A Japanese hair cut and Fun day

I am accumulating too many pictures and not enough time to post them all, but hopefully right now I can catch up a little.

Yesterday (Thursday here), I went to a hair salon to get my haircut. I figured that this would be the ultimate cross-cultural experience by having to explain to the person who cuts my hair what I wanted. Fortunately, Motoko-san's sister Wakako-san (who is fluent in English and Japanese) decided to take me to her salon.

Salon's here in Japan are not just a place to get your hair cut. It is a place to relax and enjoy your time easing away the stress of work life here. So, I got to the salon and the hair dresser (I forget his name now) asked me what I wanted. I said, "give me a look like David Beckham" (everyone in this world knows who David Beckham is).

I started out getting my hair washed, but what was nice was that a warm towel was place on my face, which was 1.) comfortable, and 2.) it was enjoyable not having to look up my hair washer nose or have those awkward moments where you don't know what you should look at. My ears were then cleaned out, and my head was massaged as they washed my hair. Really, really enjoyable.

Then, the haircut came. All seemed well there, and after my haircut another wash of the hair followed by another massage of the head (longer this time). I was then escorted to a chair and my shoulders were massaged by an assistant as the hairdresser put product in my hair. After this was finished, they brushed me off and put my coat back on me. Now this is the kicker. The best haircut I have ever received (style and enjoyment) and I payed less than I would in the States. Something is wrong here.

So here is the finished product. Sorry for the model pose.
What do you all think? David Beckham-ish or Matt Damon-ish. I lean towards Matt Damon.

Anyways, today we had a Fun Day as a team, so Andy, Lorna, Motoko, Kasumi, and I went out to the peninsula. It was a little cold, but the sun and scenery were beautiful.
In the car on our way out.


The view from the porch of the restaurant we ate at.


My meal at the restaurant. It was delicious.


This is Sakurai Futamigaura. It is a famous sightseeing spot, and is a spiritual landmark for the Japanese. The rocks are believed to be sacred and married (thus the rope between them). The white pillar thing is called a torii and marks all temples and shrines. It is believed that when you pass through the torii gate you pass into a spiritually sacred place. During one part of the year the sun will set exactly between the two rocks, and that is a popular time to come see the rocks.

Well that is all for now. Enjoy.

JCFN and Hard Rock Cafe

My time in Japan will officially be a month tomorrow. Where does the time go?

One of the nice balances the Japanese seem to do well is the tension between nature and technology. They love nature, and they even worship nature in Shintoism. What is interesting then is seeing the Japanese hold to the tension of technology and advancement couple with nature and traditionalism. Here is an example in a picture.

To the right a huge mall with four stories, an arcade, and loud sounds from a pachinko parlor. Behind me is a busy train station. And in front? A gorgeous mountain side. It seems so out of place, and yet that is what Japan holds in tension so well.

Moms and Kids and Kawara Soba

Sorry for the absence of post. Here is a smattering of new things that we have done.

First we had Mom's and Kid's last Friday at the center and I was being introduced again to all the Mom's and kids that came. Lorna spends times with the mothers and does a theme based Bible lesson, and Andy, Motoko-hime, and I kept the kids busy.

Here are a couple of videos from before:



This is before Moms and kids started waiting for the fun to begin.



This was a dance I was "elected" to perform in front of the kids to keep them busy. Andy wanted to get some video of my great moment. Unfortunately, I did not get any pictures or videos of the kids. Next time.

Afterwards, we went out to a Kawara Soba restaurant which is a specialty of the area and is baked on roof tiles from houses. What is Soba you ask?

Soba (そば) is a type of thin Japanese noodle made from buckwheat flour. It is served either chilled with a dipping sauce, or in hot broth as a noodle soup. Moreover, it is common in Japan to refer to any thin noodle as soba in contrast to udon which are thick noodles made from wheat. It takes three months for buckwheat to be ready for harvest, so people can harvest it four times in a year; it is harvested mainly in spring, summer, and autumn. In Japan, buckwheat is produced mainly in Hokkaido.People call soba that is made with buckwheat that has just been harvested "shin-soba". It has more sweetness and taste than soba.

Thank you Wikipedia.

Anyways, here is some pictures of the place.


And here is my steaming pile of Kawara Soba!


Oishii-katta (It was delicious!)

Okonomiyaki and Mao-sensei

One of the requirements while I am on internship is to study the language. So language school was factored into my support raising. Well, it just so happened to turn out that a Christian Japanese guy named Mao is taking grad-school courses in teaching Japanese and has to do an internship where he teaches Japanese to a student. That is where I come in. I am Mao's internship, and he is now my Japanese teacher.

Two things about Mao:
1. He is very funny, and loves to laugh.
2. He is very loud, and loves to laugh.

Overall, he is a fun person to be around, and hopefully learn from. Earlier this week, Mao and I met just to get to know one another. These are photos chronicling that time....
This is an okonomiyaki grill.

Okonomiyaki is: a Japanese savoury pancake containing a variety of ingredients. The name is derived from the word okonomi, meaning "what you like" or "what you want", and yaki meaning "grilled" or "cooked" (cf. yakitori and yakisoba). Okonomiyaki is mainly associated with Kansai or Hiroshima areas of Japan, but is widely available throughout the country. Toppings and batters tend to vary according to region. (source: Wikipedia)


My "batter" before it placed on the searing hot grill.


Mao thought the "Michigan hand" was hilarious. That is the finished product of my okonomiyaki by the way.

This is Mao. He really thought the "Michigan hand" was hilarious.

