2010-2011

Happy New Year! Okay, so New Years was three weeks ago, sorry for the delayed reaction. With a new year comes a time of reflection of what we’ve done in the past year, and what we would like to change for the upcoming year. These past three weeks I have been doing just that. I have been thinking about many things but one topic is weighing on me particularly heavy this evening, so that is the topic I will be writing about.

I have been reflecting on my negative attitude at times about my experience here in Japan, my unwillingness to accept parts of the culture, and my desire of wanting to leave Japan every time I got a break longer than two weeks; and as much as I’d like to tell you I’m going to rid all of this from my life…I know me. (Although I am starting the New Year with a much better attitude than I ended it.)

I think a lot of my revelation came from my time in China. I traveled back to China for the holidays to spend 10 days with a friend I hadn’t seen in a few years. Being reunited with my friend and China was amazing. I also met a lot of new friends during my time in China. They were mostly other ex-pats who were staying in China for 1 or 2 months partaking in Internships. The newness of the Chinese culture still left some of them living a more comfortable western style of living…which kind of bothered me. I then began to reflect on why this bothered me, and I concluded that it bothered me because I was on vacation in China. If I had wanted the western experience I would have went home, I wanted to go to China to EXPERIENCE China again. It was so easy for me to critique the way they were experiencing China because I had lived there before and knew the “real” China. This then got me looking at how I spend my time in Japan… and realized anyone who has lived here before could just as easily critique the way I’m living. Everything I did while staying in China to absorb their culture, I realize I neglect to do on a daily basis while living here in Japan. It could be as simple as speaking Japanese instead of English when I know the phrase, eating Japanese food, or going exploring to see more of the rural parts of Japan. I live in my Tokyo bubble and surround myself with comfortable things, and English speaking people…which is rather easy to do. But when I move back to America that is not what I am going to want to remember.

Therefore be it resolved that this year 2011, I intentionally spend more time speaking Japanese and exploring the culture. Be it further resolved that I realize I am living in another culture and learn to adjust rather than trying to make those around me adjust to MY culture. I hope 2011 will bring me more patience and acceptance than I was willing to have in 2010. And with that I leave you with some pictures of my recent visit to China!



The Beijing Olympic Stadium: The Bird's Nest and Aquatic Center




Beijing's 798 Art District





The Jade Buddha Temple in Shanghai



Random Assortment of Pictures around Beijing and Shanghai









Hopefully after looking at these million pictures you too can feel like you were in China! I hope you enjoyed these pictures as much as I enjoyed my time back in China!

Advent versus Christmas

I love to travel; I think that is of no secret to anyone who knows me. For as long as I can remember I have loved being on the move and going to new places. When I was younger we used to drive from Wisconsin to Arkansas to visit family, but my parents were smart and did it at night while we were asleep. I also remember driving around Wisconsin and Michigan with my grandparents in their motor home. Also, taking into consideration I lived in Arkansas and went to college in Indiana, I’m pretty sure I could do that drive half way asleep and still make every turn on that 10 hour journey. Most families in America take road trips, and it’s become some what of a past time. After all getting there is half the fun right?

Well…actually…. I am not one who subscribes to that philosophy of life. I do not enjoy long road trips; I enjoy getting to my destination in a fast, efficient way. Maybe it is because I’m impatient, maybe it’s because I become bored easily if I’m not driving, maybe it’s because I am in charge if I’m driving and there is too much to worry about. For me, getting there is a hassle not an enjoyment. To the chagrin of my best friend Valerie, I absolutely love O’Hare airport, the hustle and bustle of the people there, the different languages that are spoken, and most importantly the massage chairs at Brookstone in concourse C. I have my flying routine down, my frequent flier miles on several airlines, and have probably been to every major airport in the Continental United States, yup that’s me, I love flying. I love getting to the destination in under 4 hours, and I love the window seat. I am not one who enjoys the journey.


