A neat looking gateway into a Shinto shrine

A portrait in the museum about Francis Xavier

We have many, MANY pictures from this museum — more than we can possibly share here on this website.

Managed to get a quick shot of some young boys headed home from school on the train

Trains!

A map of Francis Xavier's travels

On the map of Japan, focus on the main island at the top. Kyoto (the old capital of Japan) is near the top right. On the far west side of the main island are some symbols denoting the city of Yamaguchi.

A painting in the museum at St. Francis Xavier Memorial Church

This is a fascinating painting for a few reasons. One, Jesus is not the center. Two, in heaven is not just a church, but...the Shinto/Buddhist 5-level pagoda?!

A statue of Francis Xavier

It was very interesting to find so much dedicated to the start of Christianity here in Yamaguchi City!

Another shot of the St. Francis Xavier Memorial Church

Looking down into Yamaguchi City

Well...ice cream DOES sound good...

Another shot looking down the creek/ravine

A set of spiritual "good luck charms" for a home

Another shot of the scary looking human/mask

Found in a cultural center in Yamaguchi City

A scary looking kite

Found in a cultural center in Yamaguchi City

Ouchi Dolls in Yamaguchi City

Found in a cultural center in Yamaguchi City. https://kogeijapan.com/locale/en_US/ouchinuri/ — "The story behind the design of these dolls is that Hiroyo OUCHI, the ninth head of the clan, had doll makers move to Yamaguchi from Kyoto and produce dolls for his residence in order to comfort his wife who was homesick for Kyoto. These dolls have round faces, almond-shaped eyed, and puckered lips, and are always in a pair. They are widely loved as a symbol of matrimonial happiness."

Michael is no longer tall.

This Torii gate was HUGE! And it's not even the biggest in the country. (Michael is at the bottom left of the gate.)

Down a small ravine/creek in Yamaguchi City

A Japanese cemetary

We've seen several of these around the country, usually near Shinto/Buddhist temples.

St. Francis Xavier Memorial Church

This is a Catholic church that memorializes Francis Xavier, the Catholic priest that brought Christianity to Japan in the 1500s. There is a small Catholic elementary school near by. Why is this church here? Because Francis obtained permission to work in this city as a missionary way back in the 1500s!

A statue at the top of a big hill

The statue is of a Prince Mohri, a feudal lord.

Another shot looking over Yamaguchi City

A very creepy looking mask in a Yamaguchi City cultural building

More happy blossoms

It's beautiful to see signs of spring!

Blossoms

Looking out over Yamaguchi City

Is this where the Japan project will be located...?

Closeup of the pagoda

More pagoda

Yamaguchi City's five-level pagoda

It is a pretty famous landmark in Yamaguchi City and even throughout Japan

Another shot of the pagoda

Sunrise from the hotel

Waiting for the train to arrive

A night shot of a temple of some kind

Looking inside a temple near the plaques about Francis Xavier

We stumbled across an important historical landmark today (picture #3 of 3)

The bottom reads (Google Translate): "History of Japan" chapter 79, volume 11, by Luis Fróis. After the Christian priests and monks left the city of Yamaguchi, several significant events took place. Opposite Yamaguchi Church is a Buddhist temple called Honkokuji of the Hokke school. Although the Japanese do not celebrate Lent, they have celebrations similar to ours. Like the higan, at which time many people come to it, the Honkokuji temple and the various temples in the surroundings in order to make offerings and pray for the soul of their ancestors." (Michael commentary: Sounds like they believe Lent is similar to a Japanese holiday...? Needs more research!)

We stumbled across an important historical landmark today (picture #2 of 3)

The bottom reads (Google Translate): "Saint Francis Xavier evangelizing around a well in Yamaguchi. Manufactured according to the etching technique, taking as a reference the painting found in the castle of Xavier in Spain."

