A train on the Sotetsu Line with the line’s mascot on the front: Sounyan!

Here is a train parked and ready to take on more passengers in Yokohama Station. We ride the Sotetsu Train Line every time we go to and from Yokohama for language school. Sounyan is the train line’s mascot.

On the top of the train screen, you can see a couple of pieces of information at a glance. This is a “rapid” (快速) train, which means it doesn’t stop at every station, but it does stop at more stations than an Express train or a Limited Express train. We either ride a rapid train all the way to Mitsukyo Station, or we ride an express train to a station close to Mitsukyo Station, then transfer to a Local train, the latter of which stops at every station on the train line. You can also see that it’s a rapid train by the color blue behind the word “Rapid”.

The train also tells you that it is bound for Ebina Station. This is important to know, as it will tell you that this train isn’t going to Shonandai (an entirely different location and direction) or some other station. Ebina Station is past Mitsukyo Station, so we don’t go all the way to Ebina, but we do need to know that we are at least headed in the right direction!

The train scheduling system was a challenge to figure out at first, but after a year of riding the public transit system in Japan, it almost feels like second nature.

#japan #japantrains #sotetsuline #sotetsusen #sounyan

The final first day of intensive Japanese language school.

We have been in intensive Japanese language courses since mid-November 2023, and we’re attending a school in downtown Yokohama City. Each course is four weeks long, and it aims to rapidly increase your level of Japanese in all areas: speaking, reading, writing, and listening. We started at the Beginner 1 level speaking and reading simple sentences such as「私は学生です。」(I am a student.). In just eleven months, we are in our final intensive course, Intermediate 5. We are writing speeches, having long conversations, sharing stories, reading stories, and saying things like 「私は日本語を一年間勉強しているのに、小さい子供のように話せるんです。」(I’ve been studying Japanese for a year, but I can only speak like a little child.). OK, so that last part is an exaggeration, but you get the idea.

This picture was taken outside of our home on our way to our final first day of class. After this class ends on October 25, we will, of course, have more language learning to do, but one important foundation for our time in Japan, at least in terms of language, will finally be complete. We are thankful to God and the prayers of many people for endurance and for the opportunity and ability to learn a large chunk of a complex language in a short amount of time.

#japan #learnjapanese #languagelearning #finalfirstday

Sunflowers at a park in eastern Yokohama.

We’ve noted this many times to one another while here in Japan, but flowers are abundant here in Japan. It seems like something is always blooming, and it brightens our days to see a variety of flowers. In August, it was sunflowers! Here is a small pack of them located in a park in the Minato Mirai area of eastern Yokohama.

#japan #sunflowers #flowersofjapan

Looking out the bay in Yokosuka, Japan.

During our Beginner 3 Japanese language class, we had the opportunity to get to know our fellow classmate from Italy. He was a fun person, into computers and programming, and genuinely enjoyable to be around. During that class, he invited us to come visit him and his wife in Yokosuka, Japan, but for a variety of reasons, we didn’t have the opportunity to go and see him until almost six months after Beginner 3!

We had a delightful time with him and his wife, with a short walk outside and an extremely delicious meal at his home. (Did we mention he was training to be a chef before?) Knowing we are vegetarians, he cooked us a wonderful meal of risotto (an Italian rice dish cooked with broth until it reaches a creamy consistency) along with mushrooms, a fried focaccia-like bread, and a chocolate peanut-butter cake. It was extremely delicious. We spent several hours talking with him and his wife and also touring his neighborhood on a walk with their dog.

#japan #yokosuka #italiandishes #italiancuisine

Fireworks as seen from a Minato Mirai Park on August 5, 2024.

One thing that Japan is known for in summertime is fireworks. Fireworks shows happen for a large variety of reasons, but sometimes, it’s just because fireworks are great to see and enjoy! One of our language school teachers let us know about this show, and we took the opportunity to go and see it during our second week of Intermediate 3 class.

We went out with a friend from our language school to view the fireworks from a park on the eastern side of Yokohama. We didn’t have the best seats in the house, but we really enjoyed watching the 25-minute show. There were fireworks of many different colors, shapes, and sizes.

Suffice it to say that the commute back was quite crowded, but we made it back home by a reasonable hour.

#japan #fireworks #minatomirai #summer

A first for our time in Japan: a homemade loaf of from-scratch challah bread!