With that stated, I have always loved Christmas. Advent was just a season where I got to tape up my animal up on our family’s advent calendar (I always had the cat on the third day) and eat my piece of Advent chocolate. Advent was something that was a chore, until the blessed day of Christmas when I got to open my presents. Advent was the journey and Christmas was the destination. I therefore looked forward to Christmas and counted down the days impatiently like most children do.

Christmas has a tendency to be quite commercialized these days. The Christmas ornaments, the Christmas lights on the house, who sent or received the most Christmas cards, the perfect stockings hung by the fire place, the candy canes, visiting Santa at the mall, the Christmas music constantly playing since the Friday after Thanksgiving….I think you get the point. We have successfully almost removed everything from the Christmas season that we are supposed to be celebrating, the awaiting and the birth of Christ.

Christmas here in Japan has definitely taken on a different role for me, the commercialization is still here but in a form that is different from my usual traditions so the impact is slightly less. (But don’t worry Mariah Carey’s All I want for Christmas is You plays in EVERY store here) Christmas is a very important holiday but without the tree, presents, warm fireplace, and family it has taken on a new role for me. The holiday season has become much more about Advent for me. The waiting and the preparation for the coming of Christ. Much like the excitement when someone is expecting a child, we are expecting Jesus. The journey of Advent has meant more to me here in Japan, despite the fact I still can’t understand the Sunday sermons, you can feel the difference in the church. The advent wreath is lit with such reverence here, and the church color of purple is every where in my church. A color that symbolizes hope, the hope that our Savior’s birth is coming soon, a hope that we hold dear the true meaning of Christmas.

So this year especially, it is about the journey for me. It’s about advent, and being with friends, decorating offices and churches, and spending time together. Having end of the year parties, as we await the New Year and the coming of Christ. This year Advent holds more meaning than Christmas Day will, for my Christmas Day will be spent in an airport…fitting, right? So this Advent I ask that you wait with me and look forward to the joy of our Savior’s birth, enjoy the journey.

I’m thankful for Retreats and Thanksgivings!

Although Thanksgiving is technically over, I am still reflecting on what I am thankful for this year. This November flew by before I knew what was happening. However it is interesting to look back and reflect on how this November is different from last November, and how I’ve grown and changed from then. Last year I was struggling in language class, unaware of what the next year would bring, homesick, and did not have so many friends in Japan. I had only been living here for a few months and was not completely confident in navigating my way around Tokyo. NOW however, I feel confident in my Japanese language abilities to manage a simple conversation with most people, I can navigate my way around just about anywhere in Tokyo, I have plenty of friends I can call on to hang out with when I need it, and I haven’t been so homesick lately. I have traveled to several different countries, as well as traveled to quite a few places in Japan. This past year may have flown by but I have changed and grown so much in these past 12 months, its kind of surreal.

This November I participated in two different retreats. The first retreat was the Hongo Bible Retreat in the Okutama Ward of Tokyo, out in the mountains. This retreat was run by the staff and J3’s in Tokyo and the participants were students and church members from Hongo Church. We went out to the countryside and had great fellowship while learning and having discussions about the Bible. Our participants were able to practice their English while getting a better grasp on the English language. Our theme for the weekend was “I am…” and we focused on Jesus’ statements in the Bible, such as “I am the way, the truth, and the life” “I am the bread of life” to name just a few. Our discussions for the weekend were focused on who is Jesus and what role does he play in our lives. We played ice breaker games at the beginner which are always fun, everyone running around, becoming more comfortable with one another and allowing us to bond on a friendship level, as oppose to the usual teacher / student dynamic that persists in most of those relationships. We also had quite time to walk around nature and reflect on our relationship with God, and for those participants who are not Christians, this gave them sometime to read the bible and try to come to understand Jesus. The retreat concluded with a BBQ and great fellowship fishing in a nearby stream. The fall leaves made Okutama the perfect location for a fall retreat.