Coming of Age Day

Well, it has been a while since I have updated. This last Monday was a public holiday in Japan called "Seijin no Hi" or "Coming of Age Day". Here is a small explanation from Wikipedia:

Coming of Age Day (成人の日, Seijin no Hi) is a Japanese holiday held annually on the second Monday of January. It is held in order to congratulate and encourage all those who have reached the age of majority (20 years old) over the past year, and to help them realize that they have become adults. Festivities include coming of age ceremonies (成人式, seijin-shiki) held at local and prefectural offices, as well as after-parties amongst family and friends.

During this day the 20 year old boys go around in nice suits and the girls in traditional kimonos that range from one thousand to ten thousand dollars. Anyways, I headed down to Tenjin and got some picture of and with the girls.
Theses girls were really nice, and asked for me to get in the picture.

Anyways, that is it for now. A long day of teaching ahead tomorrow.

Coffee and Chat

Coffee and Chat went very well tonight and we had a large group of people show up and practice their English.

The theme was "Gestures" and we talked about some of the differences between Japanese and Western gestures (laughing,when you are full,etc...). We played a charades like game around our table, and over all it was a lot of fun.

I also gave a 15 minute power point presentation of my family (One man told me he though my mom was my sister)and told about them (I included Scarlet in the pictures dad). They all laughed at Mom and Dad's love for Starbucks (Green tea latte and mocha frappuccino) and it was a running joke at my table throughout the night.

One of the new Christian's in the House Church spelled my name out in Kanji too.
It is the top part and can literally be read as "Lord chaste rich peace" or sutefuan or Stephen.

As well I captured a great example of Engrish over here.

For those who can't read it. It says, "It moves by itself". Seeing as where the text is located made me laugh.

Finally, a video of getting lunch today with Andy, Lorna, and Motoko.

A Video!

I decided to post a video of the place where I work!

Tomorrow we have Coffee and Chat so please be praying for a good turnout.

Also, I am feeling much better, and it looks like it was food poisoning after all. I still have a little bit of a cold but Motoko-san has given me medicine/energy drinks composing of asian jelly and garlic that have helped quite a bit ( the taste has much to be desired though).

Anyways, enjoy the film!

House Church and Starting Classes

This will have to be quick, as I have an appointment to make in 30 minutes but here are some things that I have been doing as of late.

Sunday: Andy preached at the Itoshima Church and I went and cheered him as well as to see the church I had spent so much time at before.

That night we gather in the upstairs of the Center for Andy and Lorna's House Church, and we worshiped with the Japanese who had gathered.



This is a picture of the meeting place. Lorna was teaching on Acts and the notes from the night are on the board.

Afterwords, we went to a part of Nishijin (the prefecture withing the city of Fukuoka) and ate at a nice Italian restaurant with Motoko-san and Niki-san.

The next day, I went exploring and took a walk all over Fukuoka. Unfortunately, my camera died so I only have these two pictures to show of my trek.
This is the road I walk or bike down to get to the Center.


This is a Shrine to various Bodhisattva down the same rode.

Finally, yesterday I started watching Jeniffer teach in preparation for when I take over next week.


This is Jeniffer, the lady I am replacing as she goes back to New Zealand. If you could pray for her as she goes back to New Zealand for safe travels and that she could raise more support from her churches there.

This is the place where I teach English.

On a side note I have been developing a cold, so if you could please pray that I may be able to beat this thing back before I really start teaching next week would be much appreciated.

If any of you have prayer requests feel free to send them my way as well. I would love to pray for you in my down time.

God bless,

-Stephen

New Years, Ohori-koen and my Schedule

Hello everyone,

I decided to do a quick update and show off some pictures.

My New Years was very restful, and I spent most of my time hanging out with Andy and Lorna at their apartment. Lorna made a ham for dinner, and Kie-san came over to eat with us as we rang in the New Year.

I have been encouraged so far in that I am able to listen and understand more Japanese than I anticipated. In most cases I can pick out words and ascertain what is being said (I guess watching all that Japanese TV payed off), but responding is another beast altogether.

This is the view from Andy and Lorna's apartment, and is something to behold in the morning.
Unfortunately, it was a little cloudy this day so you cannot see the mountain as well.

I am currently living in Andy's office and this is my room.

Today, I went to the Friendship Center and received the full details of what classes I am teaching and who my students are.

This is the list and I ask that you will be praying for my students (most who are not Christians) as well as for me as I teach them.

Tuesdays: 10:30 - 12:00, Upper Beginner Class, Students: Shibahara-san and Shima-san
2:00 - 3:00, Private class, Nishida-san
4:00-5:00, Elementary class, Students: Haruma-kun and Takeru-kun
5:15-6:15, Elementary class 2, Students: Chisato-chan
7:00-8:30, Intermediate High School, Students: Moe-san and Kaiyo-san


Wednesdays: 1:30-???, Private class, Satoshi-san
5:00-6:00, Private class, Ryoichiro-kun
7:00-8:15, Junior High School, Akinori-kun
8:30-???, Private class, Baba-sensei


Thursdays: 10:30-12:00, Adult Intermediate Class, Students: Higashida-san, Yamaki-san, Kanaya-san
4:00-4:45, Kindergarten, Students: Koga-kun, Nao-chan, Misaki-chan
5:30-6:30, Elementary class, Students: Kihara-kun and Ayaka-chan

Please pray that I can teach well, and that I may be able to get to know my students both as a teacher, but also as a servant and a friend outside of class.

Finally, tonight I rode a bike down to Ohori-koen (koen is the Japanese word for park) and took some pictures. Here they are.


"I will tell the decree: The Lord said to me, "You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession." (Psalms 2:7-8)

Truly, Japan is the possession of of our Lord Jesus Christ.