Some friends here in Japan are, unfortunately, moving back to the USA, and in doing so, they gave us a very gracious gift: their countertop oven! (And dryer, but well, you don’t usually use those to make bread.) With this, we can finally do something we’ve longed to do since arriving in Japan: make our own baked goods.

Challah bread holds a special place in our hearts. We met one another at a home in TN where challah bread is served each Friday evening as part of a delightful meal and fellowship with friends both old and new. Michael has quite the reputation there for enjoying challah (and a lot of it), and thankfully, Caitlyn learned how to make it quite nicely.

After receiving the oven, we were fortunate enough to find a store in the catacombs of Yokohama Station that sells flour (both whole wheat and white) along with other baking items. It’s not the cheapest flour in the world from that store, so we’ll need to find other, more economical sources of flour if we want to start making all our own bread, but suffice it to say that this challah bread was really, really good.

#japan #bakedgoods #challahbread #challahfridays

Some San-iku soy (veggie meat) products that we have gotten here in Japan.

In Japan, you can’t find your favorite Loma-Linda or Worthington veggie meat products like you can in the USA. Those simply aren’t available here. However, there is an SDA food company here in Japan called San-iku Foods, and they make a large number of healthful foods, including some veggie meats.

The taste is different than what we are used to from the USA, of course, but it is still very good. In this picture, you can see some Linketts (リンケッツ), gluten burger (グルテンバーガー), and vege-tuna (ベジツナ). San-iku also produces natural peanut butter; black sesame spread; plant-based, ready-to-eat sauces; granola; and a huge variety of other products.

We’re very thankful to have a good variety of options here in Japan for food!

#japan #sanikufoods #veggiemeat #sanikufoods

Just a simple shoe store near Tsuruma Station in the greater Yokohama area of Japan.

This store is located right next to the bus stop for Tsuruma Station. Just noting a few things you may spot in this picture: A Japanese storefront name, an English storefront name, bicycles (a very common transport mechanism here) parked out front, a parking garage off to the left, some apartments off to the right, and even some sale signs on the front of the store. (The one that is red and waving on the breeze says, “Super Sale!” in both English and Japanese — the Japanese writing is katakana, which is used for foreign words.)

#japan #storefront #tsurumastation

A rainbow over Mitsukyo Station after a rain storm.

One train station that we frequent often is on the Sotetsu Line and is called Mitsukyo Station. (Me-tsu-kyo, where “tsu” is pronounced like the “tsu” in “cat suit” but without any break between words) A lot happens at a train station, and we take advantage of a lot of things at this station and in the surrounding area: a Daiso 100-yen store, much like a $1 store in the USA but way better; a grocery store; Kaldi, an import food store; a bookstore; and the nearby post office. There’s also a really, really fantastic pizza place next to this station that we have enjoyed going to several times.

#japan #trainstation #sotetsu #mitsukyo

Takoyaki…without the tako!

“Takoyaki is a ball-shaped Japanese snack made of a wheat flour-based batter and cooked in a special molded pan. It is typically filled with minced or diced octopus, tempura scraps, pickled ginger, and green onion.” (Definition via Wikipedia) “Tako” is the Japanese word for octopus (not to be confused with Taco Bell, of course), and “yaki” means grilled, hence the word “takoyaki”.

We recently went to a friend’s house to spend time with them, socialize, and also eat some great food. They made some 100% vegetarian takoyaki, which we were only too happy to help grill and eat. It was really good to not only try a new food but also to spend time with friends and practice our Japanese abilities.

#japan #visitswithfriends #newfoods

A wall full of cubby holes for shoes in the entrance of a Seventh-day Adventist church.

When entering some buildings in Japan, like several other Asian countries, you should take off your shoes before entering. A Japanese home has a dedicated space in its entrance for taking shoes off, called a genkan. Some places will have slippers for you to use instead of your normal shoes, and some places will have shoe covers for you to use instead.

At this church, your shoes are swapped out for a pair of slippers to wear inside. Michael’s feet are too long, though, so to stay comfortable, he brings his own special church slippers whenever he goes to church on Sabbath.

#japan #shoesatthedoor #takeoffyourshoes

Another sneak peek at language learning: reading stories about the lives of famous Japanese people.

