This is a listing of Obon “Frequently Asked Questions” (FAQ). If there are questions that are not answered here, please ask on FaceBook at the San Jose Obon page.

  • “What are the hours?”
    • Saturday, July 11, 2026 : 12 pm to 9:30 pm
    • Sunday, July 12, 2026: 12 pm to 7 pm
  • “Are pets allowed?”
    • If you must bring your pet, we kindly ask that they all be kept on a leash and able to handle crowds/children etc. Aside from assistance/service animals, we ask that you not bring your pet into the food court. Thank you for your understanding. As always, please clean up after your pet.
  • “Where is the Festival?”
    • The San Jose Obon Festival is held at the San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin which is located at 640 N. 5th St, San Jose, CA between Taylor and Jackson Streets. [Google Maps Link]
  • “Parking in Japantown is really bad. Is there parking available?”
    • Yes, we strongly encourage visitors to take advantage of our free parking available at the county lot on 1st St and Hedding [Google Maps Link – Parking]. We provide an free air conditioned shuttle to the Obon Festival. It operates one hour before and after the Festival hours. It’s also a quick 20 minute walk to the San Jose Obon which is at 640 North 5th St.
  • “Do you take credit cards at the booths?”
    • Almost all food booths do take credit cards including Apple Pay. Unfortunately, we no longer have the “ATM/Check Cashing” booth which can provide cash. Most games booths now take ticket which you can purchase at the game ticket machine.
  • “Is there a map of the Festival?”
    • We are currently working on this. We plan to provide a digital form.
  • “How long has the Festival been going on?”
    • We don’t really know. We have a receipt for ice to cool “Obon soda” from the 1936. We also know that the Odori (dancing) occurred even in the 1900’s right after the temple was formed (1903). The current form of the festival started after the Japanese Americans returned from internment during World War II in 1945. It greatly expanded under the guidance of Mr. Jim McClure who was the Obon chair for over 20 years.
  • “Is there a live-stream of the Festival this year?“, “I am not able to make it to Obon but I don’t want to miss out.”
    • No. Due to the construction of the Dharma Center building, the booth will have to be somewhere on Jackson or 5th Streets. This booth requires a hardwire audio and video connections to the Yagura and other parts of the Obon grounds. We will still record the major events and upload it later to the San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin YouTube channel.
  • “Will this year’s Obon Festival be the same as in the past?”
    • Yes, this year’s Obon Festival will be the fourth in-person Obon since 2019 (pre-pandemic) that will have all the food and game booths.
  • “Where can I find some of the Odori (Japanese dance) practice videos online?”
    • You can find them in this YouTube playlist.  Huge thanks to our head instructors, Moschel Kadokura and Karen Akimoto for their work!
  • “Are there any Odori practices?”
    • Yes, this year the practices are on: 6/22 (M), 6/24 (W), 6/25 (Th), 6/29 (M), 7/1 (W) 7:30 pm – 8:45 pm. All practices are at the San Jose Buddhist Church Annex.
  • “Where can I get yukata dressing assistance for the dancing?”
  • “I would love to volunteer. Are there still spots?”
    • Great! We have a many shifts that still need help. Send an email to sjobonhelp@gmail.com and we can send you more info. Huge thanks to the many people who have already signed up.
  • “Will there be bike parking?”
    • Unfortunately, we will not have the bike parking areas that we’ve had in the past. Please be prepared to securely lock up your bike and know that there have been several bike theft issues this year. If this changes, we will update this answer.
  • “I didn’t get to pre-order Obon merch, where can I find merchandise?”
    • All items will be sold at the festival.
  • “Is there handicap parking nearby?”
    • Yes, we have obtained the use of the metered parking spaces for use as handicap spaces.