The next weekend the J3 missionaries had a retreat in Hiroshima. This location was specifically picked by my co-worker Matthew and I because we felt that visiting Hiroshima was very important to us as Americans working in Japan. It gives us a better concept of what WWII means to the Japanese people, and also gave us a chance to read and better understand the dynamics from the war. Although WWII may be a distant memory in most Americans’ minds, it is a very pervasive thought here in Japan that shapes a lot of the way Japanese people view their lives now. It is very much still an important factor in how they view their international relations. I have had many conversations regarding this with my co-workers, students, and other friends abroad, which has brought up an interesting dialogue, which before moving to Japan, I was not fully aware of the drastic dynamics that still exist today. Many Japanese citizens do not know the causes that resulted in the dropping of the atomic bomb, they choose to ignore and disregard what happened in Korea and the Rape of Nanjing in China. Needless to say it was a very interesting and educational trip. It was also nice to see another part of Japan, and have a retreat with my fellow American co-workers. This was a time where we could come together and share our daily struggles, our job duties, how we are ministering in Japan and the joys we share on a daily basis, and we also came together to have English worship (something that has become a rarity in our daily lives). This retreat was a much needed break from the busy working life of a Japanese missionary. Hiroshima also had beautiful Christmas light displays, usually called Illumination in Japan, but Hiroshima calls their “Dreamination” A combination of dream and imagination? Don’t ask why…because there is usually not an answer, but it was beautiful regardless.





I am very thankful for both of these retreats. They allowed me to have time outside of Tokyo to be with friends in a more laid back atmosphere, while learning about the Bible together. It is also nice to spend time outside of Tokyo so I can explore and become more familiar with other areas of Japan, since Tokyo is a whole different thing in and of itself.

This year I am also thankful to be able to celebrate Thanksgiving in a more traditional way, not once but twice this year. Last year, I along with two other missionaries went to Subway and ate turkey subs for lunch, and later that evening had wine and cheese. This year I had a more traditional dinner. I was invited to my friend Katharine’s international church in Yokohama, and Tokyo Lutheran Church’s Thanksgiving. Both places had a mix of Americans and Japanese people, and consequently American and Japanese cuisine. The vast majority of the Thanksgiving staples were present, along with French fries, sushi and a few other things I have never seen on the Thanksgiving table before. It made for a rather interesting dinner. I successfully found all the ingredients I needed to make my favorite dish, green bean casserole, and prepared and brought it to both dinners. It was a great success! Everyone loved it and I had no leftovers. But no worries, I bought enough supplies to make it for myself again! The conversations at both dinners were great; I sat around and made new friends and networked in Yokohama, played card games with children and gave advice on college life to a soon to be graduating American senior who is going to be living in America for the first time. At Tokyo Lutheran I practiced my Japanese and discussed the traditions of American Thanksgiving and we discussed cultural differences that were present during our meal. Both nights were a great success and gave me reasons to be thankful for my life in Japan.




At times I may complain about trivial things here in Japan, but lets face it, I complain no matter where I am. Japan is a great country and sometimes I just need to be reminded of that. I have so much to be thankful for; my life experiences, my friends and family back home, my new friends here in Japan,the experience of living in Japan, and the ministry God has called me here to do. And so it is with this, I begin this December and the Advent season with an open heart a new sense of appreciation for the country I am serving in.

October Recap: Part 2/2

Picking up where I left off in my last blog…

I have mentioned in a previous blog entry how my interest in Asia all began. It started when I lived in Milwaukee and went to an Asian emersion school and partially because of my friend Mariko. (Please read my blog entry from last December “Why Japan” for more back ground information) Mariko and I had lost touch, and shortly after I wrote a blog about that, I mentioned it to my students in one of my classes at Hongo. I then had an amazing student who helped me find and get in touch with her dad, and subsequently I was finally able to FIND HER!!!

