Mountain View Obon Odori

After attending the San Jose Japantown Obon, Jayme N. Suggested we check out the much larger Obon Festival in Mountain View. I absolutely loved the variety of food options such as the spam musubi, chili fries, teriyaki chicken and beef, and the tempura. The sake and beer tent was also great. There’s tons of games including bingo. I absolutely loved how welcoming the community vibe was. As for parking/​getting there, I would definitely recommend to just take VTA or Cal Train since the parking lots looked like chaos to deal with. The church where this is hosted at is probably a good 10 – 15 minute walk from downtown Mountain View. Overall, if you’re up for some delicious Japanese food and down to celebrate the Japanese traditions and culture then definitely check out the Mountain View Obon Festival.

Have come here the last two years after a long absence.
Festive environment and lots of performances (some are interactive such as the dancing, where they ask people to come up and join in).
Lots of food booths and you can also eat inside in the gymnasium. Granted, prices are a joke, but when aren’t they at these type of events.
The shaved ice line is so long it makes me wonder what else they are giving out at that booth.
They got a bingo tent if that’s your thing.
Ton of game booths that get discounted the second night near the end. Value hunters galore.
I won a goldfish. It died within a week.
Everybody’s friendly here and lots of smiles. Be back next year if I’m still alive.

This year was our first time going to the Obon Festival in Mountain View. I had been to the temple for a different event but was excited when I heard they had an obon festival!
Before you go, you have to keep in mind the type of event you are attending. This is held at a Buddhist temple and all of the food, activities, and items for sale are organized by volunteers. So, you can’t go expecting amazing gourmet food. However, I think they do a wonderful job planning the annual event.
Parking-​They had parking attendants directing cars where to park. They have an impressively large parking area (yes it’s dirt and not paved). Parking is free. You can also look for parking on nearby streets but it’s a little tricky.
Food– They have outdoor booths where you can order food individually, or you can line up inside (to avoid the hot sun) and order everything together and pay at the register. There was udon, chicken salad, chicken teriyaki, gyoza, hot dogs, spam musubi, manju, sushi, tempura, chi chi dangos, corn, iced tea, shaved ice, etc. Prices are pretty reasonable but remember to bring cash. They have plenty of indoor seating inside the auditorium.
Activities– Carnival children’s games like ring toss, fishing for a plastic duck, ping pong toss, etc. Games were very inexpensive (think 50 cents per turn). BINGO and raffle with cash prizes. They also had taiko drumming while we were there.

One of the best Obon festivals in the Bay Area. Mountain View Obon Odori has been consistently good throughout the years I have been there.
They offer a large variety of activities for visitors to do:
Shopping:
There is the Plant and Flowers stand where you can find some great plants for cheap if you go there early! Inside the building there are the Arts and Crafts where you can find handmade gifts.
Games:
There is Bingo, pull-​tab, and raffle for the adults.
For the kids there are a ton of games: Ring Toss, Crossbow Game, Fishing, Duck Grab, etc.
Food:
Large Variety of food, from Chili-​Cheese fries to Manju, they have something for everyone.
⁵⁄₅!

Not gonna lie, I feel almost guilty for liking the festival at Mountain View a lot more than the one in San Jose… See I’m a born and raised San Jose-​ian, and I suppose I SHOULD prefer the festival closest to me, but… Mountain View’s Obon festival takes the cake.
The activities are way more personal. The drum show is just amazing, the singing is amazing, the booths are amazing, and just about everything else is amazing.
You feel a real sense of community at this event because it’s much smaller than San Jose’s Obon Festival, so you see the same folks over and over again.
You come here, you go get their shaved ice… because that’s all you’ll need to worry about.
One thing San Jose has over Mountain View is the group line dance which I’ve always found to be really fun and really laid back. I highly recommend attending this event!

I love coming to this event rather than the one in downtown SJ because it seems more of a community event rather than the ra ra one of SJ. I’m not Japanese but I still love to support the Mountain View community. The lines are can get long but for the most part they are manageable.
They sell all types of food from chicken teriyaki, beef teriyaki, spam musubi, strawberry shortcake, shaved ice, corn dog, french fries, chicken salad, tempura, sushi and mochi.
Things to do: Play games such as bingo, miniature golf, dime toss and others.
Best things to get:
Corn — keeping sprinkling on the salt & pepper
Alcohol — Hey, it’s for charity right?
French Fries — Crispy, Thick and hot!
Tip: If you do decide to drink, make sure you have a DD. They have cops on the premise.

