Old Japan Journal, Part 4

by | Sep 19, 2007 | Life in Japan

Following is another old entry from my former website, written during my first, year-long stay in Japan:

Monday, February 24, 2003: Relaxation, Japanese-style…

Last Monday I had a Japanese-style relaxation experience. I was invited for dinner to a student’s house along with a couple of fellow-teachers. We got there at around 11:30 am and didn’t leave until after 4. So if you ever get invited to a Japanese person’s house for a meal, go hungry, and be prepared to be sitting at the table, eating and chatting, for a good long while. I guess this is a sign of the Japanese being a very hospitable people as well as their abilty to relax.

Today I had the ultimate Japanese relaxation experience: the Onsen. Onsens are hot spring bath houses, with natural spring water that is heated by volcanic activity beneath the earth. Aparently the water is full of minerals and things that are very good for you as well. The custom is to bathe in the nude, with men and women in separate rooms of course (though I have heard there are exceptions).

I had heard of these onsens before, but today was my first visit to one. The real question is: Why did I wait so long? It was great. I highly recommend it to anyone who may plan to visit Japan, as long as you don’t mind being naked in front of strangers. It is very relaxing, and many of these onsens also have places where you can eat, sleep or get a massage. I was so relaxed after spending some time at the onsen today that I just wanted to come home and have a nap; so I did.

Like I said, Japanese people know how to work hard, but – wow – they really know how to relax as well!

UPDATE (March 1): It has been brought to my attention that the public bath we went to that day was probably not an actual onsen. Onsens, like I said, are natural hot springs. In the area of Japan I am living in, bath houses of the onsen variety are pretty rare. So it was artificially heated most likely. The Japanese word for “bathroom” is “ofuro”. Perhaps that would be more appropriate in this case.

Old Japan Journal, Part Three

by | Sep 13, 2007 | Life in Japan

Continuing my series of reflections from my first time in Japan (2002-2003), here is another entry, re-posted from the web journal I had going at the time:

Saturday, December 2, 2002: Reflections on Kyoto

… The lady who guided us is a student here, and was a great host. In fact, she spoiled us, insisting again and again on paying for parking, admission and meals — and there were five of us, uncluding her! One thing I have learned in my three months here is that when a Japanese person wants to give you something, it is very hard to say no. Maybe I shouldn’t generalize so much, but I have found the Japanese in general are very kind, giving and hospitable. The people I am meeting here are perhaps the best thing about this place, and are what I will remember the most about my time here.

While in Kyoto, we visited three different large, famous shrines or temples. From a cross-cultural, architechtural and historical perspective, this was very interesting. From a Christian perspective, it was kind of sad. At one place, Sarah (a fellow teacher) said she felt uncomfortable, but I said I didn’t — I felt sad. She asked if it was breaking my heart, and I said “maybe a little”; what I should have said is “not enough”. As a Christian, it is sad to see people turning to idols; and that’s what we saw — idolatry in its most literal sense. Very sad indeed.

All in all, it was a good day, though. We were definately experiencing Japan and seeing the Japanese in their cultural particulars. Eye-opening, in a way, and part of a year-long experience that is, I believe, going to be looked back on as a time of great learning; perhaps, even life-changing.

Old Japan Journal, Part Two

by | Aug 20, 2007 | Life in Japan

This is another post from my old website’s journal. I’m not posting these in any particular order. This one was based on one of my final adventures before leaving Japan: Climbing Mount Fuji. I post it today to go along with the above Photo of the Week of me and the group I climbed with.

Monday, August 19, 2003: Whitey Versus the Volcano

Early in the morning on Saturday, August 16th, Sam, Michelle (two friends and fellow-teachers) and I began our expedition to Mount Fuji. After travelling all day by bus, our tour group arrived there right around supper time. The bus took us to the highest point you can go to by bus, about half way up this tallest mountain in Japan.

After taking some time to eat and get ourselves ready, we began our eight-hour-plus journey to the top of the mountain. We would travel over night in hopes of seeing the sunrise from the top of Mount Fuji early the next morning. Unfortunately, as it turned out, the weather did not allow us to see the sun rise.

