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Heading South for the Winter

It's not unusual for people to head south once the weather turns cold. A group of people left from the pier at the end of our island a few weeks ago to go south, escaping the cold of Tokyo's winter. It's the warmest time of the year right now where they're going, in Antarctica.

The name of the icebreaker, "Shirase" means　"news" or "information" which is of course what we wish to give to people we come into contact with, and especially over the Christmas season. But, just like this ship, we have to break the ice first. We have a number of events during this Christmas season that will enable us to do both. We'll keep you posted on that in the new year.

Far West in the Far East

Fukuoka, in Kyushu, the major island of western Japan, is home to the Shaos, colleagues of ours supported by Chinese Alliance churches in Canada to reach out to the 40,000 Chinese living in their city of 1.5 million.

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The Shaos met us at the airport, and we went for Chinese food that evening. Later we met with the translator and reviewed the message. I've spoken through a translator at Chinese churches in Canada many times, but it's been translation from English to Chinese. This time I spoke in Japanese.

The Shaos found a condominium with two adjacent rooms that made one large room for meetings, and even the sounds of a Sunday service do not disturb the neighbours.

We had a chance to meet the members of the congregation after the service, as we enjoyed lunch together. Chinese food? No, roast beef and pizza, among other things, although the roast beef was flavoured with a particular Chinese herb that made it unique. It was very good.

One member of the congregation owns a popular Chinese restaurant in town, and we went to visit him at his work.

While downtown, we strolled through Fukuoka's version of Central Park. The Shaos told us that it is a replica of a park in China.

Wouldn't you know it! The least dignified picture of us and the Shaos is the best quality. Oh well...

It was good to see the impact the Shaos are having in the Chinese population of this city. We only wish they lived closer to us.

Before and After

You can see the process involved in enjoying the s'mores after our Canadian style burgers, hot dogs and salads BBQ. First the cooking,

...and then the eating. Another satisfied customer! Not counting the Loves and Woons, there were 58 adults and many children, totalling over 100 in attendance.

It's a great chance to meet the husbands of the women involved in various programs, and we hope to follow up with some who are interested in further contact.

So far, one of the women who attended expressed interest in studying the Bible. We also made and improved connections with numerous people, so that makes it worthwhile. Several people wrote or stopped to talk to us afterward to say how much they enjoyed the event.

We can always count on a date in November to be perfect weather for barbecuing. Next year the Loves will be on home assignment, so the barbecue will be more of a challenge for us. Perhaps we should ask for a short term team to come over and grill for us. Have spatula, will travel...

Endaka

We arrived in 1987 in a time of trauma for the Japanese economy as a result of the appreciation of the yen against the dollar following the 1985 Plaza Accord. In the morning news programs, the yen/dollar exchange rate was listed on the bottom corner of the screen. It was that important. 円高 or "endaka" refers to the "high yen" (yen high, if you follow the order of the two kanji symbols)

After a few years of a stronger dollar, we're back to Japan feeling a strain from its high currency value, which of course affects exports. Canada is also feeling the pinch with a dollar at or above par with the US dollar.

So, here's my humble suggestion for a more affordable currency for Canada:

Many thanks to graduating senior Jonathan Love who created this masterpiece. He'll be leaving Japan and our colleagues Don and Carol Love for greater adventures in university, but probably not the Royal Canadian Mint. I mention Jonathan to show I don't waste my time creating something like this. I just waste my time posting something like this.

Okonomiyaki: The omelettepancakepizza!

There's a whole street of stores a few blocks north of us selling one local delicacy known as Monjayaki. One friend described this as "casserole on a griddle" It seems appropriate, since Monjayaki never quite becomes firm. You just scoop up some gloop with your little paddle/chisel. What's in it? There are so many variations it's hard to summarize. Vegetables, meat, a little flour and water, and maybe cheese, kimchi or some other addition.

As you can tell from this picture, no one can complain about how their monjayaki was cooked, since they cook it themselves. One other specialty is okonomiyaki, which literally means "cooked as you like it" and features a huge variety of ingredients. The base is an egg/flour mixture that is both like a pancake and an omelette, and the other things added make it like a pizza. At least this one does become solid as it cooks. It's covered with a sweet brown date sauce once it's ready to eat.

