MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY HOLIDAYS 2022

we touched this same spot with our hands, our feet, our gaze and our dreams

Sunday, December 28, 2008

Homeless in Tokyo

Monday 29th December, 06:44 AM JST

Homeless people have set up tents along the Sumida River in Tokyo.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Tokyo Tower marks 50th anniversary

TOKYO —

A monument to some and a monstrosity to others, Tokyo Tower is turning 50.

The 333-meter tower in the heart of Tokyo marks its 50th anniversary Tuesday with a light show, a daylong concert and a cake-cutting, tower officials said in a statement.

The white-and-orange tower, built to resemble the Eiffel Tower in Paris, is the world’s tallest self-supporting steel tower. It is 13 meters taller than its French counterpart.

Along with being one of Tokyo’s most visible tourist attractions, it has been used since its completion on Dec 23, 1958, as a radio and television relay station.

Though it has been panned by some as an eyesore and has lost some of its shine as Tokyo’s skyline has grown up around it, the tower continues to be one of the most popular sites in the city for visitors.

About 2.5 million people visit the tower each year, and more than 157 million have visited since it was opened to the public.

Friday, December 05, 2008

Japan's Protestants to mark 150th mission anniversary

Protestants in Japan are preparing to mark the 150th anniversary in 2009 of the beginning of Protestant missionary work in the country, at a special assembly in Japan's second-largest city of Yokohama, reports Ecumenical News International.

"The significance of this assembly is found in that we will be thankful for Japan's Protestant mission as a work begun by the Lord Jesus Christ, and for the start of a new phase in the past 50 years, so that we may receive a new vision looking to the future," said the Rev. Makoto Watabe, general secretary of the Japan Bible Society and secretary general of the committee that is organizing the two-day assembly in July 2009.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Last regular run for classic train

Monday, Dec. 1, 2008

OKAYAMA (Kyodo) One of the first types of bullet trains ran Sunday from Okayama to Hakata Station in Fukuoka on its final regular run, 44 years after its debut.

News photo
Zero Hero: Fans flock to take pictures of a 0 Series bullet train Sunday before it left JR Okayama Station on its final run. KYODO PHOTO

About 2,000 train aficionados packed JR Okayama Station to see off the round-nose 0 Series model, with some calling out, "You did a good job!" and "Come back someday!"

The 152 reserved seats on the train were sold out in seconds after they were put on sale Oct. 30.

Hundreds more flocked to Okayama Station early Sunday for the 248 nonreserved seats, West Japan Railway Co. said.

Special farewell runs of 0, or Zero, Series trains are planned for three days in December.

Foreigners finding creative ways to make a living in Tokyo


By Beau Miller

TOKYO

Not every foreigner in Tokyo is an English teacher — there are also bankers, headhunters and other kinds of teachers, too. Joking aside, expats are doing all manner of jobs here, pursuing passions and paving career paths that a few decades ago would not have been possible.

Here is a diverse group of four Americans, a Canadian, two Brits and a Romanian who are making a living in nontraditional ways.

Brian Tannura: The Candy Man

It all started with a talking gumball machine. Then-Nova teacher Brian Tannura, letting his entrepreneurial side get the best of him, ordered one of the devices after seeing it in an American magazine. After he spent the equivalent of two months’ salary on the machine, you can imagine Tannura’s mood after plugging it in and realizing that the hertz didn’t match up.

Gliding through this hiccup, the 34-year-old New Jersey native now manages over 2,000 so-called “flat” vending machines, selling mostly stickers. “There will be 3,000 by end of this year and over 5,000 next year if current projections hold true,” he says.

But it is Tannura’s newest venture, importing and reselling American chocolates and snacks, that has earned him the “Candy Man” moniker. “I hope to follow a path which I first traveled with the sticker business. In that business, I also began with a small testing period—one machine, followed by five and then ten, etc,” he says. “I climbed the stairs, so to speak, re-investing profits into additional machines over the course of a few years.”

Are there clear top sellers from the candy boxes he now places in offices around Tokyo?

“Chocolate is always a big hit. I learned that pretty quickly,” he says. Tannura also recalls one encounter with a customer after the machine had sold out of his favorite product. “The ‘cashew man’ took the first chance he saw to grab me by the collar and let it be known in no uncertain terms that it was I who had got him started on his daily fix, and so it was my responsibility to keep him well-supplied.”

