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So what is Shinto?

Japan’s two dominant religions, Buddhism and Shinto, have coexisted, and intermingled in Japan for nearly 2,000 years, but Shinto is Japan’s indigenous religion tracing it’s roots back to before the time of Christ. It is a polytheistic belief system that honors millions of gods, which are worshiped in shrines, some of which are elaborate buildings on sprawling grounds, others as small as a shack tucked in the middle of a neighborhood.

Small shrine located near our church.
Small shrine located near our church.

It’s extremely difficult to understand coming from a Christian worldview.  Virtually everything that we as Christians hold as foundational — forgiveness of sins, relationship with God, eternal life, holy living, studying the scriptures,  all of this is almost wholly absent in Shinto. There is no moral code to study and its holy books are largely a collection of folktales about the various gods that are revered. Very few people here would be able to actually give a working definition of what Shinto followers believe, because belief itself is not important. What is far more important is that you participate in the rituals, holidays and rites which connect you with nature, the community, the nation, and the gods.

The largest shrine in our city, Morioka Hachimangu Shrine.
The largest shrine in our city, Morioka Hachimangu Shrine.

The outward result is that virtually the entire population of Japan participates in Shinto rituals, but to them it’s as natural as celebrating Christmas or Thanksgiving. Most of the time don’t think of it as a religious experience, it’s just tradition. Shrines are everywhere, and each shrine revers it’s own god. Some gods are good at helping you find a girl friend. Others can help you pass a school exam. If you need your back healed, then you have to find the right god who can help and pay a visit to his shrine. But each local community also has it’s own shrine, and it’s own local festivals. The shrines and the events surrounding them become a center of community life, and the residents feel a responsibility to their own shrine, and the god worshiped there.

There is also a national component, as a key teaching in Shinto is that the emperors of Japan are descended from the gods. Shinto thus fosters a national loyalty to Japan’s emperor, and a connection to the nation as a whole. Local gods are revered, but there is a hierarchy, and larger national shrines have greater prominence. This nationalism, which was exploited in the lead up to World War II, and nearly shattered in the aftermath of Japan’s defeat and the emperor’s admission that he was not divine, remains influential to this day.

Shrines themselves always seek to have a strong connection with nature. They are often found in difficult to reach, rugged and beautiful places. When they are in a town, they can usually be spotted first by the clump of trees that often surround them. It can be a little jarring walking from a busy city street into a quiet seemingly untamed plot of land, which is exactly the intended effect.

Unlike Christianity and most other religions, Shinto places very little on emphasis on doctrines or dogmas. There is almost no component of teaching, preaching. It does not really seek to explain what happens after death, but instead is concerned chiefly with the present life of it’s practitioners. Shinto is not characterized so much by what you believe, but by performing and participating in rituals and festivities that have been handed down for thousands of years to honor various gods. By continuing these rituals one is in continuity with Japan’s past.

However it is almost taken for granted that all who practice Shinto are also practitioners of another religion, which in Japan overwhelmingly means Buddhism, but from a Shinto perspective there’s no problem being Shinto and Muslim, or Hindu, or Christian. This obviously poses a serious challenge for Christians seeking to witness to Japanese, as in calling Japanese to repent and turn only to worshiping the One True God, to many this means a break with their communities, families, and even their identity as Japanese.

However as painful as such a loss may be many Japanese have indeed found that the joy of knowing God, and the community found with Him and His church makes it well worthwhile. Pray that the Holy Spirit will reveal this to the other 99% of Japanese who remain in darkness.

If you’d like to learn more about Buddhism in Japan, you can read this post: So what is Buddhism all about?

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New baby arriving any day!

Tomo’s due date is just 11 days away, so we’re into that time period where the baby could come at any time. Any time she’s out of my sight I’m keeping a close eye on my phone in case I need to rush home and get her to the hospital. We’ve heard that labor often goes quicker with the second child, which just makes me more nervous. It’s a very exciting time. We’ve got the house all ready, new car seat installed, and a bunch of frozen meals to keep me and Titus alive during the week Tomo will be in the hospital (standard procedure here in Japan). Tomo just had a check up today, and as has been the case throughout the pregnancy, everything is going smoothly, both Tomo and the baby are great. Please pray for a smooth delivery in God’s timing!

