Dreaming of Japan

We visited the Byodo-In Temple in the Valley of the Temples Memorial Park while we were on Oahu.  The Byodo-In Temple was established to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the first Japanese immigration to Hawaii.  It is a replica of a 950 year old temple in Uji, Japan. 

As we walked the grounds of the temple, we felt a sense of peace and tranquility despite the fact that a tour bus had just unloaded its group.  I wandered around looking at the red and yellow of the temple and the gardens with their Koi fish and was instantly transported back to a summer (or was it Christmas, mom?) around my 8th grade year when I traveled with my mom and my sister to meet my dad in Okinawa, where he was stationed for a year unaccompanied.  I don’t remember too much about the trip except for the jewelry shopping (I still have several pieces still even today), the toilets that were so different from anything I had ever seen and the noodle dishes (which was about the only thing I would eat while we were there).

A friend of mine recently moved to Japan for work and following her pictures on Facebook has brought out a rather large green monster of jealousy!  My husband and I have been talking about how great a trip to Japan would be but with four plane tickets to purchase and other travel plans it just isn’t in the cards for the next few years.  Until then, I will look at the pictures from the Byodo-In Temple and continue to dream.

The Byodo-In Temple is open for visits from 9am to 5pm.  There is a small admission fee of $3 per person or $1 per child.  It is located at 47-200 Kahekili Highway in Kaneohe, Hawaii.

Stop by Mara’s at Mother of All Trips to see what other travelers are dreaming about for Monday Dreaming!