Japan 2017

Spending the last two and a half weeks of July in Japan was such a sweet & refreshing & eye-opening & growing experience. These pictures are an attempt to record a few of the little moments and experiences that encapsulate this trip.

 First impressions of Japan: everything struck me as unusually well-organized, efficient, exceptionally clean, and small (the people, the cars, the streets, the airport). Those first impressions pretty consistently described Japan, as I experienced it.

 My little office-turned-bedroom in the Tokyo church.

 This is what you see when you walk outside of Tokyo church.

 One of the many well-manicured, green, modern, artistic, small homes in Tokyo.

 Community slippers at the church.

 I was eternally trying to find ways to discretely take pictures of women's outfits in Japan! They were so feminine, and so artistic.

 One afternoon, we visited the temples in Ginza.

 Traditional Japanese street food. They love those sea creatures!

 Tokyo tower is the tallest building on the left. We took a river cruise down the Sumida River one evening at dusk.

 Purikura photo booths are a huge fad in Japan right now. In the pictures, your eyes are bigger, lips are pinker, chins are smaller, skin is lighter, face is airbrushed, and a little twinkle is added to the eye. It was a fun thing to do together and gave some interesting insight into the beauty ideals of Japanese culture.

 We were in a store one afternoon when it started pouring down rain. It didn't show signs of stopping anytime soon, so we all bought umbrellas for 100 yen (about one dollar) and turned it into an adventure.

 A huge dessert fad in Japan currently is crepes! We found a little crepe truck that made the crepes in front of you, wrapped them with the utmost care with whipped cream and ice cream, and topped them with these delicate little flowers. The combination of the warm crepe and cold ice cream was delectable!

 A Bible written in kanji.

 Javon, myself, Jenna, and Rachel sightseeing one afternoon.

 Walking to the sushi restaurant one evening with Airu, one of the kids who came to VBS. His mom wanted to treat us to her favorite conveyor-belt sushi restaurant, and he slipped his hand in mine on the way. One of the only words he knew in English was "punch" and he loved to yell it while practicing his sumo wrestling moves.

 On Sunday morning before church, Kotaro offered to take us sightseeing in Shioda. We woke up to leave at 6, sleepy-eyed and hazy-voiced, and we did not regret it. He took us to the best lookout spot for Mt. Fuji, and then to several of his favorite spots overlooking the peach and grape orchards of Shioda. This view was impeccable - green and lush valley surrounded by mountains on every side. There is nothing like being shown an unfamiliar country by someone who calls it home.

Off to the bus station - this was on our way to Shioda.

Waiting for the bus, anticipating our first VBS!

 Just after the onsen experience - an afternoon I will not easily forget!

 Eiko Nozawa. "Can we do something for the afternoon - just you and me, Sheree-san?"

 These sweet kids, the ever-eager posers for pictures.

 One of our many afternoons spent in the train.

 I fell in love with the food in Japan. So fresh, so flavorful.

 Overlooking downtown Tokyo.

 Drinking my carefully-prepared matcha green tea during the private tea ceremony we attended.

 One of the many beautiful and delicious meals I had! Fish, fried tofu, edamame, okra, cucumbers, seaweed, rice, and miso soup. The ideal healthy diet in Japan is to eat a variety of 30 different foods a day, so many of their meals have little portions of many different kinds of food on one plate.

 Sweet Aili. She spoke very good English and was one of the kids most interactive and receptive and desiring to know more.

 It was not uncommon to see women in kimonos at any given time in Japan! Here they were ordering at McDonald's just in front of us.

 At the beach in Kamakura. The water was so warm, and the sand so soft and dark.

Rachel snapped this picture in the sanctuary in Tokyo one afternoon.

Sweet Soyi. She was one of the most gifted hostesses I have ever met, one of the most tender and pure hearts towards God, and one of the deepest and most insightful souls. I am so grateful to have met this sister.

Japan will always hold a special place in my heart. It was powerful to gain insight into the culture, the complications and positive aspects of the churches there, and to be encouraged by the brothers and sisters there. How sweet to know people on the other side of the world, to see God working in their lives, and to know more fully how to pray for the culture there.