Friday, December 18, 2009

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Spot The Difference

Can you spot the difference between these two tickets? It's important to know how to buy train tickets in Tokyo. Children 12 and under are half price. I never paid any attention to who got which ticket when the family rode the train, but my suspicions were confirmed when I discovered that the ticket I held would make the machine chirp when I went through the gate. The sound tells the ticket agents that the ticket holder should be 12 or under to keep people from taking advantage of the system. Being a gaijin (foreigner) affords us greater leeway, because I've lost track of how many times I was carrying the wrong ticket without incident. But this time, it was good that I took a photo of our tickets because Ellissa forgot to retrieve her ticket when we transfered en route to Akiba. You must purchase a new ticket if you lose it, but I was able to get it for half price when they recognized the extra kanji on the photo of her ticket. Did you spot it?

Labels: Japan

posted by Garry @ 8:21 PM   2 Comments Links to this post

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Not Everything Is Smaller

One of our new favorite pastimes is looking for treasures at the second hand stores. Tokyo has no shortage of them with places like Kashi Koshu, Hard Off, Treasure Factory, and B Kids just to name a few. The prices are 1/2-2/3 off retail and often hard-to-find specialty items. There are fewer choices around Saku near Karuizawa where we live. Nevertheless, this giant Pooh-san caught our attention. It could be yours for the low price of $45. Sadly we, like so many other Japanese, don't have any space for it. Oh Pooh.

Labels: Japan

posted by Garry @ 8:33 PM   1 Comments Links to this post

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Fit For a King

The biggest adjustment to living in Japan has been the food. Most people I talk to say they probably wouldn't miss Burger King, but going 9 weeks apart from the King's goodness has taken its toll. Fortunately we found the King alive and well in Shibuya this weekend. To be certain, I ordered a double Whopper™ meal. I'm not sure what Heaven tastes like, but this was divine. You know what they say - "Take a picture, it'll last longer." So I did.

Labels: Japan

posted by Garry @ 7:25 PM   3 Comments Links to this post

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Monday, October 19, 2009

Hey Mister Postman

Today's language survival skill was writing, addressing, and buying stamps for postcards in Japanese. Items sent within Japan must use their addressing system which is a combination of kanji, hiragana and katakana written top to bottom from right to left. It only took and hour to prepare that one. The second one was adressed to a recipient in the US. It's 50¥ for domestic postcards and 70¥ for international. I think I'll stick to email cause it's cheaper.

Labels: Japan

posted by Garry @ 8:14 PM   1 Comments Links to this post

Monday, October 5, 2009

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Reaching Hikikomori with the Gospel in Japan

Hikikomori is a term that has become something of a silent epidemic in Japan. Meaning outcast or shut-in, we've briefly mentioned it here before, but thanks to Jon Junker for his excellent presentation on how to bridge the cultural gap using the gospel, we would like to share some of that insight with you. On the surface, it appears that institutions are blaming poor parenting skills as the source of the problem, while frustrated parents put the blame on bullying and poor school environment. If we dig deeper, the true source of the problem stems from a cultural glitch that is rooted in several hundred years of "self" deprecating attitudes. It is not merely one million people in Japan that suffer from hikikomori tendencies as the media would have us believe. It is more likely 60-90% of the population that experience side effects of the post modern Japanese society. Here are links to two videos produced by HarvestTime TV, one of the foremost producers of Christian material in Japan. They invited noted Japanese behaviorist Yuichi Hattori to speak on the subject.
Hikikomori & Social Collapse
Bringing Christ to Social Collapse
To believers and pre-Christians alike, those that have seen this presentation agree for the most part on the real cause of the state Japan is in today. Please pray that we are further equipped to build strong relationships with Japanese people who may suffer or have family affected by this social disease.