I go to the Mountain View Obon Festival every year without fail. Not only because it is a tradition in my family, but I love coming here for the delicious food, games, and culture.
If you are coming on SATURDAY:
For the best parking opportunities, I would suggest arriving anywhere between 4 – 4:30pm/ Parking gets very crazy later on in the night, but during this time span, there are usually boyscouts that will guide you into a spot.
Coming around this time on Saturday is also the best option if you planning on eating in the gym. The line is always so long later on in the evening and it could take up to an hour to get your food.
I have tried everything (except the hotdogs) at the Obon but the absolute must-​try foods are the:
Chicken teriyaki — light and dark meat options available.
Beef teriyaki skewers
Spam Musubi
Tempura — fresh, lightly battered, extremely crispy, and not oily like other tempura dishes I have had. You also have the option of vegetarian combo or veggie/​seafood combo.
«Take out» vendor — Try everything! The age sushi, combo sushi box, chirashi sushi. So delicious! Tastes exactly how my grandma used to make it.
Shave ice — I don’t particularly like shaved ice, but when you add the beans and the condensed milk on top.OMG. Get there early, the line is also unbelievably long, especially on the hotter days.
If you are coming on SUNDAY:
Do not forget to play a few rounds of bingo. Sundays are when they have the really cool grand prizes for the winners. Last Sunday, a PS4 was the grand prize and they were also giving away a couple of $ 50 Amazon gift cards for the winners.
Also do not forget to stay for the dancing towards the end of the night. It is the main event where you can see all of the beautiful kimonos and even join in some of the dances. This is your opportunity to really immerse yourself into the Japanese culture.
As for food:
Try everything again because on Sundays, the food sells out FAST! The strawberry shortcake, corn dogs, and French fries are usually the first to go. Then everything else begins to run out shortly after.
Besides the food and the dancing, do not forget to check out the arts and crafts section in the main gym, the beautiful flowers/​succulents for sale, and other displays located just outside of the temple.
An amazing Japanese tradition that you do not want to miss.

This festival was incredibly popular, so it’s wise to go as early as possible of you don’t want to park far away, in the dust and weeds. The lot was packed 30 minutes into opening time.
We arrived just in time to watched the taiko drums performance. It was spectacular but we wished it was lengthier.
There were mostly food and games. Food choices were bountiful… sushi, manju, teriyaki, noodles, hotdogs, chili, tempura, corn, strawberry shortcake, beer, soda, and shaved ice. The deliciously savory tempura was a good deal ($ 6 for an assortment of veggies and 2 shrimp pieces). To escape from the heat, we found our way into the air conditioned gym, where tables and chairs were set up throughout the entire open space. We opted to sit on the bleachers and watch a couple of cute little girls dressed in kimonos.
There were games with prizes (toys and even goldfish) to keep the kids happy, including bingo (popular with adults too), put put, coin toss, and grab bag.
We definitely wished there were more shopping to do, other than the sparse selection of aprons, cards, books, and plants.
It didn’t take us long to finish seeing everything.

Food to get:
Chili over rice (I got one to-​go AND I ate one there, no shame)
Shaved Ice (da works)
corn (however many you can stuff your face with, they’re delicious)
additonal food we got:
Tempura
sushi combo
chicken teriyaki
yea we ate a lot but oh whales.
It wasn’t super crowded when we went on Sunday so that was nice. The line for shaved ice was realllly long though but went by quickly. Another note! dogs are welcome here :) just pick up after their poo poos please.
So glad that obon season is here.

like many special events like these, parking is terrible, but here there’s a dirt dead grassy area lot where boy scouts guide you. I can’t tell if this obon or if sj japantown is bigger or which is better. the food here didn’t really amuse me since a lot of it wasn’t something I would eat. from what I can recall there were: corn on the cob, spam musubi, chili (rice and fritos), corn dog, tempura, chicken salad, chicken ¼ teriyaki beer teriyaki kebabs, sushi, polish, strawberry shortcake, steak fries, beer, sake, non-​alcoholic drinks, and shaved ice.
udon hot or cold were in the temple gym, everything else served inside is the same outside. cultural room wasn’t anything special like I had hoped… just handmade art by kids and the elderly. there were a few games about 50¢ each except bingo. bingo was $ 1/​game with 1 card or $ 2/​game with 3 cards. no kimono or other Japanese clothing sold. you’ll take the back way following the sign leading to middlefield rd as you follow the exit sign in the parking lot.
the event was just ok. just disappointed in the food options and entertainment. udon weren’t the thick ones you always see since they used kishimen (yum). I wouldn’t mind being dragged along to this event. just wouldn’t come here on my own will. food including drinks can range to $ 1~$ 5 and it’s not at the shoreline theater.