You can tell by the summer clothing and Laura's presence that this was taken in the summer. Things are getting chilly here now, and Laura's studying hard for her first exams in nursing, but the Monjayaki street still serves these dishes all year round. Maybe they should try a turkey and cranberry monjayaki or okonomiyaki for expat Canadians in October!

You'd Never Guess

Don't even try guessing where this picture was taken on the way to our Praise Time Summer Camp for 2010. We took the Tokyo Aqualine, which is a tunnel for half of the distance across Tokyo Bay, and then becomes a bridge spanning the other half. At the point the tunnel reaches the surface of the water, there's a rest stop, and that's where we took this picture. In the middle of Tokyo Bay.

You could say there were two themes to the camp. One was a DIY approach to meals. An entire dinner wrapped in foil and cooked in the campfire coals, an omelette in a bag in boiling water, hot dogs and s'mores, and as you see pictured here, bannock on a stick for breakfast. pull it off the stick and put ham and cheese or jam in the hole.

The other theme was the parables of Jesus. We looked at selected parables in smaller groups. It was of course the first time these young people had heard these stories and thought through the meaning.

Of course we had the usual camp activities like swimming and hiking and games. It's amazing we didn't get lost on this hike with so many guides showing us the way!

Like just about everywhere in Japan outside of the cities, it was mountainous terrain, and we enjoyed the waterfall and pool after a hot hike.

We sang some praise songs related to the parables and did some skits on the themes of the parables at the times we gathered together for a campfire. Here we are reenacting one of the skits.

No, the signs the girls are holding do not say "Receding Hairline" and "Male Pattern Baldness" The girls symbolized suffering and worry, and I was weighed down by them. Laura didn't add much credibility to her part by smiling so sweetly while holding up a sign saying "suffering" but remember, this is a reenactment after the fact.

Laura Sensei

Laura spent most of the summer with us and did some tutoring in English with children we've made contact with in the community. Some lessons were once a week, but some were everyday, because of a student's plans to enter an international school in the Fall.

Sometimes English teaching goes beyond just English, it would seem! So, with Laura's birthday and departure date approaching, we had a party for her and invited her English students to attend as well.

So, Teacher Laura (Laura Sensei) headed back to Canada to start a nursing degree at Momac, which is Mohawk College/McMaster University.

A Vanishing Part of Japan

Retailing has changed drastically in Japan since we arrived. Big box stores, particularly big box drug stores, have all but made extinct the little corner drug stores that used to be everywhere in Japan. The few that survive do so through personal connections, I suspect. Here's an interview with one remaining store owner. A little slice of life in Japan:

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Pharmacist Masaaki Goto | The Japan Times Online

Boys' Club

This was a project we did with the boys in our monthly Boys' Club. Design your own cabinet/shelf/box, we'll buy the materials together, and then we'll build the projects. Well, we wrapped that up, and some of the projects looked like the boys had designed them on their own.
In the picture above, one boy is carefully following the drawing he drafted.

Don is helping one boy make a straight cut on the wood, but not his thumb. No injuries, other than a few slivers, from this project.

We've also been reading about some heroes. Daniel was one, unafraid in the face of intimidation and certain death. Joseph is another, and we're still working through his story right now. The study of "out of the frying pan, into the fire" biblical heroes.

English or Italian?

The words you can read are all Italian, because we're at Segafredo, the Italian coffee shop chain. But, the words we're speaking, or some of us are trying to speak, are English. This is where I spend most Saturday mornings.

Taxis for Martians?

These two vehicles are at the end of our island. Most of the time they stay parked in the fenced off area, but every so often they are used. For what? They pull in front of a striking building that rises about 6 stories tall and has an impressive, but usually completely empty, second floor hall.



Well, Harumi is not quite the Caribbean, or Vancouver, but every so often we do get a cruise ship or two, and that's what the vehicles are used for. They rise to the occasion, so to speak, and extend a warm welcome, or at least the platforms on either end, and form a covered walkway joining the cruise ship to the port building. You can see one of the vehicles at work in the picture below.


In the terminal building there is a vast area for customs and immigration offices to inspect people coming and going, as well as the lounge in the picture above, but most of the time the building and the vehicles sit empty.

We're using our apartment for our Sunday Praise Time meetings and some Bible studies, and we have regular access to the meeting room on the third floor for other events. We're thankful that unlike other places where we've worked to see believers and congregations established, we don't have an expensive building we rent that sits empty most of the time. Our goal is to see small groups of believers like our Harumi group and the Toyosu group spring up in the area like dandelions. We want to serve as mentors and coaches, training local leaders.