One of our teachers in our Beginner Japanese classes (who we continue to have as we slowly progress through Intermediate classes) recommended a book for reading practice, “The Great Japanese 20.” This is a short series of books that cover the lives of famous Japanese people in a variety of areas from biology to music to books. There are three books, each progressing in difficulty. Pictured here is the easiest book that we are working through now. This specific story is about a scientist who is working towards helping to raise awareness about plastics in the oceans and how that could affect the fish industry.

Each story has a short dictionary of new words and some vocabulary comprehension check questions to go through before you read. Then, you read through the story, and afterwards, you answer story comprehension questions. If there are words or grammar points you don’t understand, there is a full reference in the back of the book. It’s not the easiest thing in the world to read, but it is very satisfying to read through a full story, comprehend what’s going on, and answer questions about it — entirely in another language!

(For the eagle-eyes: Yes, there are Arabic numbers there along with an English word in the actual story. That’ll happen occasionally, even in “real life” Japanese, but, generally speaking, everything in the book, including questions, is in Japanese! Arabic numerals are used quite often, though.)

#japan #languagelearning #greatjapanese20

It’s always wonderful to have friends come and visit!

Abigail is a friend we knew from our time when we lived in Michigan, and she recently served as a nurse in the Philippines for a year. She was on her way home and decided to hop through Japan on her way. We were glad to see her and spend some time with a friend.

Pictured behind us is one building of the Tokyo National Museum, which is near Ueno Park in Tokyo. The museum was huge and spanned multiple buildings, and, unfortunately, we did not have time to see every exhibit; however, it was well worth the time we spent there. Ueno Park has several museums in its vicinity, filled with rich history about Japan. Hopefully we will have time to visit more before we move out west.

#japan #visitsfromfriends #happydays

We celebrated July 4 last week with a classic American-style picnic, complete with vegetarian hot dogs and apple pie!

Several of our friends from the USA joined us on July 4 in the evening for a beautiful sunset picnic near the Yokohama Minatomirai waterfront. We all pitched in with some American-style food, both purchased and homemade, including veggie hot dogs, potato salad, pasta salad, watermelon, and even apple pie with ice cream! It was great to join friends for an evening of fun and fellowship over familiar, scrumptious food. It’s good — and good for you — to take a breather, step aside, and just relax for a little while.

When was the last time you went on a picnic?

#picnic #picnicinjapan #foodwithfriends

A row of red torii gates in a Shinto shrine area in Yamaguchi City, Japan.

Here are some smaller torii gates. They are probably about 5-7 feet tall, but there are many of them all right in a row. Each has some different kanji written on them. Instead of being just at the edge of the Shinto area, these were found inside the main Shinto area next to some other Shinto-related buildings.

#japan #japanhistoryandculture

Sunset reflecting off a taxi, as seen from inside a train in Osaka, Japan.

It’s not every day that you get to see a beautiful sunset from your train window. But, when it happens, what better time to take a beautiful picture of the local area and the cars driving by?

Fun fact: in Japan, the taxi car doors open automatically for you.

#japan #japantravel #japansunset

Looking out of a small Japanese-style room into a local park in Yamaguchi City, Japan.

As you reflect upon your week, how did it go? Good? Bad? So-so? It’s important to take time to reflect, no matter how things went, so that you can process the things that happen and take time to rest from the busyness of life. And then, as you reflect, to give these things to God and talk to Him about them, knowing that He cares for each thing that happened to you, whether good, bad, or in between. After all, the hairs on your head are numbered (Luke 12:7), so how much more does God care about how you feel, what you’re thinking about, and what happened to you?

Overlooking a city street while prayer walking in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan.

Prayer walking is, for us, a newer concept. The basic idea is that you, well, go walking, and pray for the things and people that you see as well as for whatever is on your mind. You can pray for the people you see going about their business, pray for people living in apartment buildings or working in businesses, or just that God would work and reach the area that you are walking around in and lead people in that place to Him. It can be done in your head, out loud, in groups, or alone.

We have taken up prayer walking both in areas that we explore and our normal, daily commute. Now that we have been on our commute to language school for many months, we recognize people and can pray for them more specifically than before. Will we see or hear the answers to these prayers? Maybe. Probably not. Regardless, we leave the results up to God. And hopefully, one day, when we’re all in heaven, we’ll get to hear how these prayers, however small, made a difference and pointed people to Christ.

#adventistfrontiermissions #reachjapan #prayerwalk #prayerwalking

The water cleansing spot near a Shinto sacred area in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan.