Labels: culture, Japan, prayer

posted by Garry @ 5:54 PM   0 Comments Links to this post

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Saturday, July 11, 2009

All Circuits are Busy

“A mobile is far handier than a computer for Internet access -- I seldom use a PC outside the office,” said Tokyo travel agent Takeshi, 32, who declined to give his surname.
Takeshi and other pornography fans are feeding a surge in demand for movie downloads in Japan, home to the world’s first third-generation wireless network. While profiting from the traffic, Tokyo-based mobile carriers DoCoMo and KDDI Corp. say they’ve been forced to impose limits on the heaviest users as the $74 billion network feels the strain.
[continue reading:bloomberg.com]
Part of the problem in Japan is isolationism has become the new norm as technology helps numb the pain associated with lack of social skills and self-worth. This breeds indifference and a desire to please one's self thinking that it doesn't harm anyone. The trouble is that it becomes a viscous cycle difficult to break without a support group. Pray that we are equipped to deal with this issue as we seek to plant thriving churches in and around Tokyo.

Labels: Japan, prayer

posted by Garry @ 2:53 AM   1 Comments Links to this post

Saturday, May 23, 2009

Parking Predicament

Given that less than 20% of Japan is livable, a free parking space comes with a high premium. In fact, if you buy a new car there, you must have proof that you have a garage or rental space to park it. Many areas have double-decker parking lifts that involve you sharing a set of keys with your neighbor so that you can gain access to your car by taking theirs off the lift first and swapping vehicles around. One local resident has gotten creative in the video below. Pray for us.

Labels: Japan, prayer

posted by Garry @ 1:15 PM   1 Comments Links to this post

Friday, May 22, 2009

Thursday, May 21, 2009

Japan Suicide Rate

Economic woes triggered a rise in suicides among young Japanese last year, with the number of people in their 30s taking their own lives hitting a record high, a police report said on Thursday.

The overall number of suicides fell by 2.6 percent to 32,249, the 11th year in a row the figure has remained above 30,000, according to the National Police Agency.

Those in their 50s were most likely to become victims -- making up almost 20 percent of the total.

But suicides among people in their 30s have been on the rise since 1991. One expert blames Japanese industry's increasing reliance on casual labor.

"The reason many men in their 50s commit suicide is to leave insurance money for their families," Chuo University professor Masahiro Yamada told the Mainichi newspaper. "But those in their 30s have difficulty seeing any prospects for the future. The lay-offs of casual workers are a symbol of this."

Hundreds of thousands of casual workers have been made redundant over the past half year, as Japan's export-dependent economy staggered amid the global slowdown.

The police report showed 4,850 people aged between 30-39 took their own lives in 2008, up 1.7 percent on 2007 and about double the 1991 figure, the report showed.

Japan has one of the highest suicide rates in the developed world, at 24 for every 100,000 people. By comparison the rate in the United States stands at 11.1.

Although depression was the most common cause, there were sharp rises in the number of people in the 30-39 age group thought to have committed suicide because they had failed to find a job, were unemployed, or were having difficulty making a living, the Mainichi said, citing the police.

Suicides by people in their teens and 20s are also on the rise, the police said. More than half those who died were unemployed and another 28 percent were casual workers.[source:Reuters]

Labels: culture, Japan, prayer

posted by Garry @ 8:37 PM   1 Comments Links to this post

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Faster Phone Network Coming to Japan

Four Japanese mobile-phone companies will together spend 1 trillion yen ($10 billion) during the next five years to build a next-generation cellular network with faster internet speeds, the Nikkei newspaper reported. The 3.9 generation cellular network will match the speeds of the fastest fixed fiber-optic networks. [source:Bloomberg]

Labels: Japan, webtech

posted by Garry @ 10:02 AM   0 Comments Links to this post

Monday, May 4, 2009

Japanese Saving Money and Marrying in US

A traditional Japanese wedding often costs at least $100,000, but over the past decade, thousands of Japanese couples have opted for a cheaper alternative: getting married in the United States. [source:NPR photo:Margot Adler]

