On June 9, 2019, Buddhist temples and other affiliates and friends of Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii participated in the Pan Pacific Festival Parade through Waikiki. The following report by Peace Day Committee chairperson Rene Mansho appears in the June 2019 HQ Update newsletter. Supplemental photos are courtesy of the Peace Day Committee.

Thanks to the participation of 54 sangha members, relatives and friends, we celebrated our “130th Anniversary of the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii,” also promoting September 21 Peace Day Hawaii, as we embraced our theme, “Walk in Peace.” Our international leader Bishop Eric Matsumoto received the invitation to the parade, he shared it with our Peace Day Committee who applied to enter the parade, and he gladly agreed to lead the parade with his wife Tamayo and children Chika and Caden. We walked with signs of our Hongwanji temples, and we carried sticks with the Sadako Cranes for Peace donated by Hawaii Betsuin BWA.

This video is set to begin playing where the Hongwanji contingent goes by:

It was the first time we entered the Pan Pacific Festival Parade, and we were being cheered by the parade watchers, and our participants represented our Hongwanji Ohana with much aloha! It was great to see names of temples in the parade: Honpa Hongwanji Hawaii Betsuin, Moiliili Hongwanji, Aiea Hongwanji, Mililani Hongwanji, Wahiawa Hongwanji, Waipahu Hongwanji, Makawao Buddhist Temple, Hilo Betsuin, Honokaa Hongwanji, Kapaa Hongwanji, Kahului Hongwanji, and United Nations Hawaii. Honolulu and Aloha Pono Lions Clubs, Alea Bridge and State Representative Stacelynn Eli, and Senator Donovan Dela Cruz also joined our parade!

Much mahalo to the shuttle drivers Dean Sakamoto, Stan Sasaki, and Brandon Hee, and to everyone for helping to make this a successful and memorable experience.

Namo Amida Butsu!
Rene Mansho
Peace Day Committee Chairperson