Tomorrow will a showing of Japanese film that our church is helping to promote. It tells the story of a former Yakuza member (Japanese mafia) who comes to Christ. It is not a Christian film per-se, but the director is a Christian. The cast is filled with very famous Japanese actors, but due to some strange circumstances has been unable to secure a wide release. One of the major backers of the film died while it was in production, which led to a large loss of funding. They were able to finish the film, but had no money left for distribution and marketing. To try to get things rolling they are scheduling private screenings throughout Japan, relying on the help of churches to get the word out. I’ll be helping drive people to the showingtomorrow. Many Christians are inviting non-Christian family members and friends, and so far seeing a lot of interest due to the notoriety of the cast. Pray that this film touches hearts and sparks conversations about the life changing power of the gospel. The film is called Fukemon. You can check out the trailer here if you’re interested.

Thank you for your prayers for Titus entering Yochien, and for my test this past July. Titus has been doing really well at his preschool, and really seems to be enjoying it there playing with all the other kids. After two weeks he’s already starting to pick up Japanese phrases. My goal is to stay ahead of him. Speaking of which, I also found out that I passed the N3 Japanese language Proficiency test. This means that I’m still roughly on track for meeting the language goals I set when starting language school. I hope to take the N2 test at the end of the year, and graduate from language school next March. Thank you for your prayers!

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8 Great Japanese Sodas

One thing I really appreciate about Japan is the incredible selection of beverages they have. With a convenience store (or two) on every corner, and a vending machine (or five) every hundred feet,  just walking around town you’ll face an overwhelming number of choices on a hot summer day. Or a cold winter one for that matter, vending machines and convenience stores both dispense hot canned drinks in the winter. I’m limiting this list to sodas, but tea, coffee and energy drinks have an equally staggering variety available.

1. Kirin Mets Grapefruit

metsOne of my favorites here for hot summer days. It taste’s a lot like a Squirt, but less sweet and a stronger, but very refreshing, grapefruit flavor.

2. Mitsuya Cider

mitsuyaciderI guess this would be the Japanese answer to Sprite. It’s clear, but not a citrus flavor. I don’t really know what to compare it to, tastes a little like a ginger ale, but less sweet, with a sharper bite and a distinctly different, slightly herbal flavor. I was a little taken off guard the first time I tried it, and it took some getting used to.

3. Melon Soda

melonOK, so there’s gotta be at least a dozen brands that sell some form of melon soda here. There are both standard melon and melon cream. I imagine the cream versions get their inspiration from the popular melon floats sold as dessert at many restaurants. Generally these are very sweet, very green, with a subtle honey dew melon flavor (though I did find a cantaloupe version once that was quite good) and I have a hard time passing one up anytime its available.

4. Pepsi Refresh Shot

pepsishotI prefer Coke over Pepsi. But I kept seeing this and had to give it a try. It’s about the size of a Red Bull, and supposedly has something like twice the caffeine of a normal Pepsi. It tasted like a Pepsi. Probably won’t be getting many of them though as Japan has better energy drinks available if I really need a boost (not to mention a couple hundred variety’s of excellent canned coffee).

5. Plum Soda

plum

Plum’s here are big in popularity,  small in size. They make a sour plum wine out of them, as well as a refreshing summer drink, sort of a rough Japanese equivalent of lemonade. This is the soda version of those drinks, and it’s delicious. Has a really nice sour bite to it, along with an easily recognizable plum sweetness.

6. Oranamin C

oranaminVitamin infused soft drinks are popular here. I’m not sure exactly why– no one seems to be fooled into thinking that they are actually healthy, but maybe the combination of sugar and vitamins just puts an energetic bounce to your step when you need it. Whatever the reasons, this little guy here is nonetheless one of my favorite sodas in Japan. It tastes a little like a cream soda, but with a slightly bitter, vitaminy after taste, which somehow pulls together the whole experience nicely. It’s very refreshing, and gives you a good dose of Vitamin C, a few of the Bs, some Royal Jelly, and all the sugar you would expect from a normal soda.

7. Yogurt Soda

1900114_630076371340_489613It’s a soda, but with yogurt mixed in for flavoring. It’s carbonated, not any thicker in texture than a normal soda, and has a very creamy flavor. At first it taste like a cream soda (only more so) but then finishes with a slightly sour, yogurty after taste. It’s actually really good.