We stumbled across an important historical landmark today (picture #1 of 3)

This is a plaque memorializing the sharing of Christianity in Japan in 1552. We stumbled across this in a shopping area today in Yamaguchi City. The bottom is in Spanish and translates to (according to Google Translate): "The Daldoji Buddhist temple is considered the first place of worship used by Christian missionaries, being registered in the official documents of the feudal lord Ouchi Yoshinaga from the year 1552, in the year 21 of the Tenbun era. In which Christians were given permission to reside in Yamaguchi and carry out their evangelistic work. Two theories are known about the construction site of the Daidoji temple. The first says that it was in the surroundings of the San Francisco Xavier Memorial Park in the town of Kanakozo, and on the other hand the second says that it was in this place, in the surroundings of the Honkokuji Temple in the Dojomonzen neighborhood of the city of Yamaguchi."

Peekaboo! The elephants see you!

We think this was some sort of daycare or preschool.

Michael is still tall.

An empty bus

Other than us, of course!

Deciphering the bus schedule today was a little difficult.

A giant white fox statue in Yudaonsen, Yamaguchi, Japan

A mailbox designed to look like a white fox!

Just a shot of Hofu, Japan

To the left is the local area high school

A small statue found on a walk in Hofu, Japan

Here's what street crossings can look like around school areas

I thought this was a quiet city until...

Something seems fishy around here...

Kleenex "for the guest"

"Luxury bathroom tissue delicately perfumed and designed to create an elegant atmosphere in your space." Found in a supermarket in Hofu, Japan.

We found kids books!!

Another group photo

The picture-taker was swapped out.

A group photo from church February 18

Several people were not pictured, but all the Japanese attendees are in this photo. The man standing next to Michael spoke for church. In total, there were more non-native attendees than native Japanese. The reason why? Besides us, a small group from the nearby Yamaguchi University comes to church on Sabbath. Several people from Kenya and Rwanda are at the university (for one reason or another), and they'll come to the Hofu church each week.

A Japanese member spends time with a young child

Preparing for potluck at the Hofu SDA Church

Potluck! The Japanese curry was absolutely delicious.

A church member sang special music

A look inside the Hofu SDA Church

Hofu SDA Church

We went here for church on Saturday, February 18. It was about a 15 minute walk from our hotel.

We found the vegetarian/vegan items at the store!

There was much rejoicing.

A train at Shin-Yamaguchi Station

Choo-choo!

Our bullet train from Hiroshima to Yamaguchi Prefecture

Hiroshima Station

Someone on a tram in downtown Hiroshima

An old tram stop in downtown Hiroshima

Looking down the street waiting for a tram to the train station

We were in the middle of a large street with cars going both ways on either side of the tram stop.

Some flowers in Hiroshima

A gift from a Japanese grandma

Caitlyn and I had been on our feet much of the day and had sat down on a bench in an indoor mall for some much-needed rest. We sat for, oh, maybe twenty minutes. During that time, a Japanese grandma came and sat down near us (there were two benches). As she got up to leave, she tossed this onto Caitlyn's lap, mumbled something, and walked off. We thanked her, but we have no idea why she gave it to us!! It's some sort of healthy sweet and doesn't have any meat in it. Kindness from strangers always warms one's heart. :-)

For supper, we went to a place called A Happy Pancake

We wanted to try out some Japanese soufflé pancakes (yes, that is a thing!), and we wanted something sweet to eat. We got both at this restaurant. The staff here were very friendly. The food was exceptional. Going to a few restaurants has been good as we've been able to see what the level of English is at various places (menus, staff, etc.) as well as where we can find food without meat. It's also been good for pricing, although of course we won't eat at restaurants all the time when living here full time! (For the record, we are seeing that we can eat out here in Japan for cheaper than the USA, generally speaking.)

The afternoon was spent shopping at dollar (100 yen) stores

Going and visiting stores/shops has been really helpful as we are learning what we will need to bring from the USA and what we can purchase (or re-purchase) here in Japan. We discovered 2 whole shopping malls in the process of finding two 100 yen stores. Pictured is one of the items we found: a cute little toothbrush holder! (Other shopping things we've learned: We can find pants in Michael's length (!!), but not necessarily waist size. Collared shirts for Michael will probably be obtainable, but shoes are still a major TBD. We have found most of the major hygiene items one would expect, but are still having a hard time finding some food staples.)

We had our own little almost-private dining room at the restaurant!

