We spent our first real day in Japan touring the greater Tokyo area. Here are my first impressions of what we saw...
Clean and neat: bathrooms, subways, streets, even the people
Quiet: no cars honking in the city, no people talking on the subways... except for us
High-tech: the toilets and bathrooms have so many buttons, you don't know what to push
Yummy: chicken katsu don, Ebi fillet and pork katsu burgers at McDonalds, chicken curry at the Nakamuras, just like my dad used to make :)
Hectic: People seem to be rushing everywhere
Cute: I keep find myself saying, "Isn't that a cute sign?", "Look at that cute t-shirt", "I can't stop taking pictures of all the cute kids in their uniforms"
We've also spent the past few days getting an orientation to the Japanese culture. I've found it very intestesting that even though I'm third generation and don't consider myself "very Japanese", I can relate so much to so many things. The importance of trying to "fit in with the crowd", the fear of having to perform in front of others, the need to work hard and achieve, and the desire to isolate when things get stressful.
When I thought about coming to Japan on a mission trip, I found it harder to relate to the needs of the people. As compared to places like Thailand or Kenya, they seem to have all the modern conveniences, wealth and huge variety of entertainment options. But the more I learn about the culture, I'm so glad that God brought me here to Japan to serve the people here. Suicide rates are increasing as people experience economic challenges, children feel hopeless and uncertain about their future, stabbings are on the rise as an outlet for people's frustration, and cult worship is growing as people search for answers.
We pray that through our VBS program we will be able to connect with the children and their parents with a message of joy and hope. We look forward to sharing our songs, stories, crafts and recreation games with them soon. Please pray that we'll be able to use our last few days to rest up, get over our jet lag, and prepare our last minute details for the week ahead...
Sayonara from Japan :)
Heather
Clean and neat: bathrooms, subways, streets, even the people
Quiet: no cars honking in the city, no people talking on the subways... except for us
High-tech: the toilets and bathrooms have so many buttons, you don't know what to push
Yummy: chicken katsu don, Ebi fillet and pork katsu burgers at McDonalds, chicken curry at the Nakamuras, just like my dad used to make :)
Hectic: People seem to be rushing everywhere
Cute: I keep find myself saying, "Isn't that a cute sign?", "Look at that cute t-shirt", "I can't stop taking pictures of all the cute kids in their uniforms"
We've also spent the past few days getting an orientation to the Japanese culture. I've found it very intestesting that even though I'm third generation and don't consider myself "very Japanese", I can relate so much to so many things. The importance of trying to "fit in with the crowd", the fear of having to perform in front of others, the need to work hard and achieve, and the desire to isolate when things get stressful.
When I thought about coming to Japan on a mission trip, I found it harder to relate to the needs of the people. As compared to places like Thailand or Kenya, they seem to have all the modern conveniences, wealth and huge variety of entertainment options. But the more I learn about the culture, I'm so glad that God brought me here to Japan to serve the people here. Suicide rates are increasing as people experience economic challenges, children feel hopeless and uncertain about their future, stabbings are on the rise as an outlet for people's frustration, and cult worship is growing as people search for answers.
We pray that through our VBS program we will be able to connect with the children and their parents with a message of joy and hope. We look forward to sharing our songs, stories, crafts and recreation games with them soon. Please pray that we'll be able to use our last few days to rest up, get over our jet lag, and prepare our last minute details for the week ahead...
Sayonara from Japan :)
Heather
1 comment:
heather,
i forgot that when you stayed with us last time in tokyo, you were enroute. i am glad you are getting to see and 'feel' the country of our ancestors. it is an absolutely wonderful place. i am always amazed that the biggest metropolis in the world can be such a safe place in which to live and travel. we will be praying for you guys!
carol
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