Labels: economy, Japan

posted by Garry @ 9:58 AM   0 Comments Links to this post

Friday, March 27, 2009

Time for Your Medicine

Continuing in the vein of "not the best job for a robot," we have the latest advancements in technology to care for the rapidly aging Japanese population. Those of you working in health care already know that bedside manner is possibly the most important element of patient interaction, and this is where robots have their biggest deficit. How comforting is a machine? [source: Japan Today]

Labels: Japan

posted by Weiling @ 10:25 AM   0 Comments Links to this post

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Good morning, Mrs. Roboto

In their ongoing battle against the challenges of a declining population, the Japanese put a lot of effort into developing robots for all sorts of applications. Many are logical such as automated assembly lines and menial, repetitive labor, but other positions seem less suited for a robot. School teacher might be a questionable robot occupation because of the high level of unpredictable interaction required, but an experiment forges ahead at a Tokyo school.
[source: Telegraph UK]

Labels: Japan

posted by Weiling @ 3:04 AM   0 Comments Links to this post

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Friday, February 27, 2009

Butterfly Effect of Social Networking

"A study in Japan finds that social networks are an important predictor of mortality risk for middle-aged and elderly Japanese men and women. Lack of social participation for men, and being single and lack of meeting close relatives for women, were described as independent risk factors for mortality. Mortality rates showed a dose-response pattern: women with small social networks showing more than twice the death rate. Simply being single was associated with a higher risk of mortality, a prospective cohort study of 94,000 Japanese people found, and it concluded that merely being unmarried constitutes a potentially adverse health effect."

What will this mean to our evangelism efforts?
[source:Biologist PDF]

Labels: Japan, outreach, webtech

posted by Garry @ 10:59 PM   0 Comments Links to this post

Thursday, February 26, 2009

I Got You, Babe

Promoting foster parenting has not been easy in Japan, a country where blood ties and traditional family structures are paramount. But in recent years, a home setting has begun to trump institutional care in officials' views of what's best for children who face abuse or abandonment. And now, the government is revamping its foster-care system to increase the number of caseworkers and better promote the option for families. The number of children in Japan, a nation of 127 million people, is still very small. In 2007, 35,925 children were placed in institutional foster care, a 12 percent increase from 2000. During the same period, the number of children who live with foster parents grew 68 percent to 3,633.
[source:CSMonitor]

Labels: family, Japan, prayer

posted by Garry @ 6:12 AM   0 Comments Links to this post

Saturday, February 21, 2009

What Are You Stinking About?

Of all of my senses, my sense of smell is my bionic super power. Even today, the faintest of smells can trigger a walk down memory lane as a recall places I've been that smell the same. It comes as no surprise that in cross-cultural ministry, missionaries should be aware of things that can hinder their message (clothing, speech, and facial expression). But did you know there is research that suggests even smells can indirectly affect people's opinion of us? Just like you don't like waitresses that have too much perfume on while serving your meal, subtle smells, unconsciously registered by most, can leave a lasting impression. Japanese people say we Westerners smell like beef. Is that good or bad? Depends on whether they like beef I guess. There's even a Japanese web site where you can locate certain stinks on a map of Tokyo and beyond.
[source: nioibu.com via ABC News]

Labels: Japan, outreach

posted by Garry @ 4:42 AM   0 Comments Links to this post

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Xavier's Living Legacy

Anyone with a cursory knowledge of Japan's history may be aware that Francis Xavier was among the first missionaries to the island nation back in 1549. What you may not know is that he has a blood-relative still living there. Saturday night’s episode of Sekai Ichi Uketai Jyugyou introduced him to television viewers in a short trivia segment. Fortunately, you don't even have to speak the language to know what's going on.[more:JapanProbe]

Labels: history, Japan

posted by Garry @ 6:11 AM   0 Comments Links to this post

The Spirit of a Dying Religion

With his camera, Michael John Grist captures the overgrowth of a shrine that has fallen into disrepair. Buddhists have temples, Shinto believers practice their rites in Shrines. This is an intriguing look into the Ashiodozan ghost town in the Tochigi region of Japan.