Before going to worship at a jinja, or Shinto shrine/sacred area, worshipers cleanse themselves with water using dippers like the ones you see pictured. Here is the process:

-Take a dipper in your right hand, get some water out, and then pour some water over your left hand.
-Switch the hand that is holding the dipper and pour a little water in your right hand.
-Put the dipper back in your right hand, pour some water into your left hand, and rinse your mouth.
-Pour water on your left hand again.
-Turn the dipper upright so that some water rinses the handle.
-Empty the dipper (if any water remains) and then return it.

(Steps taken from nippon.com)

A torii gate leading to a Shinto worship area in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan.

You’ll see torii gates all over Japan. Generally speaking, they’re a separating barrier between the sacred area and non-sacred area for Shintoism. They are usually red, or made out of stone, but not always. Some are huge — this one is probably around thirty feet tall. Some would fit in your backyard and are short. They are found all over Japan — thousands upon thousands of them, found everywhere from parks to mountains to backyards to roofs on top of apartment buildings.

We are here to help the gospel be known everywhere. What will it take to help the gospel be known as widely as the torii gates are found? We don’t know, but we’re excited to see how God will lead us as we seek to make Him known in this country.

#adventistfrontiermissions #japan #reachtheunreached

Nighttime at a train station in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan.

Train stations are a convenient place to meet up and see other people or even get some work or studies done. When people ask you where you live, telling someone what train station you live closest to is a common answer. This particular train station has multiple restaurants, a bookstore, a library, and even a piano near the entrance to the bullet train section of the station.

#japan #trainstation #eveningpictures #photography

This is small section of a Shinto shrine area in Yamaguchi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan.

Here you can see the syncretism of religions here in Japan. The ladles are for cleansing yourself with water, stereotypically a Shinto practice here. Next to it is a statue that very much reminds one of Buddhism. Around the Buddha’s head? A halo — the influence of Catholicism in this section of the country. Buddhism and Shintoism are very intermixed in most areas of the country, but we haven’t seen the same level of syncretism with Catholicism in the other portions of the country where we have visited.

This intermixing of the religions makes understanding the culture and worldview of the local people a challenge, as you need to understand the origins and concepts of multiple systems and how they interplay with one another.

#adventistfrontiermissions #reachingtheunreached

Ah, the joy of having a bakery that you can go to on a regular basis.

There are a good number of bakeries throughout Japan. There is a different bakery (not pictured) that we go to on a regular basis for loaves of “cereal bread” (the most whole-wheat like bread we have found in stores so far). Kumapan Bakery is not one we frequent often, but we go there occasionally for loaves of bread and a treat every now and again. Since we don’t yet own an oven, and we likely won’t own one until we finish language school and move to the project location, we purchase bread and use it for toast and sandwiches and the like.

For the curious: “kuma” (くま) means “bear”, and “pan” (パン) means “bread”.

#japan #japanbread

A sign located in a park by a small lake in Yokohama, Japan.

This sign is a good summary of how the language works here in Japan. Japanese has three writing systems. Well, arguably one or two more, but it has three main ones. Two syllabaries, hiragana and katakana, help spell out words through, well, syllables. Hiragana is used for Japanese words, and katakana for foreign or loan words. These each have the same sounds but totally different symbols. The red letters at the top of the sign are an example of hiragana. Unfortunately, there are no katakana letters on the sign.

The other symbols you see with the little symbols above them are kanji. These are characters from or derived from the Chinese language characters that you may be familiar with. The little symbols above them are called furigana, and they are hiragana (or katakana) that tell you how to pronounce the kanji. Why do you have to write out how to pronounce them? Well, most times, they don’t — you’re expected to know it. But it is important to know that each kanji can have one…or two…or three…or many (at least two kanji have over ten!) different ways of reading it. So, you have to look at the surrounding kanji, hiragana/katakana, and context of the sentence to know how to understand what you’re reading and how to pronounce words if you do not have furigana.

It's not easy. But with lots of practice, you memorize each symbol, its meaning, and how to read it in each context.

#japanese #nihongo #learnjapanese

Shinto shrines, or jinjas, can be found almost everywhere in Japan.

