 2015 Obon Festival will be held Saturday, July 11, from 12 to 10 p.m. and Sunday, July 12, from 12 to 8 p.m. Temple opens at 11:30 a.m. both days.

Attendees are invited to join the dances, including “Tanko Bushi,” which will be dedicated to San Jose Japantown’s 125th anniversary.

Dancers will need uchiwa (round fan), kachi kachi (castanets), sensu (folding fan), and tenugui (towel).

The head teacher and choreographer is Hanayagi Reimichi (Reiko Iwanaga). Assistant teachers are Bando Musashizu (Lynne Yamauchi), Cindy Iwamura, Eileen Sera, Gail Sueki, Diane Tsukamoto Hurd, Judy Santo, Karen Akimoto and Curtis Takahashi.

Music will be provided by the Chidori Band and San Jose Taiko.

Festival schedule is as follows:

Saturday, July 11

11:30 a.m.: Buddhism 101

12 p.m.: Food booths open

12:30 p.m.: Stanford Taiko

1 p.m.: Games, bookstore open

2 p.m.: Buddhism 101

3 p.m.: Jodaiko from UC Irvine

4:30 p.m.: San Jose Taiko

5:30 p.m.: Temple closes

6:30 p.m.: Chidori Band

7:30 p.m.: Odori starts

Sunday, July 12

11:30 a.m.: Buddhism 101

12:30 p.m. UC Berkeley’s Cal Raijin Taiko

1 p.m.: Games, bookstore open

1:30 p.m.: UC Davis’ Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan

2 p.m.: Buddhism 101

3:30 p.m.: San Jose Taiko

4 p.m.: Temple closes

5 p.m.: Chidori Band

6 p.m.: Odori starts

8 p.m.: Raffle

San Jose Betsuin is located at 640 N. 5th St. between Jackson and Taylor streets in Japantown, four short blocks east of the Japantown/Ayer Light Rail Station.

Free parking in county lot on First Street between Younger and Hedding. Free shuttle bus transportation to and from festival. Shuttle bus schedule: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday.

For pedicab service, call (408) 771-7723.

For more information on the festival, call (408) 293-9292 or visit www.sjbetsuin.com.

San Jose Obon, in partnership with the City of San Jose and Nothing Wasted Consulting, is a green event. Do your part by minimizing the amount of waste you bring into the event and to throw your waste into the proper recycling, compost, or landfill dumpster.