So the day after Oktoberfest, my friend Scott and I went to go meet Mariko and her family in the Hamarikyu Gardens in Tokyo. Mariko’s current job has to do with designing space for events and graphic designing, and was hired to be in charge of the event at the gardens. The Tokyo Grand Tea Ceremony was being held that weekend and she was in charge of all of their graphics, so she invited us to meet her there and participate in the event. I was so nervous! It was weird to think that I was going to be seeing my friend whom I hadn’t seen in over 13 years. I’m glad I had Scott with me that day because I was a nervous wreck! He would ask me, “what does she look like?” and I thought to myself…I have no idea! But after a few phone calls and trying to figure out where we were suppose to meet, I saw girl running, and Scott asked me if that was her, and I replied YES! Mariko looked the same, and she said that I did too! How crazy is that?! It was such a great feeling to finally be able to see her again after all these years! I had always told her one day I’d live in Tokyo…and now I do. Crazy.

This was a rather eventful day in itself. I was reunited with Mariko; we participated in a tea ceremony, saw a Geisha performance, listened to a traditional Japanese instrument performance, walked around the garden, and then finally had dinner with part of the Mizumura family. Kyoko, Tsuneo, Mariko, and Ana joined Scott and me for dinner that night. It was great to catch up with old friends who have known me for such a long time. I haven’t kept in touch with too many friends from Milwaukee because I was only 10 when we moved, but Mariko and I managed to stay pen pals and have been reunited after such a long time. It was really a great day!




The following Saturday I had signed up to go on a retreat with another ministry site in Japan called the Lighthouse. The Lighthouse is a ministry that focuses on out reach to men in the Navy down on the Navy base in Yokosuka, about 2 hours south of Tokyo. I highly enjoy the people there as well as being able to be in an English ministry setting where I can finally be filled as well. The group was going on a tour around the Kanto area. We started off in Yokosuka, drove to Fuji, a beautiful lake in the area, Matsumoto Castle, and then drove up to Nagano where we saw many beautiful places and learned all about the history of Japan and Christianity in Japan. I had a blast with my new friends riding in the car for hours. We had some great conversations, and it was really nice to be around friends again; whether they have been friends for over a year, a few months or a few moments. It was also really fascinating to learn more about the Japanese context, history, traditions and it shed great light onto why some things happen and why some things within the church remain stagnant. Very educational.

After we returned to Tokyo from Nagano, I quickly made my way to the airport to pick up my friend Laura who was visiting from Hong Kong. Laura was my college roommate in Valpo; it was quite nice to have her staying with me again even if it was only for a few days. It was just like old times at VU. A friend to talk with, watch movies with, lay around and do nothing with, and of course we went shopping. Laura’s time was brief in Tokyo but it was enough to get a lot of sightseeing in and to give her the real Japanese experience, last trains and all. We went shopping in several different areas of Tokyo, took purikura pictures and of course played the Taiko game at the arcades…I think we did pretty well. Overall we had a blast. Most of all it was nice to have a friend visit who really knows me, and someone who I don’t have to act different around or speak slowly with. I’m really glad she was able to visit. Its funny how after I moved to Japan, it seems a lot of my friends from college are also migrating to this side of the world….a welcomed move. After six days of rommie reunion it was time for Laura to head back to Hong Kong and for me to get back to work.



That was the majority of my month of October, I might have left a few things out but with so much going on this fall its hard to write about everything that’s happening. These next two weekends I will be on retreats and after I return to Tokyo I will try to catch you all up on how those went!

