Monterey Peninsula Buddhist Temple

This was my first Obon festival and I thought it was great. I see the food got raked over the coals by Eddie, the insatiable panda, from San Francisco. It definitely won’t compare to San Francisco’s Japantown, but the food was great. They aren’t a restaurant, they are out to raise money for their temple. So there is not really a comparison. The food was NOT tragic!
I had the tempura which was good, not the hottest, crispiest I’ve ever had, but very good. Maybe, thanks to Eddie, TONS of tempura sauce everywhere. The strawberry shortcake was really very good and big portions too. They used whole sponge cakes and cut them up. The sponge cake had bits of pineapple in it. I had the udon too and it was simple and nice. They also have beer and if you pay $ 6.00 for a cup of sake you can refill for free. For festival food I thought it was great and a refreshing change from deep fried butter! Also plenty of shaded tables and a nice way to hang with the family as it is always pleasant in Seaside. Parking is not so bad either. I walked 3 blocks but there is a large lot right across the street.
They have Kabuki dancing and a wonderful 15 person Taiko drumming performance that was pretty exciting. Also many martial arts performances as well and a lovely flower arranging and Bonsai exhibit.
I highly recommend this for families, there is no admission fee. While I would recommend Halu in San Francisco for folks like Eddie W., the Obon festival is a wonderful, well organized event. Even though it is an American/​Japanese version of Obon, there was a lot of culture to be gained.

Review on the 65^th Annual Obon Festival
In comparison to the Artichoke Festival, Obon was a mile ahead in terms of ambiance, events, and attractions but suffered tragically in the food.
Perhaps, I had expected too much and should have realized that it was going to be your typical Americanized Japanese Cuisine instead of authenticity.
Here were a few faults I saw,
Ice Cream/​Strawberry Shortcake: packaged Hostess Shortcake topped with sliced strawberries. If they actually made their own shortcake it would have been cheaper, less artificial and tastier.
Beef Teriyaki: poor quality meat, minimal flavor, decent grill
Tempura: under fried, flavorless, bad batter, expensive and no tempura sauce; truly a disappointment
Sushi: spam musubi, don’t know how they managed to ruin it
Chicken Teriyaki: good portion was the only highlight… meal was heated in microwave, chicken appeared to be boiled then tossed in a teriyaki sauce (brand found in Costco) with soy sauce. Truly a disappointing meal
Lumpia: poorly fried, soggy center, and bland
Kushi-​Katsu (pork katsu): amazing golden brown exter