Byodo-In Temple is a hidden gem on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu! This temple is hidden deep in the valley and most tourists are not aware of this place. The temple is located on the North side of the island, near the town of Kaneohe. The location of Byodo-In Temple is about an hour of drive from Waikiki. To get there, first is to enter the Valley of Temples. Valley of Temples is a large cemetery and there are many churches and temples inside the Valley of Temples. The entrance of Valley of Temples is right across from McDonald's. Valley of Temples do not require any admission fees, but you will see a booth at the entrance selling fresh flowers to people.
We drove up the road deep into the Valley of Temples, and eventually got to Byodo-In Temple. The parking lot at Byodo-In Temple is not large, but since not many tourists know about this place, we were able to find parking space easily. The entrance fee to Byodo-In Temple is $3 per person. Once we walked across the bridge, Byodo-In Temple shows up right in front of us. It is a beautiful temple and it felt so calm and zen there. We could feel the breeze of the wind and the weather was no longer that hot.
In the pond in front of the temple, we could see many beautiful Koi fish in there. The little convenient stores on the side were selling fish food for people to feed the fish. There were also 2 black swans swimming around in the pond and they did look pretty aggressive. We would not recommend people to go near them. We were also told by the locals that there are peacocks around the area, but we did not see any.
There is a bell hut just beside the temple. Many people like to make a wish and the hit the bell.
We were also allowed to enter the temple. Before entering the temple, make sure to take off your shoes to keep the place clean. In side the temple, there is a giant bronze buddha statue. This bronze buddha statue is an exact replica of the one in Japan.
Overall, this is a nice place to visit when visiting Oahu. It's a change of scenery from ocean and beach. We would recommend people to pay a visit when you can.
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