The weather also made the climb alot more difficult than it might have been in better conditions. The first hour or so of the hike was pretty easy, really. The trail was steadily uphill but not too steep for the most part. The ground was loose gravel and small rocks; nothing too serious. By the time it was completely dark out, though, it had started to rain and we were coming upon more and more difficult climbing conditions, involving some big steps over large rocks and the need to be careful to get secure footing. It was getting more and more cold and the air more and more thin as we ascended higher and higher. We were also getting wetter and wetter as we went. I in particular was not prepared for the rain as much as I should have been, but even those who were supposedly well-prepared were getting cold and wet.

Climbing Mount Fuji was definitely one of those “only in Japan” experiences, and not only because of the large crowds, tour buses and shrines. Late at night, after about four hours of climbing and hiking with only short, still-wet stops along the way, we stopped for our one long break. This is when things got interesting. Our “sleeping” arrangements were less than ideal, but amusing if nothing else. Picture this: dozens of people lined up as tightly as possible, side-by-side, lying alternatingly with their heads facing one way or the other so as to cram as many people in as possible, sharing blankets, in crawl spaces one on top of the other. Rolling over was not an option, and sleeping didn’t seem to be either, what with the closeness inside and the noise from outside the “bedroom”. I did hear some snoring, though, amazingly. But the good thing was that we got a chance to get ourselves warmed up nicely before once again braving the elements for the final four hours or so of the journey.

And so, after that “sleeping” break, it was back out into the cold in our wet shoes and insufficient rain gear to climb the rest of the way up the mountain. It was at this point that we first realized that our climbing guide had been drinking on the job. Apparently during the long break, he’d had a few too many, and by this point was a little tipsy and a lot more talkative than he’d been before. My friend Samuel was great to have along at this point, because he has no inhibitions about speaking up or anything, and was the one who got our guide moving again several times along the way, encouraging him to shut up and get moving. Our Japanese fellow-climbers never would have spoken up, I’m sure, holding to the Japanese mind-set and culture of politeness and respect.

Somehow, after many hours of climbing and seemingly almost freezing to death, we made it to the top, even with a drunk guide. We got there around sunrise, but as I said, the weather didn’t allow us to see a sunrise; it just got light out. So I didn’t get many good photos either. But we made it. And that seems to be saying alot, considering that of the over 30 people in our group, only about six or seven of us made it all the way. It was definitely a challenge and I’m glad it’s over, but I’m glad I did it too. I’d been dreaming of climbing Mount Fuji for about a year, and it was great and rewarding too see my dream come true.

Old Japan Journal, Part One

by | Aug 12, 2007 | Thoughts

Over the next little while, I thought I’d share some stories and thoughts from my past experiences in Japan. As many readers probably already know, I spent a year in Osaka, teaching English at Grace English School. I was there from August 2002 until August 2003, and maintained a website where I posted photos and writings on what I was experiencing. The following is one of those journal entries…

Sunday, December 1, 2002: Thoughts on Culture and Ministry

Sometimes when teaching English it is hard to explain simple concepts like when to use “a” and when to use “the”, or the difference between “this” and “that”. It is difficult because I don’t know Japanese and the students don’t know enough English.

A similar problem is found, too, when trying to communicate the gospel. The language barrier is always a factor, of course. But even without language barriers, there are always cultural differences to take into account; things that are different between those from the east and those from the west, those that are churched and those that are unchurched, and so on. These differences can lead to misunderstandings and barriers to sharing ideas.

My fellow teacher and missionary, Samuel, is doing his thesis on this very idea – how to contextualize the Gospel, interpreting and theologizing in such a way that a person will understand and relate to, given their particular background. When ministering in a country like Japan, where Christians make up about 1% of the population (if that), Christians need to overcome the misperception that Christianity is a foreign religion. So those of us ministering here (and in other places where the Gospel seems foreign) need to drop our theological jargon, learn who it is we are trying to reach, and speak to them on their level.

So we need to know how the people we are ministering to think. But we also need to know their hearts. In Japan, ministry is very relational; you need to get to know a person before you can share your beliefs with them. Having said that, I believe that that is true in most cultures. Other methods may work to an extent, but the Gospel – which is all about our relationship with God – is best spread through relationships. If you want to share the love of Jesus with someone, you’d better be ready to share your own love too.

So this is the bottom line of I am trying to express: As Christians, wherever we come from, whatever culture we are in, and whatever the background of those we are trying to reach, we need to speak the truth in love and in a way that our hearers can understand and relate to. And we really need God’s help to do so.