Hazards of the job, he reckons.

brian@marketpioneerjapan.com

read more stories like this

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Addressing the loneliness of children in materially affluent Japan

November 25, 2008

Japanese children may live in a materially rich environment by global standards, but among 24 countries in a survey last year, Japan had the highest percentage of children who felt lonely.

On Nov. 11, a Japan-Netherlands joint symposium on education reform was held at Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo, organized by the Embassy of the Netherlands in Tokyo. One of the guest speakers was Naoko Richters, a Japanese education researcher now living in the Netherlands.

"Why are there so many children in materially affluent Japan who feel lonely?" Richters asked the group of about 300 participants, including Japanese education officials.

Richters was referring to a figure in a children's happiness survey conducted in countries belonging to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development that was released in 2007 by UNICEF. In Japan, 29.8 percent of 15-year-olds agreed with the statement "I feel lonely," placing Japan at the top of the list of 24 countries. Next highest was Iceland at 10.3 percent. The Netherlands had the lowest figure, at 2.9 percent.

Furthermore, the percentage of respondents who agreed with the statement "I feel awkward," reached 18.1 percent in Japan, again placing the country at the top of the list. The corresponding figure in the Netherlands was 6.9 percent. In the 40 categories overall, the Netherlands came out in top position in terms of children's happiness.

So why is there such a difference between the Netherlands and Japan?

"I think one reason is the difference in education," ventures Richters, who has two children with her Dutch husband. She has been living in the Netherlands since 1996, and through her children she has had a taste of both Japanese and Dutch education.

The Netherlands emphasizes individual education that features both independent and joint learning. In elementary school classrooms, it is reportedly common to see students divided into groups of about five, each working through different topics. There is no single textbook for everyone; the children are given appropriate teaching materials matching their proficiency.

"You might call it education fitting each person's size," Richters said. Previously in the Netherlands the style of lessons was similar to Japan, with one person teaching the same thing to everyone. But in the 1960s and 1970s, when truancy and academic disparity became problems, the country changed its policy. Since then many schools adopting various education methods such as the Jena-Plan system.

Over the past few years in Japan, education reform based on the results of the Program for International Student Achievement has attracted lively discussion. But Richters stresses the importance of developing students as individuals.

"Instead of reform that places a disproportionate emphasis on academic ability, I want them to aim for the comprehensive development of students as humans," she said in her lecture. "I don't think that Dutch education is the best, but I think the results of the survey on children's happiness at least show the importance of lending an ear to each and every child."

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Ridley’s Ravings!

Our Lovely Family and Friends,

Here are our prayer points for November. Thank you all so much for reading them and praying for us in this way. We are very aware of people's prayers as we go about our daily tasks and especially travelling in and out of Basel most days. As the weather get's colder (we are expecting snow at the end of this week and temperatures -7C overnight) it does get a little harder to venture outside. Also to keep fit and well!

We are expecting a visit from our dear friend Dudley Tann next week and it will be wonderful to see him after 2.5 years. I'm sure he will bring a little bit of Adelaide with him. It's so great that he is making a detour to see us here. We know he will bring us much joy and encouragement.

We trust this email finds you all well and very happy. Do send us your news and anything you would like us to pray about for you. We love hearing from our friends.

With our love,
Roger and Gaynor


Praise Points

- We had a wonderful Open Night at Centrepoint on 24 October with around 150 people attending. We had some great conversations, met old and new friends and thoroughly wore ourselves out. Gaynor made cakes, slices and biscuits for the evening.

- For a lovely few days spent with Gaynor’s sister Irene and husband George before they returned to Perth.

- We continue to make the most of opportunities we have for good conversation and catch ups with English speaking people in Basel. There has been an influx of new families at this time of year.

- God has blessed us with a wonderful family and we want to thank God for them. Tim and Amy will be visiting us over Christmas and we can hardly wait. Jocelyn is doing well and currently has a locum position in O.T. Glenda and Tom are keeping busy with their jobs, painting the outside of their home and looking after puppy Peach! Tom starts a new position with CBA on Monday.

Prayer Points

- We have not had good health the past couple of months. We are both currently getting over a terrible tummy bug! A friend in Basel sent us an email today and said No more ill health please! Please pray for our health.