Complete with vegan sauce and a hot plate in the middle that kept our food nice and toasty. Note that we only had chopsticks to eat with. :-)

Michael's lunch from Nagata-Ya

Those are garlic chips on top. It was really, really good.

We went to go eat lunch at a place called Nagata-Ya

They serve a dish called "okonomiyaki", and this restaurant had vegetarian AND vegan options!

View #2 from the top of the Hiroshima Castle tower

View #1 from the top of the Hiroshima Castle tower

The tower of Hiroshima Castle

It had a museum inside that we were able to go through, and we even got to climb the tower. It had a lot of interesting history about Hiroshima (and Japan) inside. We have learned a lot about Japanese history, culture, and religion by visiting many different areas, but we somehow feel like we have walked away with more questions than we had in the beginning! Our lack of Japanese language skills are definitely not helping here, as we would be able to read more and talk with people to gain a better understanding if we knew Japanese.

A Torii gate (and Shinto area) on the grounds of Hiroshima Castle

This is the Hiroshima Gokoku Shrine, if you want to look it up.

This eucalyptus tree surved the atomic bomb that fell on Hiroshima

The entrance to the first portion of Hiroshima Castle

The Atomic Bomb Dome up close

A look across the river at the Atomic Bomb Dome

A memorial depicting the time that the bomb fell on Hiroshima

8:15 AM

Some cranes (representing peace) at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial

The Japanese Katakana (letters/syllables) there spell out "Hiroshima"

The beginnings of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial

You can look through the arch to a burning flame, then beyond that to a building that still shows the marks of the atomic bomb.

A man bows at a Torii gate in Hiroshima, Japan

You can get all your needs at Wants.

Found in a used item store, some musical instruments!

Downtown Hiroshima, Japan

Durian: The Game.

Ah, Settlers of Catan goes everywhere...

An indoor-outdoor shopping mall

Basically a long line of stores on both sides. It was outside, but the roof was covered. We spent a while looking around here. Believe it or not, in one of these stores was our first sighting of deodorant in the whole country! (We probably were just looking in the wrong place before.)

Well...guess we still haven't found Waldo. Here's Wally, though.

We found a discount 300 yen shop.

300 yen is roughly $2.60 USD or so. There were items above and below that mark. This was a great place to find and scope around in because it will help us know what we can get on a budget!

Sometimes it is just one of those days....

Ever have one of those REALLY BAD itches on your nose???

Now you know where to go! The Ichinose Hospital!

Outside the Hiroshima SDA Church

Hiroshima SDA Church

We went to go see the church and elementary (kindergarten?) school and see if there was anyone there. No one was at the church. But the door was open...so I went in and grabbed a picture at the door to the sanctuary.

City street in Hiroshima, Japan

Despite the hat, this is not an ad for the Cincinnati Reds

This is an ad for the Hiroshima Carps, a baseball team! (Michael grew up in Ohio, where the Cincinnati Reds baseball team are the ones talked about.)

We found some delightful Indian food!

It was wonderful to find this place — after several days of eating difficulties with a lack of vegetarian food, we ate here in Hiroshima, Japan. Great food!

White Day - the Japanese sequel to Valentine's Day

In Japan, Valentine's Day is only for females to give to males. The subsequent holiday on March 14, White Day, is for males to reciprocate.

Inside a very nice shinkansen (bullet train)

Cleaning a clock at train station (Fushimi, Kyoto)

You can walk a lot when you're in Japan!

We had a one-burner stove in our Kyoto hotel

And we made full use of it! Here's a rice and vegetable curry dinner with tofu, coleslaw, and edamame.

The longer you look at this picture, the more you are TRAINing your eyes on something

Amulet purchases at a Shinto worship area

Worshipers will buy these for good luck, help on tests/relationships/other, or many other items.

Kimono wearing was common in the Arashiyama area

The bamboo trees were huge!

Many people were visiting the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest at the same time we did – despite the snow

The pictures simply do not do this bamboo forest justice

Entering the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest

Ready to pick up passengers in the Arashiyama district of Kyoto

A Japan Post van

Some beautiful blossoms

More beautiful gardens in the Nijo Castle area

Beautiful gardens in the Nijo Castle area

One of the entrances to Nijo Castle in Kyoto

Chopstick practice, anyone?

