Ekoji Buddhist Temple's annual Obon is just days away and will be held on Saturday, July 12. In addition to practicing twice a week to prepare for our performance, one other very important preparation for the festivities is to set up the stage and yagura. With the help of Ekoji's Sangha members we were able to complete the construction in a relatively short time. Thanks to mother nature, the beautiful weather made the event very pleasant. 

For those of you not familiar with a yagura, it is Japanese for "tower" and is usually an elevated stage where musicians perform during the dancing at Obon and other festivals. Look for a Nen Daiko member on the yagura during the dancing as he/she plays the taiko during the dancing. Don't hesitate to join the dancing and enjoy the festivities!

Stop by Ekoji Buddhist Temple's grounds for some yummy Japanese fare like chicken bentos, somen, and dessert galore, as well as traditional dancing. Festivities start at 5:30 pm. Nen Daiko will take the stage around 7:40 pm. Hope to see you all at Obon on Saturday!

- Brenda

Nen Daiko is back!!!  First, congratulations to two of our members, Greg and Lisa, who got married (to each other) over our August break.  We were fortunate to be a part of their special day (and work in a great sun-filled vacation at the same time).

We started off this season with a performance at the Annual Burke Centre Fall Festival, put on by the Burke Centre Conservancy.  It’s a great festival for the family with activities, shows, vendors, and booths with information about various organizations in the Burke community, including our own Ekoji Buddhist Temple.  Last year, we began our season with this same performance (luckily, we remembered to bring our shime with us this year), and we were happy to be back again this year.  We really enjoy being able to perform for the community that Nen Daiko is a part of.  Thanks Burke!
                  
Following this, Nen Daiko went straight into holding an adult workshop, with the hopes of recruiting a few trainees.  Usually, the group will conduct an annual fall workshop, going over some basic form, hits, drills, and teach everyone a simple song.  Through this, we were able to find three awesome recruits.  Welcome Jinelle, Darrah, and Ananya.  We are excited to work with them this season through our training program.

Most recently, Nen Daiko also held a children’s workshop.  This workshop always works up an appetite as we teach the kids a song that starts with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  Who doesn’t love a PB&J?  There was a large turnout for this event, and we are always guaranteed a fun time with the kids.  

This is all just the beginning for this season.  We have a lot more to work on, but we look forward to seeing all of you around!

--Dee