- Would you to continue to pray that God will direct us to the right location so that we can begin inviting people to meet together to discuss spiritual issues, have coffee together, show videos, etc. We would like to discuss this situation with a Swiss friend of ours in Basel.

- Winter is upon us and we find most people go into hibernation! Can you pray we will not be affected by the weather but stay focussed and organized in all we do. We have a busy programme between now and Christmas.

- Discipline as we prepare the next Ridley’s Ravings!

- Please pray that we will have faith as we look to our Heavenly Father to continue to provide for us and our ministry here. There has been a drop in our financial support and we are being very careful in our use of money.

Saturday, November 01, 2008

A Sushi Lover in Bellingham


Judy McCarthy is hungry for
the Real Thing
Judy is related to Stunt man Gary P

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Sushi as an Everyday Luxury

I LOVE sushi for its straightforwardness and ease: one big bite; a few clear and clean flavors; nothing too florid, nothing too brash. I love it for its texture, at once firm and pliant, giving you something to chew if that’s your game, something that can almost be swallowed whole if you like.

I love the combined silkiness and meatiness of some of it, the connotations of luxury in that. I love its completeness: protein and starch nestled together, with just a little something extra — wasabi, shiso — for spark. I love its light impact. It can fill you, but not with guilt.

What I don’t love is the check. Sushi doesn’t come cheap, not if you insist on a modicum of quality, and not if you want to savor it in a setting with more aesthetic appeal than a Port Authority waiting area.


Audio Slide Show: Frank Bruni on Affordable Sushi Restaurants
Kanoyama, in the East Village, and Sushi Azabu, in TriBeCa, stand out in part because of their prices.


Monday, October 13, 2008

Test Your Japanese Language Skills

Entertainment or bribery?

By Karryn Miller

TOKYO

Playing golf in Japan doesn’t come cheap. With green fees starting at around 10,000 yen a person, and reaching anywhere in the region of 50,000 yen for luxury courses, it’s a sport that has long retained an image of affluence. Over the years the pastime has been used to impress many a client, and in some cases a day of play has even been a tool to sway people’s actions and opinions.

In the early 1990s, Japan’s gift-giving society blurred the lines between gift-giving and bribery through a series of cases where people in power received presents to take home, golf-related offerings to sweeten certain deals and some extravagant nights out. Read more here.....

Thursday, October 09, 2008

British Ninja Fails Mission

TOKYO —

Police on Wednesday released a British tourist who shocked onlookers by swimming naked in the moat of Japan’s Imperial Palace, concluding he had mental problems.

The bald, heavy-set and visibly agitated man was chased by officers around the palace for two hours on Tuesday. He dived into the moat then pelted them with stones.

“We decided to hand the man over to his friend without charging him as we concluded that his act was based on mental instability,” a police spokesman said.

Bystanders snapped photos of the 40-year-old, whose antics were one of the top stories on Japanese television.

A British embassy spokesman confirmed the man was British and said he received consular assistance but declined further details, citing privacy issues. Media reports said the man lived in Spain.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Taro Aso has become Japan's latest prime minister

Taro Aso
92nd Prime Minister of Japan

Aso, a Roman Catholic, was born in Iizuka, Fukuoka.[2] His father, Takakichi Aso, was the chairman of the Aso Cement Company and a close associate of Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka; his mother was Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida's daughter. Aso is also a great-great-grandson of Toshimichi Okubo, and his wife is the third daughter of Prime Minister Zenko Suzuki. His younger sister, Nobuko, is the wife of Prince Tomohito of Mikasa, a first cousin of the Emperor Akihito.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Higashi Kurume in the news

Higashikurume Municipal Assembly member becomes Japan's first completely blind vice speaker

Toyofumi Miyagawa, a member of the Higashikurume Municipal Assembly in western Tokyo, has become the first totally blind person to be elected vice assembly speaker.

Read the whole story here......

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Who is Still the COOLEST?


You don't need to put on your sunglasses to see who is the coolest of the bunch.
Gary P takes time for his weekly nihonshoku special time with his Son Gary Jr. and fiancee, Mom and Dad and brother Steve.

Japan.

The land of the rising sun.

Mysterious…exotic...kind of far away.