Labels: history, Japan, photos

posted by Garry @ 5:23 AM   0 Comments Links to this post

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Land of the Sinking Yen

The dire effects of large scale financial mismanagement are being felt around the world, and Japan is no exception. After a decade of trying to dig their way out of their own housing meltdown of the late 80s, Japan's fragile economy has been dealt a severe blow by the current, global mess. One factor that we Americans should study with great interest is that they tried a "stimulus" scheme involving make-work projects and lavish government spending, but it only yielded dependency and a massive debt which may never be paid off. The second half of this article touches on the problem of the very low birthrate and its negative effects on the country's prosperity.

Labels: economy, Japan

posted by Weiling @ 10:00 PM   0 Comments Links to this post

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Domo Arigatou Mr. & Mrs. Roboto

Nothing says "different" like having a robotic clone of yourself to greet your wedding guests. I use the politically correct term different because weird has been stricken from our mission vocabulary. Speaking of robots, this chart below shows the total number of robotic units in these countries.

[source: IEEE Spectrum]

Labels: Japan

posted by Garry @ 10:39 PM   1 Comments Links to this post

Green Island Project

What if the concrete labyrinth of streets in downtown Tokyo was replaced with grass? Well the digital artists at Green Island Project have endeavored to start seeing green. Interesting concept that I'm sure would present some equally interesting challenges. Look for robotic grass in the next few years.

Labels: Japan

posted by Garry @ 10:23 PM   0 Comments Links to this post

Setting a Good Example

Yuko Obuchi, minister in charge of tackling declining childbirths, said Sunday she is pregnant with her second child. According to the Cabinet Office, it is the first time an incumbent Japanese Cabinet member has become pregnant.
"My son will have a younger brother or sister," the 35-year-old minister, the second daughter of the late former Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi, said in a gathering of her supporters in Tomioka, Gunma Prefecture, who clapped at the announcement.
She also said the baby is due at the end of September. "Irrespective of myself being a minister or prospects of an election, I'd like to give birth to a healthy child," Obuchi said. [source:breitbart.com]

Labels: family, Japan, praises

posted by Garry @ 6:26 AM   0 Comments Links to this post

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Funeral Buddhism

Buddhism is one of Japan's major religions, but its continual association with funeral rites has earned it a dubious nickname and endangered its own survival in the modern community.

[source: International Herald Tribune]

Labels: culture, Japan

posted by Weiling @ 11:20 AM   1 Comments Links to this post

Monday, February 9, 2009

Saturday, January 31, 2009

Life is like Ping Pong

Having shared our mission work with Florida Christian College earlier in the week, we wanted to get together with those that have an interest in missions. Seven students joined us for an evening of fun, food, and fellowship. Psalm 126:2 says: Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, "The LORD has done great things for them."
The originally scheduled movie we had planned for didn't arrive from Netflix =(, so we watched an outstanding Japanese movie called Ping Pong. Here's the opening clip showing the main character facing his life's greatest challenge. Believe it or not, this is actually an action comedy.

Labels: Japan, outreach

posted by Garry @ 1:30 PM   1 Comments Links to this post

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Be Fruitful and Multiply

One of the perks to working in Japan during a recession is the pro-creative ways companies are dealing with it. Take Canon for example. To combat the growing trend of a dwindling population, twice a week they are setting aside a 12-hour work day and encouraging staff to go home early and make babies. I have to give the Japanese credit for being aware of the situation and selling the solution in an unorthodox way. CNN has the bedtime story.

Labels: culture, Japan, praises

posted by Garry @ 11:02 PM   1 Comments Links to this post

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Japan's Rent-a-Life

Seems a downturn in the economy hasn't entirely stifled the growing trend of Japanese seeking companionship on a pay-as-you-go basis. This fascinating BBC article offers a peek into the lonely world of some folks in Japan who aren't into commitment, but prefer to use a picture menu to make their selections. Not only does it work for cats and dogs, but also friends and even spouses. Not sure if married life is worth the hassle, why not rent a husband?

