High Spirits for Megabon At Leeward Community College
- Cooper Johnson
- Oct 9
- 5 min read
Bon Odori! Colorful lanterns, eye-catching yukata’s and happi coats, sweet and savory foods, and small goodies you can bring back home to the family! Many people’s spirits were high this September night. On September 13th, Leeward Community College hosted the third annual Megabon celebration. Megabon was founded in 2023 by the Todaji Hawaii Bekkaku Honzan, a local Buddhist temple in Nuuanu, hoping to re-ignite the-at-the-time dying tradition of Bon Odori, and it has been a summer staple ever since! Compared to the smaller Obon Festivals across Hawai‘i, this Megabon is the biggest Bon Odori celebration of the season in Hawai‘i, which finishes Hawai‘i’s Obon season with a bang!
Beyond the rhythmic dancing, bustling vendors, and cheerful activities, the Bon Dance is a deeply rooted cultural celebration. It invites Hawai‘i’s community to engage with Japanese customs—honoring ancestors, sharing food, and strengthening ties between generations and cultures.
The Bond behind the Bon
The Obon Festival is a Japanese Buddhist festival celebrated over three months of summer, marking the return of our ancestors to the world of the living. Families celebrate, honor, and cherish their ancestors during this festival as they welcome them and guide them safely back to the spirit realm. Traditionally, families clean family graves, offer food at household altars, light lanterns, and participate in Bon Odori, a circling synchronized rhythmic dance accompanied by taiko drums, lead by a dance group and followed by attendees. Lanterns are sometimes floated on water or released into the sky to symbolize the spirits’ return.
The Bon Dance in Hawai‘i is a vibrant summer tradition with roots in the Japanese Buddhist festival of Obon. Japanese immigrants who arrived in the islands in the late 1800s to work on sugar plantations brought the custom with them, and over time it became a cornerstone within local culture. During Obon season, Buddhist temples across Hawai‘i host evening celebrations filled with taiko drums, lanterns, and Bon Odori. While the festival remains a spiritual practice of remembrance and gratitude, it has also evolved into a community-wide event. People of all backgrounds are encouraged to join in the dance circle, enjoy delicious local food booths, and share music that mixes ancient Obon traditional songs with classical Japanese rhythms and new, trendy, poppy yet equally energetic songs such as APT Bruno Mars and Rosé, reflecting the enduring bonds between past and present on top of the love for Bon Dance.
The Cultural Circle
As the late-afternoon sun bathed Leeward in warm, golden light, the Megabon Festival began with a welcoming ceremony that blended Hawaiian and Japanese traditions. A beautiful embrace- the touching of foreheads from a Hawaiian drummer to a Taiko drummer as a welcome. Bishop Cosmo Hirai, former president of JCI Hawai‘i, offered a heartfelt blessing and prayer. After the invocation, Hawai‘i Governor Josh Green, Bishop Hirai, Jenna Nakagawa, and filmmaker Steven Sue—creator of Shaka—each shared greetings that set a festive, community-minded tone.
The program flowed seamlessly into performance: Hula Hālau Ka Wahine Lani and Hālau Kahulaliwai filled the space with mele and chant, their voices carrying on the trade winds, their bodies flowing like the currents in our beautiful Pu’uloa with hula. As their final notes lingered, the deep, resonant beat of taiko drums rolled across the grounds, signaling that the celebration was officially underway.
From the soft glow of golden hour to the lantern-lit night, a rotating lineup of Bon dance groups kept the energy high. Dancers and performers from groups like Ewa Fukushima and Hawai‘i Shin Kobukai brought various songs and dances, welcoming all to join in.
Vendors with Passion
While families strolled between the pulsing taiko rhythms and lively festivities, the scent of sizzling treats drifted from rows of food and craft stalls, offering everything from savory takoyaki and yakitori to sweet, golden andagi. Nearby, artisans displayed take-home treasures—hand-painted fans, toys, and vibrant Happi coats–leaving the visitors with keepsakes as memorable as the night itself.
Beyond simply selling their wares, many of these small businesses were here for more than profit. They used the festival as a chance to gain exposure, build connections, and hone their craft—treating the night as both a marketplace and a learning experience that could help them grow. Cherliyn, a pastry chef of Matty’s Munchies HI sports delicious baked goods– fresh scones, cookies, breads and tarts. As a first-year vendor, she describes the Megabon experience as "definitely mega" to sell for as a business who aims to attend one event a week. Cherilyn sought for more exposure through Megabon. Seasoned vendors like Corn Onoz, a family-run elote business who have had the opportunity to be vendors for 3 years share the sentiment. Brandon of Corn Onoz says “Megabon is a big event for us, it gives us more exposure to a lot of people”. Brandon hopes the exposure will get him and his family closer to the goal of opening their own store near the end of this year or early next year. Craft vendors like Ashley and Brian from Paws & Stitch do it out of love for their pets at home, hoping their crafts find people with similar connections. It was Ashley and Brian’s second year selling fashionable hand-sewn and hand-dyed accessories for pets and owners to match. “I would just continue to bring joy to people who have their pets or [want to] bring home something to them,” said Ashley, when asked what else she’d like to get out of Megabon. Ashley also stated that she enjoyed the "mash of different cultures" attending Megabon, aiding its joy with diversity.
Left to right: Cherilyn of Matty’s Munchies HI, Brandon of Corn Onoz, and Ashley and Brian from Paws & Stitch
BONded Community
Bon festivals are diverse and aesthetic, but wouldn't be what it is without the community that comes together for it. Many people celebrate and participate differently at Megabon. Some come to honor their families, while others come to experience the cultural celebration. But everyone comes together to have fun and enjoy the event.
A guest we interviewed named Kyo Watari celebrates the Obon season both here in Hawai‘i and in Japan! Watari always comes to Bon Dance festivals all throughout the islands. She has celebrated for 10 years and always keeps posted with the Bon schedules. Watari has always loved to see everyone dance and experience the joy she feels every time she comes, and she recalls a time when she experienced a young boy who danced with his elderly grandma as he aided her around in the circle, and the visible joy shared between generations. She mentions how the community here is a very diverse group, and even though it is a small world in Hawai‘i it is very diverse compared to the festival and community feel in Japan.
“The energy in the circle is good and an experience you’ve never felt before…You’ll never understand the happiness I feel unless you put yourself into the circle and enjoy the festival for what it is.”-Kyo Watari
From the diverse people and the dancing and performing, the Bon dance served not only as a festival but also a cultural exchange. While many see it as a big celebration it also teaches us the importance of honoring loved ones and our ancestors, staying connected through all walks of life and beyond. This festival teaches us that even though they may not be here physically, they always watch over you and make you feel their embrace, their love. People get to experience such events like this differently whether it be a business trying to get exposure and share their craft, or a group trying to express their love and commitment to sharing their dance and music to the community, everyone gets to come together at Megabon in different ways, but with one commonality: togetherness.
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