Before you go too far, I've got to be honest with you.

&

Ninjas aren't real.
But neither is Santa Claus,
yet I get presents.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Roger and Gaynor

Our Dear Family and Friends,

We have a busy couple of weeks coming up and we realize how quickly 2008 is slipping by. We have a retreat at the end of August that Derek Webster is organizing. He is hoping there will be around 30 participants. Mainly German speaking leadership from Switzerland will attend.

We continue to have good health, even though a little weary. We don't
want summer to end! It seems like it hasn't really begun, but the days are getting a little shorter (dark around 9.30pm). As Rog was putting out the garbage tonight he saw a very bright light in the sky. We think it was a hot air balloon, though it seems strange that it would be flying at 11pm in the evening. Maybe we will read something about it in the news tomorrow!!

We will look forward to hearing from some of you on receiving this email. Do send us a quick email and if you want us to pray about things for you, please let us know.

Thanks for your love, prayers and support of us both.

With our love,
Roger and Gaynor

Praise Points

- We are very thankful to our Heavenly Father for our faithful prayer and financial supporters who enable us to continue to ministry in this area.

- For safe travel with the young people to and from Denmark and for a great 2 weeks on camp (even though we are still a little weary from it all!).

- Thanks for the message that God gave Roger to share with the young people on being different by the decisions we make.

- Thank God for some recent better facility with German but still a long way to go.

- For good friends L & B with whom we enjoyed the annual Basel Jazz night that takes over the inner city.

- Praise God for our good African friend Johnny who drives us often to Church and to our Mosaic functions.

Prayer Points

- We had an excellent meeting with Basel friends L & B; L is Chair of Centrepoint Board who encouraged us to continue to be active in Cpoint.

- That we will have a good attendance for the movie nights beginning 11 Sept. We will use the mini series Brides of Christ as a means to open up discussion.

- The second stage of Leadership Advance the weekend of 31 Aug - 2 Sept. Pray for Derek Webster in preparation and for us as we attend this with 20 others. We praise God that half our costs to go have been donated.

- We continue to need more people to be burdened to work with English speakers here. As in Australia, Britain and US, many English speakers are lost in their wealth & success.

http://rogngayn.blogspot.com


Friday, August 15, 2008

Japan marks 63rd anniversary of end of World War II


On Friday 15th August, 2008 nearly 5,000 people are expected to gather at Tokyo's Nippon Budokan arena Friday to commemorate the country's 3.1 million war dead and the end of World War II.



Wednesday, July 23, 2008

『もうひとつの東京タイム。』 "ANOTHER TOKYO TIME."

My Perfect Sunday



My Perfect Sunday

Published July 16, 2008

With few Christians in Japan, Sunday is not a day of worship. It is, however, the only day most people have with their family. Until a couple of years ago, students had school on Saturdays and ...

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Roger and Gaynor


Our Dear Family and Friends,
We have just finished watching the final of a brilliant game of tennis at Wimbledon between Federer and Nadal.
It's great that it is at a decent hour here!

We are both well and being kept rather busy with our trips into Basel to meet up with people, spend time at Centrepoint volunteering (each once/week for 2 hours) and also the Friday morning tea. German classes have stopped running for July and August so we have to think of other creative ways to move ahead with the language!

We spent a last Tuesday lunchtime with our Youth Pastor David and his wife Simea talking about the upcoming Youth Camp in Denmark and the role they would like us both to play. There will be around 65 on the camp altogether. I am a little excited because we just might get to dip our toes into the ocean! Our accommodation will be in a boarding school.

Thank you for your prayers, support and interest in our ministry here. We value you all immensely.

With love,
Roger and Gaynor


Praise Points

- We are very happy to have warmer weather and the enjoyment of being outside much more. We still cant quite get used to the summer break being in the middle of the year.

- Continued good contacts being made in Basel. We are spending more and more time in Basel and this is proving to be most worthwhile. We have begun volunteering at Centrepoint and find this is a great way to meet newcomers to Basel.

- Roger has enjoyed putting on a 6 part DVD Australian Drama Series at Centrepoint (2 nights with 1 night to go) with 6 - 8 guys attending and really enjoying the series and being together.

