Venture behind the unimposing Buddhist temple on Cedar Road this weekend and you'll be transported to another place -- a half a world away.

The 36th annual Obon Festival, hosted by the Vista Buddhist Temple & Japanese-American Cultural Center, provides an opportunity for "people of all ethnicities" to experience the culture and religion of Japan, said Mick Kubota of Fallbrook, past president of the temple.

The free festival includes Japanese crafts, lectures, floral design, music and, of course, food -- including teriyaki, sushi, noodle dishes (udon soup, yakisoba, somen salad), won ton and sweets (manju and taikoyaki).

A lot of people came for the opportunity to experience exotic new flavors, especially the De La Cruz family of Oceanside. The father, Frank, and daughters Brenda and Brittany said they love to try new food.

"As long as it doesn't move I'll eat it," Frank said.

But the mother, also named Brenda, is a tougher sell. She said she grew up in Puerto Rico and was never introduced to different foods. She got talked into trying sushi and udon soup, and to her surprise liked them both "very much." In addition to the cuisine, Brenda said, she felt it was important that her children learn from other cultures so they see "different ways to live."

Amongst the shorts- and T-shirt-clad crowd were flashes of brilliant color as women young and old rustled by in vibrant kimonos, making their way toward the center stage for the traditional dancing.

Seven-year-old Sayuri Ohgi of Oceanside was eager to show off the bright pink robes that she got on her family's visit to Japan last year. She said she was looking forward to dancing the Obon "because it's so fun."

Sachiko Bond of Vista has danced at the Obon Festival for the past two decades. She came to Vista from her native Japan 50 years ago. She said she learned to dance in Kisiho, Japan, when she was just 3 years old and relishes the opportunity to join the Vista festivities every year.

Kubota estimated that more than half the large crowd participates in the three-ring Bon Odori folk dancing that occurs each evening at 6:30 p.m.

Highlights from Saturday included a concert of traditional Japanese music on the stringed koto and the shakuhachi (bamboo flute), and the audience got to touch and experience the instruments. There was also a question-and-answer session on Buddhism.

Another big draw was the lectures by Hokto Kinoko Company, Japan's largest mushroom grower, which gave free tastings of its organic specialty mushrooms.

"Mushrooms, especially the Japanese varieties we are introducing to the North County, are super foods that are full of protein with amazing anti-cancer, immune-boosting and antioxidant properties," said Steve Farrar of Mushroom Matrix, which partners with Hokto Kinoko.

Obon is a traditional Japanese holiday set aside to as a time to remember and honor family and friends who have passed on.

"We owe so much to them for all we are privileged to have now because of their great sacrifices," Kubota said. "Obon is also a time to accept death and in so doing we accept life and change so that we can be truly happy for what we have now."

The festival, at 150 Cedar Road in Vista, will continue from noon to 8 p.m. Sunday.