This is a local shrine found in Shunan City, Japan. It is small, but filled with plants and flowering trees. Shinto shrines are filled with or surrounded by natural beauty. Sometimes, as in the case of this shrine, there is space for trees, plants, and other flowers. In large shrines, there can be entire gardens filled with plants. And, in small shrines located on a rooftop or in someone’s backyard, there may a few small plants or a tree or two in a pot. Nature is undoubtedly an essential part of the Shinto worship area.

For us as missionaries, the question then becomes: How can we point the people of Japan to the God who created the natural beauty that surrounds us instead of to the worship of spirits who supposedly inhabit these natural wonders? We will need cultural insight, wisdom, language ability, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit to figure out how to do this in a culturally appropriate way without leading people to syncretize their current beliefs with the ideals upheld in the Bible. Please pray for us as we learn, grow, and consider the process of ministering in a country entrenched with spiritual beliefs that differ widely from our own.

#adventistfrontiermissions #yamaguchi #japanmission

Hanami – a Japanese word for going out to view tree blossoms each spring when they are in full bloom.

The Sakura (or other kind of tree) blossoms are not just for viewing alone. Couples, families, and even groups of coworkers from work will all go out together to view the cherry blossoms together. We certainly had fun going out and viewing them with some Seventh-day Adventists who live in Yamaguchi City, Japan.

Someday, we hope that, through the Holy Spirit, we can help lead people to come see the beauty of Christ, not only as individuals, but together as couples, families, and perhaps even groups of people from work. And these groups can then work together to encourage one another, their communities, and Japan at large.

#sakura #yamaguchi #yamaguchicity #japan #japansakura #japanbeauty #adventistfrontiermissions

Sakura season is one of the most beautiful times of the year in Japan!

Every year in the spring, anticipation grows as springtime comes near. Multiple news sources will release forecasts for the cherry blossoms so that everyone can be ready. When the cherry blossoms finally come, they don’t last long: a stormy day or a lot of wind can bring down most of the Sakura blossoms. But while they last, they are a beautiful sight to behold.

This picture was taken in Yamaguchi City, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. Fun fact: shortly after taking this shot, we were interviewed for a TV program of some kind since we were foreigners! No clue if or when that will ever be published, but at least we have a fun story to tell.

#sakura #yamaguchi #yamaguchicity #japan #japansakura #japanbeauty

A view from the 46th floor of a building in downtown Yokohama City.

If we’re honest, the task we’re setting out to do is impossible from human standards. Absolutely impossible. This is one shot from one window of one building of one teeny-tiny area of Japan. How can one couple reach this one section? How could even 100 couples reach the pictured portion of Japan…much less the whole city?

As we ride the public transportation, I often think about the task before us. I can hardly talk about the weather, much less talking about the intricacies of sharing the gospel with those who haven’t heard it yet in a culturally understandable way – when I don’t understand the culture. We fly past huge apartment buildings on the train. Is there even one Christian in each building? Maybe one per ten buildings? Who knows? We don’t. Reaching this country is absolutely impossible from a human perspective.

But, we serve a God who has already accomplished the impossible. He created the world. He caused the Red Sea to part and caused ax heads to float. He saved tiny armies from larger armies. He saved Peter from prison and caused Saul to transform into Paul. And most importantly, Jesus came to show us the love of the Father and die for our sins so that we don’t have to.

An impossible task? You betchya. But with our God? Nothing is impossible. And even this country can be reached for Him.

“And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” — John 12:32 (NKJV).

#adventistfrontiermissions #reachingtheunreached #reachjapanforChrist #japanmissions

Here we are with the Sotetsu Train Line mascot, Sounyan!

One thing we’ve learned while here in Japan is that many companies and places have mascots of one kind or another. Even the online e-Tax filing system has one! This mascot shows up in official documents, advertisements, and most everything else affiliated with the business, city, or town.

Sounyan is the mascot for the Sotetsu Train Line, which we ride every day on the way back and forth from language school. We found this giant version of Sounyan in the basement of Yokohama station, which we were exploring one day while finding somewhere to eat lunch. Of course, we had to take a selfie with it.

Just a small note on Sounyan’s hat: The train conductors and bus operators (the latter of which are also affiliated with Sotetsu) all wear the same kind of hat.

#adventistfrontiermissions #japantrains #sotetsuline

Getting a haircut in another language was one thing I was quite nervous about doing.