- Roger attended a Tuesday Seminar Leadership Advance which looked at the subject
RAW BEAUTY: Finding and Fostering the Potential in Others

- Wonderful response and great encouragement to us both from many of you after last months prayer points - thank you!


Prayer Points

-
Continuing planning and meeting with strategic people in Basel, working out ways to move forward in our ministry here.

- We have been invited to go on the Young Peoples camp from our German Church again this year. It will be for 2 weeks and will be held in Denmark, so a bus ride of 13 hours. We travel early on 26 July and come back overnight on the 10 August. We ask you to pray for good contacts with the young people and leaders. We will need to pay something towards the camp, so please pray some support will come in specifically for this. The young people will be paying 379 euros each for the 2 weeks.

- The second stage of Leadership Advance is the weekend of 31 Aug - 2 Sept. Pray for Derek Webster as he prepares this and that God will lead more people to participate.

- Roger as he gets to know the men better who attend the movie nights. Pray that God will open up opportunities to speak about faith in Jesus.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

1,000 yen and 500 yen commemorative coins


Heads and Tale: Designs for 1,000 yen and 500 yen commemorative coins for featuring "The Tale of Genji" are unveiled Tuesday by the Finance Ministry. The upper images are the fronts of the two coins. KYODO PHOTO

Saturday, June 14, 2008

I am a Father - Shogo Hamada

A Father’s Day Quotation

“Real Fatherhood is leading in faith, through faith, to faith. If no faith is required it is not Fatherhood in the truest sense. It may be parenting and is most likely mothering. Most fathers mother because they do not have the faith to lead in faith, through faith, to faith......”

Ken Nielsen

Note: Some mothers father, if they have been fathered, and most fathers mother since that is what they have received. Mothering and Fathering are functions and not titles. Mothering and Fathering are not gender specific. Mothering is natural and requires no faith while Fathering is spiritual and only comes by faith.

Happy Father's Day

Slide Show: Slimming Japan

Slide Show: Slimming Japan

Japan, a country not known for its overweight people, has undertaken an ambitious campaign to slim down its citizenry. Go to Article

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Just a Little Rogayn

Our Dear Family and Friends,


This year is racing by. Cheryl reminded me on the phone this morning that we are coming to the longest day of our year and those of you in Australia to the shortest day!! That's quite too much for us to take in!

We trust all is well with you and the activities you are involved in. We again thank you for your prayers for us and our ministry here. As we've said before, and will continue to say, we couldn't be here without the faithful prayers of people like you.

We are both well and enjoying the warmer weather (even though one night last week the overcoat had to come out again!). The colours of spring/summer in Europe have to be seen to be believed. It is quite something.

Please send us a quick email with news about you and if you would like us to pray about something specifically, please let us know.

With our love,
Roger and Gaynor

Praise Points

-
We are feeling particularly encouraged and excited about our work here and the contacts we are making. We have much to thank God for as we continue our ministry here in Basel.

- Good venue to hold our monthly Mosaic Gatherings in Loerrach which Derek Webster has been running and speaking at. The next gathering is this Wednesday 11 June.

- We had our first Nooma Night at a Starbucks Cafe in Basel on 27 May with 14 in attendance, but most were Christians. Nevertheless this is a start and at least gives the Christians an insight in to how simple reaching out can be. (Please see our blog for more details about what Nooma is all about).

- Good phone conversations with family and friends in Australia which we find particularly encouraging and helpful.

Prayer Points

- For God's leading as we continue to move forward in our work here, to know exactly what God wants us to do in the coming months, and for good ideas as we bring people together.

- Our good friend Cheryl sent Roger a DVD series from Australia for his birthday. Roger is organizing 3 Thursday nights to show the series at Centrepoint in Basel, for men only, beginning 19 June. Pray for good numbers and for the men to enjoy being together and that there will be good relationships developing.

- Roger is attending the Swiss Baptist AGM this coming Saturday near Zurich. Pray he will have the opportunity to share something of our work and to enthuse those who attend these meetings.

- For wisdom for us in the one-on-one times we have with either new followers of Jesus, or with those who are not yet but close to being followers of Jesus. You give them a name when you pray (eg man's name for Roger's contact) to make it real and personal.

