Byodo-In Temple – A Slice of Japan in Oahu
Posted on Tue, Jun 26, 2007 by Sheila
Can you believe this ornate temple was built without the use of any nails? It’s true! The Byodo-In Temple was completed in 1968 to commemorate the first Japanese immigrants arrival to Hawaii. It is an exact scaled replica of the 900 year old Fuji Temple in Japan. The temple and grounds are as peaceful as they are picturesque. The Byodo-In Temple is located off Highway 83 (Kahekili) at the Valley of the Temples in the Kaneohe area of Oahu. Admission is $2 per person.
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[...] The gorgeous picture you see above may look like it was taken in Japan, but it’s actually the Byodo-In Temple in Hawaii, which was built to commemorate the first Japanese immigrants to arrive on the island. The reason I chose that picture was to illustrate the fact that Go Visit Hawaii does’t just focus on the cliche beachfront images and posts that you would expect. I’ve looked through their posts, and am impressed to see that they’re a one-stop-shop for everything to do with the island, from food to beaches to anything else you’d want to know about Hawaii! [...]
I won’t have a car when I’m in Hawaii (later this week) and I’d like to visit the Byodo-In Temple. Does anyone know the best way to get there and what else I might be able to see while in the area?
Thanks
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Hi Kathleen,
It’s a beautiful site, for sure and best seen in the mornings, if you can. Here’s a couple of ideas of how to get to see it:
If you are staying in Honolulu/Waikiki area, you could take TheBus. That would be the cheapest way.
http://www.thebus.org/pop/religiou.asp
Alternatively, you may want to do a Circle Island tour that includes a stop at the Byodo-In temple. For example, here’s one tour: http://www.robertshawaii.com/oahu/oahu-circle-island.php There are probably a dozen or so tour operators that do a Circle Island Tour. Most tour companies pick you up from or near your hotel, if you are staying in the Waikiki area.
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Thanks Sheila,
We are taking a Circle Island Tour (through the Go Oahu card). I’ll have to check with them to make sure they stop at the temple.
This actually brings up a question I had about the Circle tours; do they make stops around the island or are they mostly just a “drive-by” and look out the window type of tour?
I was thinking that I might need to call them to find out if/where they stop. If you know that most of them stop at various points along the way I’ll skip the call and just see what happens when we get there.
We didn’t know much about Hawaii until we found this website. I am big “Lost” fan so I figured you must have polar bears and “other creatures” wandering the island.
Thanks,
Kathei
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Hi Kathleen – most Circle Island tours are a mixture of stops and drive-bys. I don’t know about each individual tour company, but I know I have seen tour buses stopped at the temple.
Just some food for thought, you might want to consider renting a car for a day. There are many hotels in Waikiki that have rental car desks.
I’m a big Lost fan, too. Have you seen this article? http://www.govisithawaii.com/2007/07/10/finding-lost-sites-on-oahu/
So far on my visits to Hawaii, I’ve not seen any polar bears or black smoke.
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I’ve seen the Lost article and it was very helpful.
We haven’t decided about a car yet. The bus system seems pretty extensive so we’ll probably go that route.
What would we have to miss if we only travel by bus? I’m guessing that there are some places that you’d need a car to get to; or will the bus get us to most of the places we should see. We only have a week.
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The bus system in Oahu is pretty extensive. Off the top of my head, I can’t think of anything you’d miss. You just might have to walk a bit here or there. It also might take you longer to get to where you want to go because of the multiple stops a bus has to make to pick up and drop off people. You can just wait and see how it goes and then decide if you want a rental car for a day or not.
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Good point. We’ll try the bus system and rent a car if needed.
I want to thank everyone at this site; its been very helpful in planning this trip.
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