Things That Make You Go Hmmmm.....

Living in a foreign country makes you very observant because you want to learn as much as you can about the culture. As much as we've learned in the short time we've been in Japan, some things just don't make sense to us Americans. Take for instance the bicycle...

* It's no secret that throughout Asia the bicycle is very popular as a means for transportation, not recreation. They've got all kinds of gadgets for the bicycle; bells so they don't run into people on the sidewalks, lights that generate electricity from pedaling, big baskets on the front to hold they're daily groceries. In Japan they even have rules for riding a bicycle posted in their testing booklet for getting a drivers license. One of those rules is to NOT ride your bicycle while holding an umbrella. Although, we've seen people riding a bike, holding an umbrella, and texting on their cell phone! As important as the bicycle is we just can't figure out why almost all of them in Japan look like they're from the 1950's! Hmmm....

* No central heating or air conditioning in most homes in Japan. Instead, electric rugs and blankets seem to be popular in the winter. Almost every home has at least one or two electric air conditioning units that can also be used as a heater, depending on how many rooms there are. Yet, it's still cold or hot between the rooms. A kind of Kerosene heat is also popular in the winter, if the smell doesn't kill you. And what really makes you stop and think is the fact that building insulation is almost non-existent, at least in the south part of Japan. We just aren't sure they're saving the money and energy that they think they are by not using central heating/air and insulation. Hmmm...

* Dish washing machines are NOT a hot item in Japan, but dish dryers ARE! Here's a counter top dish dryer.

* Most Americans think "green tea" when they are thinking about Japan. Even though having "tea time" is a social event after some kind of gathering, coffee is often served more than tea. But the name "tea time" hasn't changed. So don't be confused when visiting Japan and join in on a "tea time" without tea. In fact, we've become quite the coffee drinkers living here. FYI there's no decaf coffee to be found! Hmmm...

* In the kitchen of our church someone brought some big glasses that have been labeled "American size." One of the first Sundays we were in Japan Nick reached for one of them to drink out of. A church member made a strange face and said that she thought that the glass was actually a flower vase! The phenomenon is that you can never go thirsty in Japan because there is a vending machine on every corner. However, when you sit down to a meal everyone has to keep refilling their glass because it's so small! Hmmm...

* Speaking of vending machines. There are all kinds of them here. You can everything from hot/cold drinks to ice cream to cooked food to cigarettes to beer. I'd never heard of a public beer or cigarette vending machines before. The age for drinking and smoking is 18+ in Japan. Of course, there is a warning sign posting the age for buying them. I'm thinking...whose gonna stop them! We have heard that there are new ones coming out that check ID. Here's some pictures of just a few kinds of vending machines in Japan. I've heard there is now a human vending machine. I wondering what the purpose of this one is? Hmmm....

Beer Vending Machine

Cigarette Vending Machine

Fresh Egg Vending Machine

Fortune Vending Machine

Tennis Shoe Vending Machine

* The speed limit for side roads here is set at 40-50kilometers/hour or (25-30miles/hour). But, it seems that no follows it b/c if you speed the cops don't chase you down. Instead they set up certain spots that everyone can see then wave your car over and write you a ticket. Sometimes they clock your speed and other times they don't. I guess they just assume you're speeding b/c the speed limit is so slow. Another interesting driving tip to know about is the "red light." When the light turns red it's more like a suggestion. Almost every time we've seen 3+ cars continue driving through the obviously red light! You just have to keep a good watch and make sure everyone is finished driving through before you drive into traffic! Hmmm...

This list of things could go on and on... We just wanted to share a few things that we wonder about in the culture here!

Going To Church In Japan!

Going to church in Japan has been quite different for us. The two biggest challenges that we've had is the small number of people and the language barrier. It's quite something to come from a church that is 10,000+ people and then become a part of a church that has about 30 people! Let us tell you that the accountability is very strong! When we first came to Japan and didn't go to church one Sunday. Everyone was so worried that something bad had happened to us....needless to say that we got a few phone calls that day!

This picture is what the average attendance of Sunday worship looks like, at least one side of the room. If you will notice, there are quite a number of men in this picture. Our church has a relatively large number of men. The typical Japanese church is made up of mainly women. Much of this stems from the Japanese culture being a very matriarchal society. A large percent of women that get married quit their jobs and stay home to be a wife/mother. Therefore there are a lot of housewives that have more time available to try new things, like learning English and attending Bible studies, and becoming Christians.

The style of worship in Japanese churches vary as much as any place. However, I would venture to say that there are more "contemporary" style churches in Tokyo than in any other place in Japan. Where we live, on the the island of Kyushu, is considered the country side. So, most churches in our area are more traditional in the sense that using Hymnals are widely used instead of songs projected on a screen. The Kitakyushu church has transitioned from Hymnals to a projector just since we've been here. People dress up more and there are definitely "official ways" of doing things. The best advice that we got early on was to learn the two easiest Japanese alphabets called Hiragana and Katakana. If we did this, then we could at least follow along with the songs and even sing some of them! Since then, we can sing almost every song during the service. Although, we don't always know what it is we're saying! We are blessed to be in a church that sings both Japanese and English songs. So, we're not totally lost all the time!

Listening to the message is another story. Our church has a rotation of men that give the message each Sunday. Most of the time it is given by the Japanese men. But, sometimes it is given in English by Nick or some of the other Americans. This picture is of Nick giving a message in English and it is being translated into Japanese by our good friend Rocky Ayatsuka. Thank goodness we have others in our church that usually translate the Japanese messages into English for us. It's pretty normal for us to sit in the back on any given Sunday and have someone whispering translation in our ears from the seat behind.

And probably you've never seen this barefoot sight in a church worship service before! As you probably know, shoes are usually taken off when entering a home in Japan. Sometimes this custom includes hospitals and other kinds of buildings. Some churches in Japan practice this custom and so you worship with your shoes off....many times slippers are provided! Our church happens to be a shoe wearing facility. Boy, I'm glad of that!

Another unfamiliar sight in a Japanese church is the baptistery. There is a lack of space in Japan for anything. So, it takes a lot of creativity for a church members to decide where to place the baptistery. Some churches place it in a kind of closet, others simply don't have one and go to the ocean or a river, our church placed in the floor of the building. The picture above shows the one that is on our building underneath two platforms that serve as the stage.

And then there is tea time! We learned quickly that if you live in Japan you HAVE to learn to drink tea or coffee. After every Sunday worship we have tea time and snacks and fellowship. This is not only the case at church, but at almost any social gathering there is a time afterwards for tea time. Again, the lack of space is an issue. We just rearrange the chairs from service and add a few tables and vwala! Basically that's what we do for our Cafe on Fridays too.

The Kitakyushu Bible Church is a growing international church. Including us there are three other Americans. We also have two Korean families and a Taiwanese. Often there are Chinese college students that visit. It's atmosphere is friendly and open. But, like any church there are challenges and growing pains. We have loved being a part of this church for the past two years and will miss all of our friends terribly! This church and all the Christians in Japan need our prayers!

PRAY for this church's first Japanese pastor that was recently chosen by our church members.

PRAY for them as it will be the first time there will not be TEAM missionaries present after we go back to the states.

PRAY that these Christians will feel empowered as strong leaders and motivated to continue their outreach to nonbelievers.

PRAY that an improved children's program will be put into place as the number of them are growing.

PRAY for more missionaries to come to Japan and share God's love with these wonderful people.

PRAY that more Japanese Christians will evangelize their own people.