I (Michael) grew up going to the same barber shop most of my childhood. When I moved to Tennessee for college, it was not unusual for me to wait to get a haircut so I could go home and go back to my same barber shop. You probably understand — it’s easy to grow hair, but if you get it cut poorly, you’re stuck with it for months. When I was in Cambodia, I was fortunate to have a fellow missionary from Brazil who was willing to cut my hair.

You can only wait so long before needing a haircut. I knew I needed to get one, but I was quite nervous, as I was sure any place I would go would not speak English. I doubted I knew how to describe my haircut in Japanese — I have a difficult time knowing what to say in English! In any case, I asked for a recommendation from a friend and went for it. This is a picture of the place I went.

After waiting in line, a very kind lady called me up for my haircut. I had prepared multiple pictures of my hair when it was short (including the most recent cut right before leaving the USA at — you guessed it — my childhood barber shop by my childhood barber!). I showed her one picture, said something along the lines of “This is from three months ago.”, and let her at it.

I’m pretty sure she was describing the hair cutting process to me while she cut my hair, but all I saw were the scissors flashing and hair falling. To make a long story short, she did great, and I will return there for my next haircut!

Sometimes it’s easy to forget how simple tasks at home become complex in another country. Haircuts are one of them. Sending mail is another, but that’s another story…

#adventistfrontiermissions #haircuts #expatlife

Quick as a camel’s tail twitching in the breeze, Beginner 1-3 is done!

We can hardly believe it, but our first three Japanese language classes are done. Beginner 1 through Beginner 3, which is 12 weeks of class, covered the “Genki I” textbook (among other things), which covers about 145 kanji, hundreds of vocabulary words, and many points of grammar. This time has simultaneously felt super fast and very slow. We feel like we just started our Japanese studies yesterday, but we have really gotten into the swing of things in terms of language learning and are doing well. We praise God for His help daily.

We are one week through Beginner 4, which has started us out in the “Genki II” textbook. (Which, we want to note, is a much nicer shade of green than Genki I’s shade of orange.) For an example of things we learned this week: We can now do things like: say “I can [have the ability to] play the trombone.”, list multiple reasons in one sentence as to why something happened or why we feel some way (as opposed to just one reason), and talk about trying something out to see what will happen. It’s baby steps every day, but the work we put in now will pay dividends for years to come.

#adventistfrontiermissions #languagelearning #languageschool #japaneselanguagelearning

If you go to Japan, prepare to walk. A lot.

One thing we’ve really enjoyed about moving to Japan is the fact that exercise is built into daily life. We walk to the bus stop, walk between areas of the train station, walk to our class, and, well, just about everywhere else. It’s been wonderful to get a good stretch of the legs on a regular basis.

The main grocery store that we go to on a regular basis is roughly 13 minutes away at a good pace. There are a few hills, but nothing very arduous. Getting there is easy. Getting back is not as easy — you must carry all your groceries back by hand! We don’t own a car yet, and we probably won’t for at least a year, so we carry things back by hand.

Each time we go to the grocery store, we pack a bunch of reusable shopping bags. Since the time of this picture, Michael has now started to bring his backpack, too, for easier packing and carrying. At the store, after checkout, we pack the bags (and backpack) with groceries and then carry them all the way back home. It’s a little tiring sometimes, and some days it is cold, but it is good exercise, and we enjoy seeing the sights and sounds along the path of our journeys back and forth to the store.

#adventistfrontiermissions #goexercise #takeawalk #getfreshairoutside

Enjoying a nice break in between busy sessions of a morning of intensive language school.

This was our regular view in a nice ten-minute break in a morning of language school during our Beginner 1 and Beginner 2 classes. Coto Language Academy Yokohama, where we attend language school, gives us a ten minute break after the first hour and the second hour of class. It’s good to get a short break every now and again to keep one’s mind fresh.

You might be thinking: This “was” our regular view? Well, yes! Coto has expanded their school to include a second area in the annex of the same building in downtown Yokohama, so now there are two separate floors for the language school. Our Beginner 3 class is in the new wing, which serves as the primary reception area for Coto. The new wing is quite nice, and everyone we’ve talked to is excited about it.

Oh, and get this — for the grand opening event, Coto asked if they could record two video interviews of us! One was about our experience with Coto and was in English. The other video recording was all in Japanese and consisted of a long conversation with our language teachers. It was a little intimidating, but they made it a lot of fun. We’re hoping we can get a recording or something so we can share those another time.

