Out and about in Tokyo

Konbanwa (good evening)!

We have just completed our final day of 'orientation' in Tokyo - as you can see, part of that has been a few language lessons! The weather is not as uncomfortable as we were expecting, apparently we have just entered the rainy season so it is warm and sultry, and very wet! The Japanese seem well adapted to this, particularly skilled in the area of bicycle riding whilst holding an umbrella!

The last two mornings we have spent at the omf centre, learning a little of the language and about other cultural information - taking particular note of dos and don't's, such as shoe etiquette... In the afternoons we ventured on the train into the more central Tokyo district. Yesterday, we visited a Buddhist temple and a Shinto shrine, apparently a big tourist attraction in Tokyo. The temple buildings were beautiful, and the surrounding area was full of people throwing their money into boxes, clapping to attract the attention of the 'gods' before praying. Over at the Shinto shrine people were buying brightly coloured fortunes before tying them to a blossom branch - it was quite a spectacle to see all these colourful streamers fluttering in the wind. We even saw a couple bring a new car to be 'blessed' by the priest there. Although the many colours, and smell of the incense burning created quite a striking atmosphere, our enjoyment of it was limited by the deeply saddening realisation of how far away from the truth of the gospel these people are, and how many conceptual barriers there are for these people to understanding the message of Christianity.

This afternoon we vistited a museum of Tokyo history - it was fascinating to gain a little more of an insight into such a rich and ancient culture as that of Japan. This was followed by an evening meal at a traditional Japanese restauraunt, where we all enjoyed (perhaps with the exception of Goody who wasn't overly enamoured by the salmon eggs served with his meal!) a wonderful feast of rice and fish in various forms, whilst kneeling (be-socked of course!) on tatami rush mats.

Tomorrow we leave the other serve Japan teams as we all head out to our specific ministry locations - so the next time you hear from us we will have reached the city of Sapporo on the island of Hokkaido!

Thanks for reading - apologies for such a long blog, but even now I can't begin to do justice to everything that we have experienced in such a short space of time! Hopefully one of the boys will do the next entry - potentially shorter and maybe even with photos! Do keep in touch!

Comments

• Fiona Rizzo

  Thursday 05 July 2007

  It's fascinating to hear about some of your experiences (I'm specifically intrigued about shoe etiquette I must say!) and I look forward to hearing more. Will continue to pray for your mission as a group and for each of you as you travel to new places and get increasingly involved in ministry. Take care!