We found donuts.

Card games!

Uno is popular everywhere.

We found a pet store!

The cats (and dogs) were very cute. But very expensive.

Another large torii gate

A buddha statue

Some nice looking ornaments in the Buddhist Shitennoji temple

The entrance to Shitennoji Temple in Osaka, Japan

Notice those two at the entrance? "The Niō in the Deva Gate. The Niō (Benevolent Kings) are a pair of protectors who stand guard at the entrance to most Japanese Buddhist temples, one on either side of the gate...Their fierce and threatening appearance wards off evil spirits and keeps the temple grounds free of demons and thieves. According to one explanation, each is named after a particular cosmic sound. The open-mouthed figure is called Agyo, who is uttering the sound “ah,” meaning birth. His close-mouthed partner, Ungyo, is saying “un” or “om,” meaning death." (From http://ssbarnhill.com/Japan/Attractions/Shitennoji.htm)

A cemetery in Kyoto

Quiet chatter on the train

Some happy rice, curry, and salad

Another (closed) gate at a temple complex

The largest wooden gate entrance in the world (Kyoto, Japan)

A very interesting gate into a temple area

Gotta read some books on the train!

Caitlyn is standing at the base of this torii gate for scale.

The inside portion of a building in a Shinto worship area

An interesting monument in a Shinto worship area

A happy orange

Found in a random neighborhood of Kyoto

A pretty little flower

Open/close times

We thought this was an interesting way to show open/closed times during the week. Circles, triangles, and X's! (Not sure what the difference is between the circle and the triangle.)

We went grocery shopping!

All of this we got at a 7-11.

A beautiful little lake in the middle of a Shinto shrine

Shinto shrine area

This is where worshipers would cleanse their hands and mouth before entering the main worship area.

A torii gate. These signify Shinto worship areas.

You'll see lots of these in upcoming pictures.

A red torii gate

A place to pet and purchase mini-pigs

Like a cat café, except...for pigs.

Breakfast on February 12

Rice, tofu, veggie soup, cucumber, and other goodies

Saying bye to new friends in Kamakura

Supper at our guest house

Fried tofu, cabbage, rice, and potatoes. Absolutely delicious.

Sunset at the beach

Sun setting over the hills at the beach

A quick selfie at the beach.

Masks are required in most places in Japan, still.

A selfie with our guest house owner

3 members from the Kamakura church along with Caitlyn, Michael, and Bushi (our guest house owner)

A front view of the Kamakura SDA Church

The Japanese SDA Hymnal

It has a mapping of Japanese Hymnal to English Hymnal (and vice versa) in the back!

Sabbath lunch at the church

Michael is tall.

The doors in the church are not.

A view of the Japanese hymnal

Pastor holding up info about our visit

The Kamakura SDA Church was expecting us! This is the church that Hiroko's sister goes to. (Hiroko is our platinum missionary and a member of our team.) Hiroko let her sister know we were coming, who let the church know, who let the members know! The picture and text are blown up from our brochure!

An inside view of the Kamakura SDA Church

Outside the Kamakura SDA Church

An interesting little car we found

7-11 in Japan? Yessir!

These cute little red post office boxes are littered through the city.

Well...uhh...

Tofu! Lots of tofu at the store!

A view in the supermarket.

The lower number is the price, the higher number is what you'll be charged as it includes tax.

An outside view of our guest house in Kamakura

Busy trains are busy

Welcome to Tokyo!

It was a long flight.

A view of our plane to Japan

Happy to go to Japan!

Arriving at the South Bend airport

PCR Testing Time!

We went and got our PCR tests done today. Not very much fun, but they were negative, and so we are good to go to Japan tomorrow morning bright and early!

Adventist Life Magazine

A friend gave us some of these Japanese Adventist Life magazines. Adventist Life is the official magazine of the Japanese Union. We can't read most of it (yet)!

Japan Rail Pass

These are vouchers to exchange for our Japan Rail (JR) passes when we arrive in Tokyo on February 9. The JR pass will let us ride for free on many train lines as well as the shinkansen (bullet trains).