I love this Obon so much more than the one in downtown SJ because it looks and feels more authentic with Japanese style booths.
It’s a really cute place to go with family! The food is okay as they have chili over rice, musubi, cold (it’s so good!) and hot udon, beef/​chicken, strawberry shortcake and more.
The main attraction here is the game booth where you can win a gold fish :)

I didn’t know what to expect at my first Buddhist festival, but it was a charming, not-​so-​large festival (thank goodness!). The set up of the Festival made me feel like I’ve entered a small Japanese village. I love the children in their traditional outfits, the very friendly senior citizens who were so sweet, and the yummy food that wasn’t overpriced. Parking was easy. Really enjoyed myself.

Today is the second day of a two day Obon festival that comes around once a year. If you miss it this year, put it on your calendar for 2014. This is a family staycation destination with something for everyone that gives you a wonderful sense of community. There is alot of community building going on here. Sweet!
There is a great kiddie/​teen area where moms and dads are standing beside their kids celebrating their win of some great prizes like lighted saber swords, giant blow up hammers, stuffed green alligators and glittering goldfish. Lots of smiles and memory making begins from opening to closing.
A community hall houses some craftspeople sanding blocks of wood to silk cover and add to the beautiful doll collection displayed nearby. Clever children art pieces are displayed alongside breathtaking bonsai and flower arrangements in different styles of Ikebana in a respite from the heat and crowds.
As I left this building, I spied a flurry of volunteers preparing the ingredients for the chili over rice bowls amidst towers of ingredients for the food booths.
Food booths are dotted throughout the grounds. Tempura, polish dogs, chicken salad, french fries, manju, best ever corn dogs, shaved ice, musubi and Italian sodas are some of the foods offered outside. Inside the church hall, a queue takes you to a cafeteria style offering of cold drinks, chicken teriyaki, beef teriyaki skewers, chirashi, combo sushi, futomaki rolls, manju, strawberry shortcake, hot and cold udon with cucumber skimono and/​or kimchee, and hot green tea.
The line is tolerable with the things to see along the way. There were ninja bath ducks for sale, crafty plant ornaments, rakkyo bulbs for ambitious gardeners that include the recipe, bird house gourd seeds, obon odori dance accessories, children’s books, church items, rice sack aprons, t shirts, racks of patterned aprons, then two rooms of very nice crafted items.
This is a nice crowd of people so just ask the people behind you to hold your place in line if you choose to buy something.
Lets not forget the best thing about this festival… the Sunday evening Obon Odori. Come as you are and join the dancing that begins at 7 pm. See you there before the festival closes at 8:30 pm. Before closing, I’ll be in the bingo booth having won the grand prize…

Hmmmmmm
Perhaps if I didnt go here with an expectation then I would score it higher for what it was as opposed to what it wasnt… but with that being said, this particular festival wasnt half bad.
Its a festival for family… period. No drunkedness that I was expecting… and that’s alright!
;D

Perhaps I’m used to the fun and festivities of the San Jose Obon which I truly enjoy going to each year but for me, this event was kind of disappointing.
First off, I find it odd that their hours start later on Saturday and are way longer on Sunday (more of an all day affair), to me that just doesn’t make sense, it should be the other way around allowing people to just hang out and watch the shows, participate in the games, eat the food, etc.
Parking was difficult and the whole event was much smaller.
We pretty much went for about 10 minutes, walked around the whole thing and left.

I live like… 5 minutes walk from here. It would the be height of laziness for me not to go!
Plus, got to support my dad, who is volunteering with his kendo club! And grab me some tasty tempura! Which, everyone, you really shouldn’t miss.
It’s always tons of fun, with cheap games, usually around the 50 cent mark. If you are itching for a cheap thrill with a date, you shouldn’t miss this Obon festival. Come on… shaved ice from $ 2 for the basic, to maybe at most $ 6 for all the toppings and fancy shmancy stuff? There’s also strawberry shortcake, manju, corn, spam musubi… the list goes on.
Open late too!