We hope to keep our working blog up to date each week. Please check it out to see what we are up to - http://rogngayn.blogspot.com

Friday, June 06, 2008

Japanese watermelon sells for $6,100

A black jumbo watermelon produced in Japan's northern island of Hokkaido fetched a record $6,100. (AP)

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

A round watermelon can take up a lot of room in a refrigerator and the usually round fruit often sits awkwardly on refrigerator shelves. Smart Japanese Farmers have forced their watermelons to grow into a square shape by inserting the melons into square, tempered glass cases while the fruit is still growing on the vine. . .

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Gary Palmer is still doin it

Gary Palmer is still doin it after all these years

Saturday, March 29, 2008

The Manga Bible

Comic book Bible

To purchase the Manga Bible go to www.timesonline.co.uk/booksfirst

View images from the Manga Bible

Slide Show

Friday, February 15, 2008

"I Love Obama"

Shown is an "I Love Obama" illustration released Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2008, by an unofficial Barack Obama support association, led by Seijii Fujiwara, in Obama city, central Japan. The illustration was created by Naoki Adachi, one of the group members. Barak Obama has never been to this port town on Japan's snowy west coast, and residents only know him from news reports on his faraway campaign for U.S. president. But none of that matters much around here. Obama the Town is nuts about Obama the Man.

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

J-Gospel Hits Japan!

J-Gospel Hits Japan!

Tokyo, Japan

While the world still marvels at Japanese Technology, Japanese Fashion and Japanese Food, a quiet revolution is taking place in the small Island on the other side of the world.

Known as `J-Gospel`a new musical phenomenon is growing and spreading through beginning to exert influence similar to J-Pop and other forms of Japanese music that have taken over Asia by storm.

According to Kaori Yamamoto, one of the leading voices in the genre, `J-Gospel is in a sense a going back to our own roots. Many people do not know that `gospel music` has been sung in Japan for centuries, as far back as the first century when boatloads of refugees from the mainland came to Japan in search of freedom.

In particular in the 17th century the music of `Kirishtan` was Japanese, indigenous and spread through the country.` Following World War II, American Gospel spread throughout Japan and in the early 90s there was boom in Black Gospel Music which resulted in many choirs and even a television program on the main Government Channel.

Partly in reaction to that and partly in a going back to their roots in indigenous forms of the genre, Yamamoto and others are seeing the birth of a completely Japanese version.

Ranging from `Ryukyu Gospel` with the haunting tones of Japan`s southernmost Island, Okinawa to `Enka Gospel` written in the traditional Japanese musical style, J-Gospel has spawned a weekly Radio Program, soon moving to TV, Live concerts throughout the country and its own label.

From February 27 to March 2nd, in Shinjuku in central Tokyo, J-Gospel fans are preparing for what is being billed as the introduction of the genre to the world.

Entitled `Gospel Legend` the five day event in one of Japan`s premier venues will be featuring in addition to Kaori Yamamoto, iJ-Gospel bands such as Hide-C, Kiki, Yoshi Blessed, Route of Soul and more.

Event producer Yoshi Ikarashi says `Starting from one of Japan`s key venues we are planning over a five day period to introduce J-Gospel to Japan and the world. Following the introduction in Japan, we are planning ton taking J-Gospel to the world.

Japan`s newest `invention`, is seen by some experts as a possibility to finally rival the last time a Japanese song hit the pop charts of the world - in 1963 when the `Sukiyaki Song` sung by Kyu Sakamoto hit number one on the US Charts.

Can it happen again?

Yamamoto, Ikarashi and the other `J-Gospel` artists and their fans are convinced it will, beginning on April 27th in the heart of downtown Tokyo! www.kirisuto.com/gospellegend

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Christian History Tour of Tokyo!

Tokyo, Japan

Japan is seen usually as a Buddhist and Shinto country.

In reality, as the final stop on the famed The Silk Road all the cultures, peoples and religions of The Silk Road flowed into her cities.

`Kyoto and Nara in the 7th century were more like Hong Kong or Singapore, full of the peoples, cultures and religions of the world` says the family that run one of Kyoto`s largest Temples according to `Japan: The Nation of the Cross:`.

`In 1600 the largest organized religion in Japan was Christianity` according to `A History of Christianity in Japan` by Henry Drummond.

Often forgotten is the vibrant Christian history of the capitol city, Tokyo, formerly called Edo.