Labels: Japan

posted by Garry @ 12:04 PM   3 Comments Links to this post

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Missionaries Taught Samurai

Young men of the samurai class, the only ones outside the nobility and the priesthood who were educated, were attracted to the missionaries through their desire to secure foreign learning, and many of them, pushing beyond their first objective, became in time earnest Christians and coworkers with the missionaries in propagating the Gospel. For these young men classes and small private schools were opened in Kanagawa and Tokyo, and it was not long until even the government sent students to be taught by the missionaries.
Source: Fruits of Christian Mission in Japan
Photo : Shimooka Renjo

Labels: history, Japan

posted by Garry @ 12:32 PM   0 Comments Links to this post

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Early Christian Missionaries

When the [first Protestant] missionaries in Kanagawa succeeded in securing a teacher to help them in the study of the language, they found that he was a government spy. To avoid complications with foreign 'governments, the authorities appointed guards to protect the "foreigners," and warned them not to go about the streets without escorts, lest harm befall them from armed samurai they might meet. There were two things the missionaries in the early years had to do in order to secure any progress in their work, namely, to win the confidence of the people, and to gain a knowledge of the language. Neither task was easy, but with patience, perseverance and uniform kindness, they won out.
source: Fruits of Christian Mission in Japan

Labels: history, Japan, outreach

posted by Garry @ 11:36 AM   0 Comments Links to this post

Saturday, December 6, 2008

What Can Wash Away Our Sin?

As we've been discovering, Japan is a shame-based society. The implications of that, compared with guilt-based countries in the West, is the recipe for fruitful evangelism must be carefully kneaded before consumption.

Since the 1940s, anthropologists have distinguished between shame-cultures and guilt-cultures. People who belong to the latter suffer from an inner sense that they have transgressed some immutable law, and the hiddenness of that transgression can intensify the pain: thus the feeling of relief that can accompany confession in such cultures. But in shame-cultures, exposure is the great evil: not to transgress, but to have one’s transgressions revealed.

source:Alan Jacobs

Luke 13:6-7 "A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, 'For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?'"

Labels: culture, Japan

posted by Garry @ 2:00 PM   0 Comments Links to this post

Nothing But The Blood

Among other superstitions the Japanese have embraced, one of the most peculiar is blood types. Quoted from informationism.org

Blood type theory is widely popular in women's magazines as a way to gauge relationship compatibility with a potential or current partner. Morning television shows feature blood type horoscopes, and similar horoscopes are published daily in newspapers. Though there is not a proven correlation between blood type and personality, it has still remained in the many matchmaking services that cater to blood type. In this way, it is similar to the use of astrological signs in the west, which is also popular in Japan.

What's Your Type?
As of this writing, I have no idea what my blood type is. Most foreigners don't. Nevertheless, some businesses go so far as to screen potential employees based on unscientific data.
Type A Reserved and prone to worry, sensitive perfectionists such as Britney Spears and Adolf Hitler.
Type O Decisive, self-confident, curious, and ideal for sport, including Elvis Presley and the Queen.
Type B Cheerful caring, flamboyant free-thinkers such as Jack Nicholson.
Type AB High-maintenance, distant, suited to arts, such as Mao Zedong.

Regardless of the hearsay, knowing that the Japanese have an interest in blood may prove useful in effective witnessing. Hebrews 9:14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

Labels: culture, Japan

posted by Garry @ 1:30 PM   0 Comments Links to this post

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Quarter Pounder

A new marketing strategy in Japan launched boutique-style eateries and a super-streamlined menu that includes Quarter Pounders, Fries, and Coke. What's unique is that they purposely left off the McDonald's branding as part of the ploy to relaunch the Quarter Pounder after a 10 year hiatus. In case I haven't mentioned it already - McDonald's in Japan are the best in the world. File this one under praises.