Sunday Lunch

After our Sunday morning worship known as Praise Time, some people stay for lunch. It's a good opportunity to get to know people informally, and with so little free time, Sunday is the best day to do that.



With this many small children (and another on the way, we found out on Sunday!) our Praise Time worship needs to be concise! Most Sundays the children do very well, but there's a limit to how long they can occupy their time.

Is This a Great Place or What?

Where else are you going to see one of these? This is a real zeppelin, made in Friedrichschaffen Germany, just like the originals 70 years ago. They updated the design, and of course use helium this time. It's more oblong in shape because it has a rigid frame inside. That's what distinguishes it from blimps.

On weekends with good (VFR: Visual Flight Rules) weather, it lands at the end of our island to pick up sightseeing passengers. 12 seats, at about $400 for a cruise around Tokyo.



No, as a matter of fact, we haven't gotten around to taking the tour yet. But what other neighbourhood can boast of having its own zeppelin landing pad?

Research with a Harpoon Gun

This ship docked at the end of our island a few weeks ago. You'll see it's a research ship, from the Institute of Cetacean Research in Japan. You'll also notice the harpoon gun on the bow. In 2007 just under 1,000 whales were taken for research purposes. The meat went on sale in Tsukiji, just a few blocks north of where we live. The ship does this whaling in the southern Pacific as well as near Antarctica.

I recall a conversation with Mr. Hiraoka in Hiroshima many years ago. He said the world had no business telling Japan not to hunt whales, because Japanese eat whales, while Westerners eat beef. It's just a cultural difference, he said. I tried to point out that there was something bigger than culture here, because whales are close to extinction and cattle are not.

In a similar manner, people look at the world's religions as all being similar, and merely cultural. We have no business insisting Jesus is God's way, they tell us. Yet, there's something bigger than culture here. Religion supposedly gives the means for me to earn, merit, or somehow obtain spiritual benefits. Jesus came to provide them for us for free. He is the only One who could do that. Quit trying to reach up for these things, when God through Jesus has already reached down to us. That's the Gospel.

You Saw It Here First!

The Empty Tomb Cake was the masterpiece of our colleague Carol Love, while Miwako brought the Easter Bunny. The fur is made of shredded egg white, and the ears of sliced ham and cheese.

We combined the Toyosu and Harumi Praise Time congregations for a joint Easter Celebration on Sunday. Easter hymns, a power point presentation, communion and a portrayal of the resurrection from "The Hope" CD (google it, and click on Chapter 11 and you can watch it for yourself, but with English narration) were all a part of the morning. Afterwards we enjoyed lunch together, over Empty Tomb Cake and Easter Bunny casserole.




This is the room that sets us back a whole $3 an hour to rent.

Excerpt from japantoday.com

Japan in 2009 was a busy place — for the Grim Reaper. A National Police Agency report revealed that there were 32,753 suicides in the country last year, exceeding 30,000 for the 12th consecutive year and accounting for 3% of all deaths. Current World Health Organization figures show that of OECD countries, Japan has the second highest suicide rate, at 24.7 per 100,000 people. Only Russians kill themselves at a greater rate.

Unfortunately, in a country of 135 million people, such statistics lend themselves to abstraction, so let’s put a human face on things. Imagine standing at your local train station from morning to night and having to choose six people an hour to take their own lives. Who will it be? The salaryman? The young mother? The high school student?

Last year, the government set up a task force to address the suicide crisis, but there have been a number of such efforts made over the past decade, and the rate shows no sign of declining. This is because the task forces deal not in cures but in treatments, like the latest action of assigning mental health professionals to “Hello Work” employment offices. The rationale is that unemployment is a factor in suicide, but other countries with greater economic woes have much lower suicide rates. Why? Because a perpetually high suicide rate doesn’t just reflect a set of temporary circumstances — it’s a symptom of a dysfunctional society.

In his novel “A Long Way Down,” Nick Hornby offers a striking insight: people commit suicide not because they hate life, but because they love it and can’t endure separation from it. I take this to mean that we all want to lead lives as we choose but are constrained from doing so. The stronger the constraints, the wider and more painful the separation.