Exploring Hawaii - The Valley of the Temples

Hawaii continued to treat Ray and I with surprising discoveries. On our first day, we continued exploring Oahu, and as we crossed from East to West side of the Island, we wanted to see a small botanical garden we found while studying the map. The place happened to be hard to find so we stopped and asked directions from a local lady who was pulling out of her driveway.

Here I’d like to sidetrack from the story and share an experience which demonstrated us how very considerate people of Oahu are. The lady gave us directions, which we merrily followed and finally arrived at a parking lot of an upscale restaurant. Just few seconds later, she pulled in and told us that the ‘botanic gardens’ were really not to much more that just a glorified restaurant gardens. She also mentioned that if we had time and wanted to see something really sensational, we should have visited The Valley of The Temples. She gave us directions and we parted. Someone we never met before went out of her way to follow us to share with us something special and unique about her area. This is not the consideration you would see every day from a complete stranger.

The Valley of the Temples was everything we were hoping it would be, and even more! Located at the foot of the 2,000 foot KoOlau Mountains, it is a non-denominational Memorial park focusing on the Buddhist and Christian religions. The road from the entrance led towards the cloud-capped mountains.




We drove past several churches and then followed the signs to the Japanese section of the park to visit the Byodo-In Temple.

The Byodo- In Temple was built in the 1960th to commemorate the arrival of the first Japanese immigrant worker to Hawaii. It is a replica of the 950-year-old Byodo-In Temple located in Uji, Japan. The temple is positioned so close to the mountains that it feels you can enter the mountain once you exit the Temple. Pictures could not reflect the grandeur of the cliffs behind this sanctuary and watching the majesty of the mountains was a very overwhelming and humbling experience.

The Temple is surrounded by Koi ponds, singing waterfalls, lush traditional Japanese gardens and a small bamboo forest. The wildlife is in abundance in the park: there are black swans, ducks, and plenty of peacocks with babies. They are not afraid of visitors at all and allowed us to take their pictures. Near the entrance is a three-ton Peace Bell which of course we both rang to always keep the peace and tranquility in our home. In Temple is a nine-foot Lotus Buddha

The visit was so worth the detour! If you are ever in Oahu, take the time to stop at the Valley of the Temples – you will love it!