October Recap: Part 1 of 2

I closed my eyes for a minute and when I opened them it was November! Where in the world did October go?! The days are beginning to get colder here in Tokyo which is welcomed at this point, it was a long and hot summer and I am glad to finally be able to pull out my sweaters and cozy up underneath a blanket... or four, while drinking some hot chocolate! The leaves in Tokyo haven't turned color yet, but I think within the next few weeks they should start! October was definitely a busy month and keep me quite occupied. My classes at Katerina resumed on the 1st of the month, so my nights filled up again really fast, which means my sleeping took another hit, but that's okay. As I learned in college, one doesn't need sleep when you have Red Bull and coffee at your disposal. Allow me to recap my month for you:

The Tokyo J3's have Mondays off of work, to recoup from the work we do on Sundays. So the first Monday of the month, my co-worker, Matthew, and I along with a student (an adult student) decided to go sailing on Tokyo Bay. One of the joys of having older students is that they like to include us in their hobbies. Maruoka san enjoys sailing a lot and goes probably once a week. Matthew has been out sailing with him several times, but this was my first time to ever go sailing, and I must admit, I had a blast! Maruoka san highly enjoys having students come sailing with him as well because he doesn't have to do much. Matthew took care of all of the sails and tying them off while I manned the helm. I learned a few things about sailing but will be really excited to get back on the water again!



The following Saturday I participated in a Lutheran "youth" retreat in Nagasaki on the southern most island of Japan, Kyushu. The word youth here has a very loose meaning, and tends to mean, those who are marrying age, but remain single. The majority of the participants were college or graduate students, with a few older participants as well. The theme of this gathering was "We are the Peace Makers" and the gathering focused on peace, what this means to us, what it means living in the Japanese context and how we as Christians should apply that to our lives. It was a very interesting conference, partially because the entire event was in Japanese. I strained my brain trying to understand everything, but luckily for me many people did speak English so I had some help with interpreting some of the harder conversations.

Nagasaki was a great location to have this retreat because of the historical events that have happened there. We, of course, went to the Atomic Bomb museum and visited the historical sites from the war, the bomb epicenter, relics that have survived the war, a museum about the Japanese-Korean conflict and the China-Japan conflict, as well as the Nagasaki Peace Park. Going through the museum was a very interesting experience for me, although there were a few other Americans or at least Westerners in the museum, I was amongst a sea of Japanese people. On my day to day living, this is no problem...but being in this museum it seemed to carry a little more weight on me than it usually does. It was weird to think that my country was responsible for this, and at that particular time, in that museum I seemed to represent everyone from American history...funny how that happens, huh. I have learned the history from the America perspective, but have not really heard it from the Japanese perspective, until now. It was fascinating to watch videos of survivors and hear their stories about what happened that dreadful day. After walking through the majority of the exhibits, on the way out of the museum there is a final exhibit about nuclear weapons now. It showed what countries had bombs, who had used them in war, and who has been practicing and testing these bombs; it was interesting because of course America was number 1 in all these categories. We have the most bombs and we have tested these bombs the most (be it above or below ground). It was interesting for me to see this and to think about what Peace means for me, being a Christian, living in Japan, and being an American…now roll all those up into one A Christian American living in Japan.





Needless to say the entire retreat was very entertaining and I made a lot of new friends as well! Not all the topics were so heavy, we had free time at night where we stayed up and chatted about boys and the usual things girls chat about late at night.  We also enjoyed onsen and the beautiful scenery Nagasaki has to offer. I rode the shinkansen down there by myself and rode back to Tokyo with a new friend, so overall the weekend was a great success and I’m glad I was able to go!

As some of you may remember, back in May I attended Oktoberfest in Tokyo. Well considering this month is actually October, there was another Oktoberfest celebration, this time in Yokohama. A group of us from Tokyo decided to head down to Yokohama and take part in the festivities once again. This venue was much smaller than the one held in Tokyo, and subsequently we all consumed much less beer. But that is okay, beers can range in price from $20 to $35 depending on the size and which brand of beer you buy. Most of the beer on tap is imported from Germany which means its great quality compared to Japanese beer, but therefore is also five times the price. All for the sake of culture, right? After we had our share of beer and sausages, we headed to Yokohama’s Chinatown to catch a quick snack/dinner before heading home on the trains. It was a very successful night, always a good time with the missionary crowd!



Well this is about half way through my adventures for the month of October but I’m going to cut this entry off here since it has gotten rather lengthy already, and I will finish wrapping up the second half of October in my next entry!