#adventistfrontiermissions #takeabreak #languagelearning

We thought we wouldn’t have to deal with snow here!

When we were planning to move to Japan, we were told that snow was not often a concern for this area of the country. That was fine with us. We enjoy snow, but we also really enjoy warm weather. Early last week, we noticed that rain was on the forecast. When we looked out the window of our language school classroom, though, we saw snow outside. It kept falling for the rest of the day.

We thought about public transport issues the next day, but when Google Maps didn’t say there were problems, we decided to go to school. Little did we know that we would be stuck on the bus for over an hour for a traffic backup. What usually takes twenty minutes took quite a bit longer. We ended up arriving at school an hour late. Ironically, this was the second day of our new class — and the second day of our previous “new” class was when we had major train delays preventing us from attending the first hour of class!

We’re grateful for safe travel and the beauty that snow brings.

We’ll also be thankful for the warmth of spring. Whenever that decides to show up, that is!

#adventistfrontiermissions #japansnow #publictransportstories #dailylife

On a cloudy day, a bus driver waits for his final passengers before beginning his route.

The public transportation system is known for being reliable, punctual, and well-loved. We’ve grown to appreciate it, especially since we don’t own a car or bicycles during our time in language school. Trains are generally on time and punctual, and the bus schedule is followed closely, at least in general terms. Traffic can disrupt the bus schedule more easily, so sometimes buses are late or early. In the mornings, on our way to language school, however, we have never missed our morning train because of the bus schedule. For this, we are grateful.

The little money machine you see in the front is for your fare. When we get on the bus at the train station to go back home, the bus driver asks us where we are going (どこに行きますか？). We reply,”Kamenokoyama” (亀甲山), which is the stop close to our home. We don’t use cash or a commuter pass, though. We use that little machine labeled “IC,” which stands for Integrated Circuit. An “IC Card” in Japan is one you mostly use for public transport, though one can use it for other purchases. It’s basically a refillable debit card. Caitlyn has a physical IC card, and I use a digital one on my phone. Using an IC Card saves us from fumbling with cash and coins every time we use the public transit system.

#adventistfrontiermissions #japanpublictransport #convenienttravel

Flashcards. So many flashcards!

Our desks have essentially become Japanese language flashcard factories. We make flashcards for the words in our textbook and extra words that we pick up in class. Then, we practice words daily to help drill them into our brains little by little. These flashcards have been very helpful in expanding our vocabulary.

That large stack of cards there in the back? That’s our flashcard deck for our Beginner 1 class, which was only four weeks long. All the other cards you see are for the Beginner 2 class, which is still in progress as of this post. And these flashcards don’t cover kanji (Chinese characters), either. We use two separate mobile applications to practice those on a regular basis.

Please continue to pray for our language-learning process! We are learning a lot every day, but there’s still much, much ground to cover.

#adventistfrontiermissions #languagelearning #practiceeveryday #nihongo

Bakeries here in Japan have the cutest things for sale.

Even walking into a bakery can bring a little joy after a long morning of language school. We've been grateful to find two bakeries that aren't far from our normal language school commute that have good quality breads we can buy. And the occasional treat doesn't hurt either. 😄

#japanbakery #gratefulforthelittlethings

Next trains coming at 7:52. The time now? 8:30.

We had a bit of an adventure getting to language school on Tuesday. When we got off the bus and walked into our local train station, we noticed that the station was unusually busy and that the times on the boards seemed wrong. What we didn't realize was that the train we normally get on wouldn't arrive until 9 AM! There was an unscheduled issue with the train line before our station, causing huge delays and some cancellations.

We finally made it on a train and were crammed inside like sardines. The lady directly behind us in line didn't make it on due to how packed it was. Between that stop and the next one, Michael was on tiptoes! Fortunately, things eased up after that. There were several other odd stops with lots of announcements in Japanese over the train speakers.

We ended up missing the first hour of language school that day. We were just thankful to be there safely after experiencing lots of delays and some creepy train noises (like brakes making odd noises) when we were actually moving! And we ended up knowing the materials from the first hour of class that we missed anyway due to our self study, so it all worked out!

What adventures did you have this week?

#adventistfrontiermissions #iwillgo #japantrains

Vegan ramen in downtown Tokyo!

This week we met up with some friends and fellow Adventist workers in Tokyo Station. We all met up at a vegan ramen restaurant, which had extremely tasty food. Much to Michael's delight, there was peanut butter in the soup.