8. A billion different Fanta Flavors

yuzufantaJapan has more Fanta flavors available than anywhere else in the word. Naturally you’ve got your standard Orange and Grape Fanta pretty much everywhere. And of course there has to be a melon Fanta, because everyone who makes soft drinks here has to put out a melon one. But then it seems like throughout the year there’s always something new. I tried this Yuzu one last Summer. I’ve also had Lychee, White Peach and Nashi (Japanese Pear). I’m always on the look for one I haven’t tried yet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Ministry, Mormons, and a new Baby.

Thank you for your faithful prayers and support! For the last month I’ve been on Summer break from Language School. We’ve tried to find time to relax and catch our breath, while at the same time getting involved in a number of different ministry events that God’s allowed us to take part in. At the same time I’ve also been slowly making progress through the mountain of Japanese homework I took home with me to do over the Summer (Just about done!). To see some photos of our Summer so far, click here.

Other than that our big project has been getting ready for the arrival of our new baby! Tomo’s due date is just a month away, so we’re almost into the “it could happen any time” zone. Thanks in aprt to the help of my brothers and one of their friends who were visiting from America this Summer, we were able to rearrange our little apartment to get a dedicated kids room. Already we’re reaping the benefits of that with Titus sleeping in his own room instead of with us (though he’s still getting used to that arrangement…). Titus is also getting ready to start Yochien, or Japanese pre-school later this month. This will make it a little easier on Tomo when she first takes our new baby home, as I’ll be back in school by then. Please pray that Titus adjusts well and that the baby is born without any complications. We’re really excited to welcome our new daughter home in the coming weeks!

I had a random encounter with a couple of Mormon missionaries, one girl from Oregon, and a Japanese girl from Chiba. I was taking Titus to the store to get some groceries by bike for the first time, but couldn’t figure out how to use the kickstand on it. After struggling with it for a good 5 minutes with many people streaming past, I someone behind me asking if I was ok in Japanese. This is fairly unusual as most Japanese are a little hesitant to strike up conversations with foreigners. I suppose that here too, Mormon’s are among the nicest people you’ll meet. On the one hand it’s devastating to see that the Mormon church is here in Japan leading people away from the truth of the Gospel. Ironically in the years leading up to the Tsunami while all the Evangelical missionaries had moved on from Iwate, the Mormon’s continued to send a steady stream through to their church near our house.

But even more devastating is just how close these Japanese Mormon’s are compared to the vast majority of their countrymen. They’ve overcome all the same hurdles that keep Japanese away Christ, only to land themselves in a false church. I had a nice chat with them, and even got a chance to share a little bit of the Gospel while standing outside the grocery store. Please pray that they would find the truth, and that their efforts to lead other Japanese to Mormonism would fail (or somehow in God’s providence would instead lead them to Himself!).

Thank you for being a part of all that God is doing over here. We appreciate and rely upon your prayers each day.

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2014 Summer Minsitry

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Answers to Prayer in July

In our last prayer update we asked for prayer for my children’s message on July 13, and the English Cafe last Friday. We were blessed to see God’s hand in both of these. On July 13th I presented a 10 minute gospel message in Japanese at a children’s Ice Cream Party our church hosted. I was fairly nervous as it was my first time doing anything like that. My prayer before I spoke was simply that I would be understood. I didn’t have high hopes that I would be able to use clever phrases or even that I would be able to avoid stumbling over words, but my hope and prayer was that I would be able to explain why Christ came to die for us, and that those in attendance would be able to understand what I said. I wound up relying far more heavily on my notes than I wanted, and basically read large portions of my talk, while pushing through some pretty rough portions, but when all was said and done two church ladies came up to me afterwards and told me that it was very easy to understand what I said. Praise God.

We took over as hosts for our church’s monthly English Teaching Outreach in May. In June we had a very small turn out with no people from outside the church attending, so we were a little discouraged and concerned about the future of the event. Another concern that we’d noticed is that our normal program seemed to be too advanced for most of the people who attended. Initially the event was geared more towards allowing Japanese who are studying English to practice their conversation skills with native speakers, however over the last six months or so the people who have come were at a lower level of English ability, and were having a hard time following the program.

We asked for prayers for the July English Cafe, which was held this past Friday and were excited to see a large turnout of people from the church, as well as one non believer who has attended once in the past. With help from a team from Singapore, and a few other church members, we reworked the program a little to make it easier for people of any level of English to participate, and it seemed as though it really worked well. Everyone who showed up was able to participate, enjoy the games and activities, and seemed to be learning a lot. I was able to spend a good 20 minutes talking with the non-believer in attendance, and he really seemed to appreciate being able to practice speaking with someone willing to let him go at his own pace and help him along. At the end of the night he said he was looking forward to attending our next event in August. Praise God!

