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 8: 12 pm to 10 pm
    • Sunday, July 9: 12 pm to 9 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 4th St.
  • “Do you take credit cards at the booths?”
    • Most food booths do take credit cards. In addition, we have an “ATM” booth which can provide cash.
  • “Is there a map of the Festival?”
    • Yes, most of the booths have maps available. You can also go to the Information Booth near the Education Building just west of 5th Street.
  • “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 30s. We also know that the Odori (dancing) occurred even in the 1900’s right after the temple was formed (1903). The current form started after the Japanese Americans returned from internment during World War II in 1945.
  • “Is there a live-stream of the Festival this year (2023)?“, “I am not able to make it to Obon but I don’t want to miss out.”
    • Yes! We will be streaming much of the Obon events via Facebook Live.
  • “I am not comfortable coming out physically to the Obon Festival, but I don’t want to miss out”
    • We understand that some may still be getting used to being in a crowd. Some of our programming will be live streamed on our San Jose Buddhist Church Betsuin Facebook Live channel. We look forward to seeing some of you virtually on our FaceBook and Instagram Obon pages! (Use the “#sjobon” Obon tag and you might get a “shoutout” on our Livestream!)
  • “Will the 2023 Obon be the same as in year’s past?”
    • Yes, 2023 Obon will be the first since 2019 (pre-pandemic) that will have all the food booths. In addition, most of the game booths will be there as well. Huge THANK YOU to all of the organizations who helped to make this possible!
  • “Where can I find some of the Odori (Japanese dance) practice videos online?”
    • You can find them in this YouTube playlist. We also have a new dance to the song “Arigato” this year. This is the link for the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7US9L9vlg9w. Huge thanks to our head instructor, Reiko Iwanaga (Hanayagi Rei Michi) for the choreography and to Kailey Wong for posting the video!
  • “Are there any Odori practices?”
    • Yes, this year the practices are on: 6/19(M), 6/21(W), 6/26(M), 6/28(W), 6/29(Th), 7:30 pm – 8:45 pm.
  • “Am I expected to wear a mask?”
    • We are anticipating a sizable crowd. While we will not be enforcing anything, please do what you feel comfortable with while in a large crowd. There may be certain areas where a mask will be strongly suggested.
  • “Where can I get yukata dressing assistance for the dancing?”
  • “I would love to volunteer. Are there still spots?”
    • Yes. We have a few 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 in the gym. As other items become available elsewhere, we will update this answer.
  • “Is there handicap parking nearby?”
    • Yes, we have obtained the use of the metered parking spaces on Jackson Street between 4th and 6th Streets. They are marked by blue covers over the parking meter with the ADA symbol on them.
  • “What kinds of foods do you have?”, “Do you have food for vegans/vegetarians?”
    • Our food is a representation of the Japanese-American experience. Instead of listing everything here, please go to our digital menu. A listing of vegan and vegetarian options are at the Food Details page.