Pali Pagoda

"The structure was built as a Buddhist memorial. This Japanese pagoda is best viewed from the Pali Highway. Built in 1966, it is a 1.5 times replica of the 16th century Sanju Pagoda of Minami Hokko-ji, Nara, Japan. In 2003 the structure was placed on the Hawai'i Register of Historic Places." http://wikimapia.org/5480450/Sanju-Pagoda-of-Nuuanu

Angry Korean Lady

Jars of Kim Chee on the Roof of Mu Ryang Sa

The Ah Lang Korean restaurant in downtown Kakaako district is owned by the "angry Korean lady" (click on the link to see more about Ah-Lang). She is known for having great Korean cuisine with reasonable prices and most of all being pissed off if you don't follow the rules of her shop. Before going there, we visited the Mu Ryang Sa Korean Buddhist Temple in Palolo to see the jars of pickled kim chee cabbage fermenting on building roof top to prepare ourselves for our excursion to Ah Lang. Because the angry Korean lady is a one woman show, she is the cook, the wait help, the bus person, the host, the cashier, the shopper, etc... She has rules in place that you must follow or be subjected to a tongue lashing and maybe refused. Here are some of those rules: You must seat yourself, you must write down your own order, you must choose how spicy your dishes are by using her number system of 0 to 8 (8 being the spiciest), food comes first then water, you must pay in cash if your order is under $50, if you bring alcohol then you must bring some for her or else there is a corkage fee, etc... The wait was long but the food was well worth the wait. We were her last customers of the day and so we conversed with her a bit about her kim chee cabbage before she ran out to buy ingredients for dinner and left us in the shop by ourselves. Apparently she purchases fresh ingredients for every meal and she ferments her own kim chee as she brought out half a head of cabbage to show us and for me to photograph. Click here to see the kim chee that the angry Korean lady brought out. I don't want to ruin her reputation but she turned out to be quite a character and a cool lady. The food is a ten out of ten and I would definitely go back but only with time to wait.

Sichigosan

Seven, five, and three or Sichigosan in Japanese are the ages that a blessing ceremony is done. Offering thanks and asking for good fortune is what parents have the Japanese priests bless their children with. The girls and boys all dress up in the traditional kimono outfits. I especially like the bright colors and the ornate designs of the outfits.

The Answer is Mu-Ryang Sa

Click here for the Outtakes for today's Honolulu Photo of the Day on Facebook.

Happy Sunday everyone! The Mu-Ryang-Sa Buddhist Temple located in Palolo Valley is such a peaceful and sacred place that I felt my higher consciousness when I was there. I was on the grounds for only a few minutes when a shift to a meditative consciousness switched on within me. Everything around me was pristine. But then I noticed that upon leaving the temple I immediately felt the stress of city life once again. The outtakes from this shoot will be posted on Honolulu Photo of the Day Facebook Page this evening.