In the last few weeks since our last update, I was also able to visit the coast with a team from our church to help out at an event put on by a fellow missionary serving in partnership with the Iwate 3.11 Church Network. After three and a half years survivors are finally beginning to move into permanent housing. While this is a huge step for many of them, they now face challenges of really reestablishing their lives in new communities. Pray that the friendships that they have built with each other, and with Christian workers will be able to persist through this change. In the past month I’ve heard stories of five survivors who have given their lives to Christ, which is a huge praise. Pray that they will grow in their new faith in the midst of a very difficult place to be a Christian, and that they will be the first fruits of many more whom God will save in the coming months and years as Christians continue to support, love and share with people in these communities.

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So Many Ministry Opportunities

This past Sunday I took the JLPT N3 test, and while parts of it were more difficult than I expected, over all I think I did well enough to pass. I won’t get my result until next month though, so please be praying for a good one! Some missions organizations here consider passing the N3 test to be the minimum level of language proficiency needed to begin ministry here in Japan, so passing this one will be a big step. My goal from the beginning was to pass the N2 test, which the one after N3, which is what my brother was able to do after two years of language school. If all goes well I’ll take that test in December.

After two weeks of almost non stop tests and practice tests, the work load at language school is winding down as Summer break approaches. Partly because of this, we’re taking the opportunity to help out a little more at the church. I was asked to give a children’s message at an Ice Cream Party out reach this coming Sunday. Though I was given the option of doing it either in English with a translator, I’m going to try to do it in Japanese. Even for a short 10 minute message it will require a lot of preparation on my part so please pray that I am able to get it all written and practiced before Sunday.

We’re also busy planning the next English Cafe, which will be held on July 25th. After talking with Pastor Kondo we’ve decided to try to target the event more at a beginner’s level of English, as that seems to be where most people are at. Also we’re trying to find good ways to promote it, and hope to get some posters made and put up in advance as well as some fliers distributed. Please pray that the event goes well, and particularly that we get a good turn out. 

There are countless ministry opportunities here, and one of the hardest things is having to turn down so many of them due to the fact that I’m still in language school. And that’s just here in Morioka. The needs on the coast are even greater. Our church is small, with an average attendance of around 70 people, but by God’s grace we’re seeking to have a large impact on this city. It seems that everyone in the church is involved in something, and still there is always more that we hope to do. Pray that God continues to supply laborers, and that He will bring in the harvest!

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Exams, Exams, New Baby, Exams

On Monday, I took 2 exams testing my knowledge of Japanese grammar, and ability to listening ability, and wrote an essay. The essay topic was on whether or not I thought students should be permitted to use their smart phone dictionary in class (I argued that it was, based on the fact that buying an electronic dictionary costs around $400, while the Google Translate app on my phone is free). Tuesday continued with vocabulary, kanji and reading comprehension. In two weeks I’ll take the 4 hour long, 3 part N3 Japanese Language Proficiency Exam, so in preparation for that, today I spend the first three hours of class taking three practice tests once again going over grammar, vocabulary, kanji, and reading comprehension.

It’s been a little bit of a rough transition going back to being a full time student after being out of school for ten years, and learning Japanese is significantly more challenging to me than my computer and Bible classes I took at Master’s. And yet, we are here to share with people the hope of salvation through Christ Jesus, something that is impossible to do unless I can actually communicate with people. Praise God that little by little my Japanese ability is progressing. While I am still far from where I need to be, I feel that I’ve also come a long way from where I was a year ago. Thank you for praying for us as we go through this process, thank you for your long term investment in us, in patiently supporting us through this vital period of preparation for a life time of service here in Japan.

Tomo is officially into her third trimester, and is furiously researching every conceivable baby gadget, tool, and necessity. She’s determined that American baby products are largely superior to Japanese ones, so about half of what we’ll be getting will be coming from the States. She’s feeling pretty ambitious, and is even tossing around the idea of cloth diapers. We’re both really excited about the prospect of having a new baby girl in our home, and also totally exhausted at the mere thought of it. Tomo’s due date is three days before my Fall exams. Please be praying for us to be able to cope with all the preparations, and for a safe and healthy delivery in September!