We're really thankful for the opportunity to meet up with good friends, and it is made all the better when you can meet up with good friends over good food. 😋

#adventistfrontiermissions #japanramen

I was in the middle of writing an email when the doorbell rang.

I was emailing the editor of AFM's magazine about our new year celebration plans. New Years is probably the biggest holiday in Japan, but we weren't sure what was going on locally. So, I was telling the editor in our conversation about plans that I wasn't expecting to do anything special other than spend a nice peaceful holiday at home. I was in the middle of typing that very sentence.

Then the doorbell rang.

It was the pastor of the local SDA church and his two kids! They invited us to go down to the church and participate in a mochi (rice cake) making event. Suffice it to say that it was a lot of fun! We got to practice our (very limited) Japanese, meet a bunch of new people, and even wield the giant-hammer-of-mochi-making.

Happy New Years to you and yours!

#adventistfrontiermissions #japanmochi #happynewyear

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Here is an adorable little flower arrangement we saw at Mitsukyo Station in Yokohama, Japan.

Hope you have a great Christmas and holiday season!

#happyholidays #merrychristmas #christmadflowers #snowmanflowers

We are almost done with week three (of many) of Japanese language school!

We have three teachers for our Beginner 1 class, and unfortunately one is leaving and moving away. Today was her last day. So, we took some pictures with her as a class before we left.

Learning Japanese is definitely a challenge, but we believe the Holy Spirit, through your prayers, is what is keeping us going and helping things become absorbed. More on this another time. :-)

#adventistfrontiermissions #1040window #iwillgo

@jesus4asia did a FaithCamp event in Tokyo this week, and we attended on Friday night and Sabbath!

It was a blessing for us to attend and also talk to Jon Wood (president of Jesus4Asia, pictured) and many others, including some SDAs who are missionaries up in the Hokkaido region. The topics for their talks were faith and prayer walks, which were a blessing for us to hear and will help us as we continue to pray for Japan, knowing God will do mighty things here.

#adventistfrontiermissions #reachingtheunreached #jesus4asia #iwillgo #prayeroffaith

We moved on Sunday! Here's a shot of the home we are staying in.

For our first month here in Japan, we were in an Airbnb near Haneda airport. The Japan Union Conference kindly offered a home for us to stay in while we are in the Yokohama area for language learning (more on that another time!), and it's a lovely home with plenty of space for us.

#babiencomission #adventistfrontiermissions #happyhome #sdah652

On Thanksgiving, we went to the local Ota City Local History Museum. We learned a lot there. One highlight was a full special exhibit about the history of seaweed's commercialization in the Ota area. Yes, we took the time to manually translate via the Google Translate app most things in the exhibit.

In these pics are some depictions of a local festival/ceremony. Here's the rough translation (with some minor edits and notes of our own to make it easy to read) of what the museum had to say about it:

"This ceremony is usually held on July 14. From 1429-1441, in order to relieve the drought on the earth, the Homitsu priest of this temple released a medicinal dragon head into the sea. It started to rain, but then stopped suddenly. Since there was no sign of weather, the priest created three lion heads and made them dance, and the sky suddenly cleared! Since then, the ceremony has been called the "Lion Dance of Ota". On that day, three lions perform a dance to appease the medicine dragon inside the temple gate.

"There is a walk for about 100 meters before entering the main gate of the temple, and inside the coil of a thick medicine rope there is a karyuu [???] who blows a bell and is showered with water. This procession consists of a flute player and several others. Upon entering the gate, the medicine dragon is uncoiled, transformed into a dancing circle, and the three lions begin to dance."

#adventistfrontiermissions #reachingtheunreached #iwillgo #adventistmission

This Sabbath, some friends took us to see the grave of William Grainger, the first SDA missionary to Japan. It's in downtown west Tokyo. Grainger was only able to work a couple of years before he succumbed to malaria (or some other malady), but he still made a tangible difference in the country.

Bonus: we also saw an old Olympic torch right outside the Olympic stadium!

#adventistfrontiermissions #reachingtheunreached #sdahistory

We made it to Japan! After many months of planning and work, we are finally in Japan and ready to start language learning to begin our work as Adventist Frontier Missions career missionaries. This is us standing at the Japan Union Conference headquarters in Yokohama. Thank you for your prayers!