47 different things about Japan

Over the last week Marc has been keeping a list of things in Japan that are noticeably different than in the USA, which we've all been contributing to when we come across another worthy addition. These cultural differences were made even more real to us as Marc and I went to spend the night in the homes of two Japanese families on Friday night. Here's the list:

1. Small living space and cars
2. Umbrella storage units
3. $25 watermelons
4. Questionable men's clothing and fashions
5. Bon Jovi/Rod Stewart men's haircuts
6. Toilets are either substandard or luxurious

You know you can get yourself in trouble when your toilet has this many buttons and instructions in a different language

7. Group identify/national consciousness strong
8. Little eye contact
9. No conversation on transport
10. Few garbage cans
11. Lots of recycling
12. Strict sorting of various waste items
13. No shoes in homes and many buildings
14. Eating and drinking on the street frowned upon
15. Crosswalks with all cars stopped at the same time at some places in Tokyo
16. Bowing instead of shaking hands
17. Blowing nose in public unacceptable
18. People wearing dust masks in public
19. Tremendous educational pressure
20. Homogenous population (98% Japanese)
21. No central A/C or heat
22. Driving on left side of road
23. Vending machines galore

24. Clear respect hierarchy
25. Don't consume many beverages (why so many vending machines then?)
26. No street names and addresses
27. Love comics/anime
28. Businessmen work very long hours, rarely see children
29. Fish and rice are main dietary staples
30. Three alphabets are used (Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji)
31. Very orderly way of doing everyday things
32. In general, cities are clean
33. Sing-song, tonal phrases
34. Plastic food displays at restaurants
35. McDonald's items include Green Tea McFlurry, McShrimp burger
36. Expectation for businessmen to drink
37. Popularity of sento/onsen (public baths)
38. Unsual food like natto
39. Quirky cross-cultural interests like Gospel Music
40. Shinkansen (bullet trains)
41. Funny English phrases on advertising and clothing

42. Special tile denoting pathways for the blind on most sidewalks
43. No soap in some restrooms
44. Smallest paper bill is 1000 yen
45. Very few overweight people
46. Every grain of rice at dinner is eaten
47. Bathing done at night

Making an Impact

Thursday's main event was, in some ways, the culmination of the week. Every week, Jon organizes a coffee house of sorts called "ALiveHouse & English Cafe". It's an informal evening where students are invited for coffee, live music, and English conversation. In the past, this was held at his home, but this week we held it at Oyumino Alive, the local church, because we anticipated a larger crowd. We spent a few hours on campus meeting students, and then came back to prepare for the evening.



Sarah Pfeil and her sister Molly deserve much of the credit for the transformation of a room in the church into a coffee house. With atmospheric lighting and special coffee mugs that the students could take home as gifts, the stage was set to enjoy music and dessert with friends. Our entertainment consisted of Marc, Aaron, and Jon playing a few English worship songs, followed by Jon's performance of songs that he had written for each of his children and his wife, which was very sweet. After some English conversation, 4 Japanese students from the Chiba guitar club played some beautiful classical guitar pieces. The rest of the evening was laid back and allowed for casual conversation and making friends.



The importance of these events is proven within the personal connections that are made. One woman responded positively to an invitation to attend worship this Sunday, which is a huge milestone. As another example, Marc spoke with a student who wanted to know the difference between a missionary and a pastor. Continuing to hold these gatherings is a strategic way to reach out to an important demographic in Japan. Targeting college students in the most likely way in Japan to build churches and fulfill MTW's 20/20 vision.

CCSI, Yakitori, and Karaoke

This is the view behind CCSI (Covenant Community School International), the school that provides a Christian education to both English and Japanese students in Chiba. We spent much of the day here working with students and meeting with MTW staff where we learned some about the issues that face the team on a practical and strategic level. Marc led us in an encouraging morning devotion, and then we divided into smaller groups with students. The 4 of us enjoyed talking with missionary kids about their experiences growing up in a foreign country.



Later in the evening we went to dinner with three MTW staff members. They took us out for 焼き鳥 やきとり (yakitori), or a special Japanese grilled meat. It was quite an experience, as we ate in traditional Japanese fashion which involves sitting on the floor at a low table. The food was delicious, and we left full and ready for our next adventure of the night.



Karaoke is very popular in Japan. It's different than in America, as you rent a room which only is used by you and your friends. We had a fun time singing some favorite songs, and were especially entertained when Matt, an MTW staff member, did a great rendition of a Japanese pop song.

