LOS ANGELES — Summer is festival season for Buddhists and non-Buddhists in the Japanese American community. There are numerous traditional Buddhist Obon festivals and non-Buddhist Nikkei summer celebrations all over Southern California. Obon is a traditional Buddhist event to honor and express gratitude to one’s ancestors for the gift of life. As a celebration of […]
Eastern Perspective: From Buddhism to journalism and back to Buddhism, Higashi Honganji minister still ‘seeking truth’
June 17, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Kenneth Tadao Yamada had been a student of Buddhism in the 1980s, until he found his calling in the world of journalism — another form of “truth-seeking,” as he says. A 1980 graduate of UC Berkeley, Yamada weaved through a successful 12-year reporting career that found him writing at some of the country’s most distinguished […]
Family carries on special legacy with SJ Obon
June 17, 2010 by Leave a Comment
For siblings Reiko Iwanaga and Kenji Akahoshi, the San Jose Obon is the continuation of a unique legacy started by Iwanaga’s father-in-law, who brought Bon Odori to the American mainland nearly 80 years ago. Iwanaga, lead choreographer of the San Jose Bon Odori, said that she takes pride in carrying on the Bon Odori movement, […]
Connect & Share