Labels: Japan, praises

posted by Garry @ 1:03 PM   1 Comments Links to this post

Monday, December 1, 2008

Raise That Banner High

Richard Geringswald heads up the mission efforts at Legacy Christian in Lakeland, FL in addition to the Jamaica Bible Seminary. He believes, as do we, that God made water come out of a rock at Moses command, and as such was able to procure for our mission 30 Japan flags when his mission budget read EMPTY. Yet another testament to creative support efforts we've been blessed to be recipients of. We're elated that each of our partner churches who've pledged monthly support will receive one of these fine gifts as a token of our appreciation to remind them that God's love is as far reaching as the East is from the West. See if you can spot Aaron in that photo.

Labels: Japan, outreach, praises

posted by Garry @ 1:38 PM   0 Comments Links to this post

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

51 Japanese Characters

Japan aficionado Peter Machat used his creative talent to produce a website appropriately titled 51JapaneseCharacters.com. It is an insightful collection of figurines showcasing several typical members and cultural phenomena of Japanese society - an easy and playful approach to Japan.

We're likely to encounter many of these characters in our endeavors there. Please pray for us!

Labels: culture, Japan

posted by Garry @ 10:54 AM   2 Comments Links to this post

Friday, November 7, 2008

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Japan Statistics Day

If you've ever wanted to know what percentage of stay-at-home Japanese women spend their time watching tv between the hours of 2:15pm-3:45pm on Tuesdays, we have just the site for you [java player required]. Oct 18th was national statistics day as promoted by this poster. Several thousand respondents reported in on precisely how they spend their time over the course of a week. Data can be filtered any number of ways including by gender, activity, and more. Like any culture, this data tells a story - particularly when you drill down far enough to look at the amount of time spent in religious activities.

Labels: culture, Japan, webtech

posted by Garry @ 12:42 PM   0 Comments Links to this post

Monday, September 22, 2008

Taro Aso New Prime Minister

With the resignation of the previous prime minister, Taro Aso will assume the responsibilities. Not only is he the president of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party, but also an avid manga fan (some reports mention he even reads Rozen Maiden). In 1977 he was listed as the best dresser in the political world, and professes faith in Roman Catholicism, though still visits Yasukuni Shrine annually. [Read more...]

Labels: Japan

posted by Garry @ 9:49 PM   0 Comments Links to this post

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Dying To Reach The Light

Self-injury in Japan is a sobering look at the degree of darkness that looms over Japan. This photo essay by TIME Magazine is a graphic reminder of who we are trying to reach. God does not want anyone to perish. II Peter 3:9

Labels: Japan, prayer

posted by Garry @ 10:00 PM   0 Comments Links to this post

Monday, September 8, 2008

Baby Sumo

Babies cry as they are lifted up by amateur sumo wrestlers during the "Aka-chan Naki-zumo" (crying baby sumo) competition at Karo Shrine in Tottori on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2008. The competition, to pray for the healthy development of children, has been held annually since 1989 as part of the shrine's autumn festival. About 80 babies participated in this year's competition. In a "bout," the winner is the first to cry. (Mainichi)

Labels: Japan

posted by Garry @ 9:06 PM   0 Comments Links to this post

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Monday, August 18, 2008

Friday, August 15, 2008

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Lovin' It Ookii Jikan

If there's two things that I like best about Japan, it's McDonald's and their coupons. You've heard me rave the burgers, fries, and Cokes before, but it gets even better with a bit of technology added to the mix. They've started rolling out a new electronic coupon system that works with your cell phone. You pick the coupon you want on your screen, hold the phone over the scanner, and the cashier bows and politely says "Yokudekimashita!" You feel like a winner every time you order something - how's that for service?

Labels: Japan

posted by Garry @ 12:12 PM