First time to Mtn View Obon Festival Sun 7÷22÷12. I’ve been to the SJ Obon before & this one is smaller.
Parking is available in a dirt lot behind the church, I did park in Safeway lot though they have signs that say No Obon Parking, nobody enforced it when I went. You do take your chances though.
Pay for the food in the booth, I don’t know why they have Cashier for, people can write checks up to $ 150 with ID & get CASH Back I guess.
Food I got:
Yellow corn with or without butter is 1 for $ 3 or 2 for $ 5. A girl buying just one went in with me so we each saved 50c!
Sushi combo box $ 5 — premade. 3 veggie kind, 2 of those tofu/​rice ones. ok.
Manju — Japanese sweets $ 5 — premade & bagged. Will eat them later.
Spam Musubi $ 3 ea– premade & Saran-​Wrapped. Thought it was ok, they cut in 2 pieces.
I wanted Shave Ice priced $ 2-​$ 4.50 — line was way long so skipped it.
at 12:30pm I watched Taiko drummers — It went on for about ½ hr. So hot & I was standing, some seats for Seniors, or just sit on the hill or on curb to watch.
There’s an indoor dining area — but line was really long so skipped it.
Cultural Area indoors — Flower arrangement was nice to take pics of; Rock Art; Rock Dolls. Nice to look at.
I didn’t stay for the dancing in the evening — that’s nice to see.
Money spent just on food: $ 15.50 CASH!

I haven’t been to an Obon Festival before and missed out on the San Jose event the week before. I had a deep hankering for shave ice and so off we went to the festival. Parking is not the best situation as it’s a smaller venue and event goers have to park in the field next door and in the surrounding neighborhood and walk.
The line for the shave ice rivals a Disneyland ride — no joke, complete with a winding stanchion. Longest line I ever stood in for shave ice, but man was it worth it! Closest thing I could get to without going to Hawaii. And the lines didn’t lie! We made use of our time in line and «multi-​tasked» with DH going to get us Tempura and Roasted Sweet Corn while I stood in line. We ate those while patiently waiting our turn. The Tempura was yummy though a small portion for $ 5 and didn’t include any dipping sauce. The Roasted Sweet Corn was sweet and flavorful. I wanted to take some home!
I’m definitely coming back next year for these goodies!

Mountain View is one of my top 4 favorite NorCal obons to go to, as it is a beautiful and large venue with a good variety of food.
From what I hear, their unagi is really great, however it is always the case that I arrive when many things are sold out… so if you plan on getting some good Japanese and American food, go earlier rather than later…
Odori (Japanese dancing) is fun and usually has a great number of people — less than San Jose and about the same as Palo Alto Obon. This year, it went by a little too quick for my liking, but was still fun!
Parking was pretty tough, but the lot that they have is really convenient and pretty spacious.
With good food, fun dancing, and a lot of great Buddhist people, in combination with the lovely temple grounds, I’m sure I’ll be going to Mtn. View Obon for many more years to come.

Guess who was in the South bay again! that’s two wk ends in a row that i was down south, and darken my farmers tan –_​_​_​-​;
Having just been to the SJ Obon Odori, it was nice to go to the Mountain View Obon festival! The sun was out once again so i got to work on my tan even tho I didn’t want to darken my farmers tan –_​-​. The setup is more of a mixture of things to do compared to the SJ obon fest. The carnival games and food stands were alot better and the prizes were not as cheap.
The food ranged from chicken teriyaki, beef teriyaki, corn, polish sausage, shaved ice and a few other items that i can’t remember. I didn’t reallie come for the food, came to check out the performances and games.
The games were pretty fun, gf and i played Bingo for a while and another challenging but fun game was trying to toss ping pong balls into this small lil glass jars of water. if you got one in you get a gold fish and when you get it in the very center one tat was stacked on top of another one u get an even better gold fish! I won two, one cheaper gold fish and one reallie nice gold fish! :D
They had a beautiful selection of flowers and potted plants for sale as well as other Japanese items. The cultural center was filled with students works of art set up as well as ikebana and various different Japanese trees. The taiko performances were good but it was hard to actually see what was going on even after standing on top of a picnic table.
Overall the Mtn View Obon was very fun and i will look forward to heading down south again next year for it. Usually the Mtn. View Obon follows the SJ Obon festival. just so happens this was the wk end after the SJ one.
*ikebana– the art of arranging flowers or way of the flowers