The Edo Christian History Tour visits the famed sites of the Kirishitan, indigenous Japanese Christians, Keikyo, the earlier Christians who migrated across the Silk Road as early as the first century.

Beginning with an actual Oribe Toro, a stone lantern shaped in the form of a cross used during the 17th century by the Kirishitan near Mejiro, the bus goes to the site of the famed Kirishitan Yashiki which housed many of the Kirishitan leaders in Bunkyo Ward to a Keikyo monument from those who came to Japan in the 8th century in Adachi Ward to the site of the first hospital in Edo built by the Kirishitan in Asakusa.

The bus is welcomed by a local resident who tells the story of the Kirishitan of Edo, tea with the descendents of the Kirishitan near Asakusa and ends at a Kirishitan Museum in Shinagawa.

Led by seasoned guides with video narrative as the bus winds through the winding streets of Tokyo, the tour is a look at another side of Japan which is enjoying newfound interest.

The Christian History Tour of Tokyo begins at 9AM in Mejiro and finishes at 4PM at Shinagawa. There is no charge for the tour with a collection taken to cover the expenses of the tour which are 5,000 Yen per person.

Seats are extremely limited and can be reserved at info@keikyo.com or 090 3080 6711

Similar tours are held in the Tohoku are of Northern Japan, Kyoto which was the center of the Kirishitan in Japan and Kyushu.

Saturday, January 05, 2008

Japanese Christians concerned about growing poverty among the young

By Ecumenical News International
24 Dec 2007

Japanese Christian groups are noticing increasing poverty among young adults in a country that once had an image that its companies provide lifetime employment and that it is a country that has a strong middle class base - writes Hisashi Yukimoto.

"If one applies the commandment, "You shall not kill", this should mean allowing poor young adults in Japan who have insecure lives as part-time and contract workers to live properly," says the Rev. Iwao Hayashi of the United Church of Christ in Japan.

Hayashi was speaking during a presentation by Karin Amamiya, a 32-year-old popular anti-poverty activist leader and author of books, including "Let Us Live! Young People Becoming Refugees", which has sold 50 000 copies since March.

"It also means, 'You shall not steal'," said 47-year-old Hayashi during a meeting with Amamiya at his church in Tokyo on 7 December. The pastor was also pointing a finger at a major Japanese temping agency that had described the salaries of many such workers as "data equipment costs". The pastor said, "Using classical terminology, they are exploiting them."

Amamiya, who has shed her past life as an ultra-nationalist punk rock singer, pointed out that there are a million insecure young people moving from place to place as day labourers in manufacturing industry in Japan. They are often called "net café refugees" as they spend nights at Internet cafés and have no fixed abodes. "They can become homeless at any time," said Amamiya, a non-Christian who held a meeting at a church for the first time.

Japan's national broadcaster, NHK, earlier in December re-broadcast "Working Poor I & II", two documentaries first aired in 2006, which have since won several domestic media awards. A columnist in The Japan Times newspaper wrote on 16 December, "One of the experts interviewed in the programme said he believes the working poor will eventually become the majority."

"The quality that non-Japanese have always admired about Japan," the expert was quoted saying, referring to Japan's hallowed industriousness, "is being squandered, and very quickly." The columnist added, "What's shocking, is how quickly poverty has become structural in a country that still tends to think of itself as being uniformly middle class."

Amamiya said some "net café refugees" once had apartments in Tokyo where they lived without having to pay a deposit for rent, but nonpayment of the rent, for even a day, results in their ejection. The former punk singer, who is also a leader of an advocacy group against poverty in Japan, known as the Anti-Poverty Network, told Ecumenical News International: "I hope that the churches will join the network by providing information [on labour laws]."

Hayashi said the Church could assist the poor by helping them to prepare application forms for welfare benefits. His church is located in an area called Kamata where many "net-café refugees" gather. There they can camp out at the cheapest Internet café in Japan for 200 yen, or about 2 US dollars a night.

"I think they will become poorer, but when they have no money, we can store canned food and share it," he said. "We can also use the [labour] law, while at the same time we can seek to change it." The pastor added, "The Church should adapt itself to them as Christ did."

[With grateful acknowledgements to ENI. Ecumenical News International is jointly sponsored by the World Council of Churches, the Lutheran World Federation, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, and the Conference of European Churches]