One Month in Transition

Hey everyone!

We have all been adjusting slowly but surely. It is has been a challenge in some areas and an enjoyment in others. Traveling to Japan was good. 3 hours to Toronto, 13 hours to Tokyo, 1.5 hours to Sapparo, 2 hour drive to Asahikawa. Caellum did great! He made a lot of people smile, took good naps and ate well. Adjusting to time change is another story (14 hours ahead of US).
Unfortunately upon arrival, Caellum had stomach problems and Dan had to go to the clinic for an oncoming cold. We are grateful we received insurance easily and quickly.    
              

                                      

The family we have been staying with and will do ministry with have been more than amazing! They have fed us, taken us to all the places we need to go and have helped us adjust easier.

We have learned a lot in a short period of time and will continue to do so. We have attended the church of the international school we plan to help out at. Church is done differently here. Once worship is done, most moms will bring their children to the nursery upstairs where they have the sermon playing on the TV. After service we all have lunch together. Usually the kids and moms will eat together in the nursery (easier set up/clean up).

Things have been crazy and hectic I feel. It has been hard to adapt easily. I have had so many doubts and concerns (a result of not spending time in the Bible and in prayer I believe). Because things are very different, it has been hard not to have “familiarity.” All buildings are close together and there’s not much land. There are wires everywhere (telephone pole kind). Most cars are small. Everything (with the exception of some things) is written in symbols (Japanese of course). It has been hard to be completely dependent on someone else to basically survive. It is hard not to feel like a burden being reliant on others. It has been lonely at times too because we cannot speak the language. Others are very friendly at the church but we cannot hold long conversations. Thankfully there are some English speaking individuals that help us feel more at “home.”

 

I have had reservations about moving into our home. Finding a car has been quite the hassle because our home is ‘low’ and the garage is ‘low.’ We have had to make sure we have heaters for the winter, get a fridge and washing machine (as we would have had to moving anywhere). We also have to DIY a baby gate for our dangerous stairs (ha-ha). It has been a lot more work moving somewhere than I thought it would be. Buying necessities has been overwhelming. Even going to the grocery store was quite the experience. In the states I could make our grocery list based on isle number… now I cannot find anything without taking forever or asking!

 

I am grateful for Dan being our family’s rock during this transition. It seems we are always in a whirlwind. Married, 5 days later moving to CFNI, moving to a bigger CFNI apartment, graduating and moving to Plano, moving to Magnolia and then now moving across the world to Japan in less than 4 years. Having a 1.5 year old and having a baby girl in a brand new country (the experience to the Dr’s itself was overwhelming not having anyone speak English except my friend interpreting). It is ONLY by the grace of God that I am still following His will. In all my ups and downs, Dan has been positive and loving.

We are still in transition, getting things for our house and learning the language… learning the culture. My friend will be having her third baby in December and our daughter is due in February. After we are all in the ‘swing’ of things, we will start the international church out of our friend’s home. The winter and snow will come soon and we will remain positive and stay warm.

Please pray for us when you think of us. We appreciate everyone’s support!
 

Here are some things I have learned in Japan:

Shopping:

*Most stores have carts or cool ‘baby holders’ that you can attach baskets to. It’s rare to see a mom pushing around her own stroller.

*You have to go to different stores for your needs (there’s not a Walmart Supercenter that sells everything you want in one place).

*The main mall here has a HUGE grocery store inside and a gardening area.

Culture:

*Food is only for the kitchen/dining room table. You do not eat anywhere else (no breakfast in bed!).

*Shoes are always taken off in the entry way.

*PDA is not a big thing here (especially around the older generation).

*Couples going on dates are not common.

*Many people find their identity in their job. Some work from 6am to 11pm trying to prove themselves diligent because they do not want to lose their job to someone working harder than them.

*You typically don’t wave, instead you bow (to show respect).

*People do not typically hug…even close friends.

*A lot of individuals wear face masks (covers from the nose, down) for protection of sickness.

*Children usually sleep with their parents until the age of 5-6.

*Everything takes a long time to get here! Wifi takes about two weeks to get someone to come hook it up. A used car takes about a week to get because paper work has to be filed with the government first. SIM cards for phones take about 10 days to get.

Food:

*Rice, soup and a meat are served with almost every meal. Most meals you will find lots of veggies!

*Flour and some dairy products are more expensive here because there is not a lot of land to farm these items and a lot of it is imported. Thus increasing the cost.

*There are NO ovens. You can buy an American sized oven for around $2,000. The microwaves here are bigger and act as a microwave and small oven to bake small portions.

*There is: KFC, Subway, Mc D’s, Pizza Hut.

*Some of the big types of food are: Japanese, Italian, Chinese then so on.

*You do not tip here. Workers are paid well enough and most likely will not accept tips.

Cars:

*Some gas stations have people who pump your gas for you and wash your windows (no tips).

*Some gas stations have the pumps coming from the ceiling.

*When buying a used car, it is normal to not look at it before buying it. People will not sell ‘junk.

*There are two ways to buy a car: through a dealer or an online auction.

*For cars, you have to pay yearly taxes ($60 for a small car, $400 for a big <guesstimate).

*Every two years you have to have an inspection which costs roughly $500.

*There are many good used cars because once a vehicle goes over 60,000 miles people consider it too old.

 

Entertainment:

*Some TV channels you can change to English with the touch of a button

*At the cinema most Hollywood films are in English with Japanese subtitles.

Living:

*One story homes are not common because Japan does not have a lot of land which causes most things to be close or built up.

*There are NO dryers here. You wash your clothes then you hang them. I have found it better to use softener with my clothes and will be doing a lot of ironing.

*The sun is usually down by 5-6pm and up around 5am. In the summer the sun sets at 7pm. (Curtains are a must have!)

*A lot of bedding here consists of a ‘futon’ which is a thick mat on a floor with a thinner mat on top that you sleep on. Most people will have these and fold them up in the beginning of the day so there is more room in the house.

*Houses are not very sound proof.

*You cannot park your car on the street, you must pull into your garage or driveway. You will be given a ticket if so.

In the Christian realm:

*There are not many Spirit-Led churches out of the few that are actually in Japan.

*There are no Christian stores or radio stations. The big beautiful churches here are just buildings used for wedding or events. As a business.

*Japanese culture is extremely respectful and they give God the highest honor but it is hard for them to have a casual relationship/strong friendship with God.

*From my understanding thus far, there are no radical lifestyles. People do not typically share their faith due to shyness or fear of being judge.

*In this culture I have heard it said time and time again it is important to build relationship and trust first before preaching gospel to someone (Biblically this is only part of the model that Jesus showed us).

*Most churches only have a piano and sing hymns for songs. It is considered  rare to have worship with a guitar and drums (The church we have gone to has those things).

*A megachurch here is 120+ members. The average size of a church is 20-30.

*The largest church in Japan is located in Tokyo with roughly 1,000 members.

*Gospel music is popular in Japan. Most people do not know what the songs are about.

*Non-Christians have no idea who God is or what prayer is. In America most people have a basic understanding.