Chiba University

Today we went to Chiba University to eat lunch with students and attend various campus clubs. Jon and Isaac have been key in establishing relationships with students by intentionally going to events where they can be a part of the community, and using that initial contact to build bridges into deeper relationships. In many ways, it's a very difficult task. It's also enjoyable and rewarding. For example, today Marcus, Isaac, and I had lunch with a student at Chiba they've befriended. Many students are eager to improve their English and welcome the chance to spend time with someone like Jon or Isaac, or American visitors like ourselves. This student plays rugby, and because I've also played, it provided a good basis for conversation (he plays prop, for those who care). I later went and watched him practice with his team. Other people from our team attended guitar club and an English speaking club in the afternoon. It was a rewarding way to spend our day.

There have been some problems with cults on campus in recent years, and the university has communicated to students about the danger. Because most Japanese know very little about Christianity, they may view evangelism efforts with suspicion. This is one important reason to establish solid relationships with students before presenting the gospel.



After our day on campus, we had a wonderful dinner with a family who lives nearby. The father is the pastor who was a guest speaker at Oyumino Alive this past Sunday, and who attended Calvin Seminary. He and his wife have a delightful eight year old daughter, who challenged us to a game of Uno. Also joining us for the evening were a high school student and college student, neither of whom are Christians. They both came to stay in Cincinnati for a short time a couple of months ago. We really enjoyed our time with them, and hope that it helps to build bridges so the relationships can be deepened in the future.

Tomorrow we will be visiting the school that is run by MTW for missionary families, and spending time planning. Thanks for your prayers!

Tokyo

Tokyo is, needless to say, a completely incredible place. The metropolitan area is the most populous in the world, and is also the world's largest economy. So, when visiting, you can see everything and anything you could want or need, except for the gospel. Here's some of what we did see.


The Kaminarimon Gate, leading into the Sensō-ji temple in Asakusa.


The market in Asakusa.

When visiting the temple in Asakusa, we saw many people buying fortunes, cleansing themselves with incense and water, and offering prayers in the temple. It was quite sobering to see so many worshipping false gods. Next to this temple is a Shinto shrine, where a smaller number of worshippers gathered. Along with Marc, Aaron, Marcus, Jon, and I was a Japanese student who was not a Christian. It was very neat to see Jon engage him in conversation about the gospel as we stood on the shrine's grounds.


Sensō-ji, the oldest Buddhist temple in Tokyo.

If today was an eye-opening day, tomorrow will be more practical as we go back to Chiba and spend some time on campus. What we are doing here really is quite strategic as even casual conversations can lead to relationships that Jon and Sarah will be able to cultivate in the future.


Shibuya, site of the busiest pedestrian crossing in the world.

A Sunday at church in Japan

There aren't many Sundays at church in Japan. This is because there are very few Christians here. In Chiba alone, there are less than eight thousand Christians among three million people. This should give some perspective on the amount of work that MTW (Mission to the World) would like to accomplish in advancing the gospel. We were fortunate to worship today with Oyumino Alive, the branch of Oyumino Christ Church (Presbyterian Church in Japan) where Jon and Sarah worship. After a special Mother's Day celebration, we heard a sermon on Romans 6 from guest speaker Yasunari Uchida. Interestingly, he attended Calvin Seminary in Grand Rapids, MI while I attended Calvin College.





After a delicious lunch prepared by Sarah Pfeil, we went to Sumodon, a time of fellowship with youth at the Oyumino Christ Church property. Jon invented some fun games that combined chopsticks and starbursts that were enjoyed by all. It was a blessing to spend time with these people and to see the church in action. Talking with Dan Iverson, local church planter of 23 years, made us aware of how important it is for us to continue to send and support missionaries like the Pfeils to Japan.





We ended the evening by going out for sushi with some people from Sumodon. Favorite dishes included maguro (tuna) and unagi (eel), while almost everyone agreed that uni (sea urchin) and squid were less desirable (actually, pretty disgusting). For dinner, we had a green tea and Oreo McFlurry from McDonald's - it was pretty good in my opinion. Overall, today was a great introduction to church life in Chiba. Tomorrow we'll be going to Tokyo, and seeing a different side of Japan.

こんにちは (hello)!

After 15 hours on the plane, we've arrived in Japan. We were greeted at the airport by Jon Pfeil, NCCC missionary and our host for the week, and rode the train to Chiba, about an hour from Tokyo. Jon and his wife, Sarah, live in a nice house about five minutes from the train station. We enjoyed a nice meal and an evening of fellowship while we struggled to fight the effects of jet lag. Joining us for the evening was another MTW missionary, Isaac. They shared with us interesting aspects of planting churches and ministering in Japan, and some of what we can expect during this week.

Other highlights of the day included Marc getting double vision after taking a sleeping pill, and receiving a tutorial on Japanese appliances we're hoping to use without embarassment. We're heading to bed early tonight for church tomorrow and the day ahead of us. We feel blessed to be a part of this trip, and are thankful to all who have been praying for us! 


Arriving at Tokyo Narita airport


We were glad Isaac knew where we were going after seeing this map


Enjoying a meal and time of fellowship with Pfeils and Isaac