New Year Sunrise, Yaizu, Japan 2009

This year I'm visiting Tokyo for the New Year, but last year we were at home and had a very special experience that you can read about by following this link to my Picasa photo albums.

http://picasaweb.google.com/bruce.japan/NewYearSunrise2009#

Wishing You a Happy New Year's Day of Understanding, Hope and Faith

Looking back with understanding, forward with faith, and around with love

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Observing Christmas Day in Japan

The day after Halloween, Christmas decorations went up. Our commercial center is as decorated as in any western country, and there's a park filled with people admiring the lights and Christmas tree (which will go down today, along with all the little mechanical dancing Santas along the main street, leaving just the lights, which will now be New Year decorations.

This is also the month of the bounenkai (forget-the-year-parties) which companies host for their employees. Picture groups staggering out of restaurants discussing where they will go for the 'second (or third) party. Most folks also get bonuses this month, so it's a shopping month too-- many for Christmas presents, even though they might have a difficult time explaining the meaning of Christmas, since perhaps only one percent of Japan is Christian.

To further mix things up, the twenty-third of December is a national holiday, the emperor's birthday-- but not Christmas day.

On Christmas Eve, bakeries and supermarkets sell very popular 'Christmas Cakes'. Restaurants benefit also, as they are full of young couples as it's a special 'date night'-- Christmas IS about love, right?

I don't mind the fuss, for if there were no commercial “Reason for the Season”, then there would be no reason for Japanese to ask-- even if it's only voicing a nagging question at the back of their minds, “What does all of this really mean?”

I go about I sporting a Santa hat and am regaled with “Santa!” wherever I go, while I happily give out printed Christmas messages-- about 300 this year-- that they eagerly take and read, assuming that, since I'm a Westerner, this is the accepted thing to do.

Wherever you are and however you celebrate this Christmas, may you have a wonderful love-filled day.

Bruce

There was a gift to each of us left under the tree of life 2000 years ago by Him whose birthday we celebrate today. The gift was withheld from no man. Some have left the packages unclaimed. Some have accepted the gift and carried it around, but have failed to remove the wrapping and look inside to discover the hidden splendor. The packages are all alike: in each is a scroll on which is written, “All that the Father hath is thine!” Take and live!"―Frank S. Mead

Guided Tour of Christmas Lights by Andrew

Andrew was excited and wanted to share a video of the Christmas lights in the large dining and living room shared by the several families living here. I didn't have much to add since the nativity scene we used in China is in Tokyo-- but there was no lack for decorations, since they've been doing this for fourteen years and each year added something new-- this year the blue lights in the beginning of the clip.

This is my first attempt at posting a video, so please let me know if you have any problem viewing it-- Thanks!

Christmas Activities Update and What's Coming

There has been quite a gap since my last post-- sorry. Last month I was set to launch a second blog as a companion to this one. However, while this is still on the way, I was bushwhacked by a week of sickness and then onset of our busiest season.

I have to redirect the tipserve.com site in the next couple weeks-- before I have to pay for two more years of hosting. It will be a complete website, replacing tipserve.com, and will have several different 'areas' with permanent pages as well as the new blog.

The reindeer in the photo is Andrew. He has been performing with me quite often lately and is doing really well meeting and relating to people. His Japanese has also greatly improved-- mostly just by being with kids his age and joining in their activities. A Japanese family with ten kids-- eight still with them-- came to live with us in July. We also have two young ladies staying with us-- helping, just as I did last year, with our Christmas programs. So we've nearly filled up this former guest house/hotel's ten bedrooms.

I'll put up Christmas and New Year posts here soon-- including photos of our team visiting hospitals and old folks homes-- a dozen or more, three open-house events, and street performing... stay tuned!

My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?—Bob Hope

Beautiful Faces of Motherhood

Happy Mothers Day!

These photos are of my 'mothers'. These twelve 'whoa-man' super-moms have certainly touched my life-- mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers-- and they represent all of the special mothers in my life-- including the new moms that I meet nearly every day. Thank you. You're wonderful!

Why are they so beautiful?

This article found on the Activated Magazine site explains:

Beautiful motherhood

To children, no one in the whole world is more beautiful than their own loving mothers. Young children don’t think of their mothers in terms of fashion sense, great taste in jewelry, or perfect hair and nails. They also don’t notice stretch marks or gray hairs. Their little minds are oblivious to those things that tend to skew adults’ perceptions and expectations regarding beauty, so they’re actually better judges of what makes a woman truly beautiful.

Where do children find beauty?—In the eyes that convey pride in their achievements, in the lips that encourage and instruct, in the kisses that make small hurts bearable, in the soothing voice that puts them back to sleep after a bad dream, in the wrap-around love of a soft warm hug.

Where does such beauty come from?—With motherhood comes self-sacrifice, but from self-sacrifice comes humility, from humility comes grace, and from grace comes true beauty. A mother embodies life, love, and purity in the giving of herself to her children, and in these she is a reflection of God’s love for His children. This is why I believe that nothing makes a woman more beautiful than motherhood.

--Saskia Smith

Easter Fact-- not Fiction

In spite of recent fictional, masquerading-as-fact media spectaculars, there still remains no point in the history of the world more pivotal, and which affects more lives and thoughts, than the life of Christ and its accurate depiction in the Bible books of Matthew, Mark and John-- the Gospels.

Accurate, or useless.

Just as Christ-- if judged by his own words-- was either the Saviour of the world or a madman. Either Christ rose from the dead or, as the disciples wrote, 'We're fools'. For the disciples, almost to a man-- along with many a woman-- gave their lives for what they professed to be true-- that Christ lived, died and rose again on the third day.

He Lives!

"I have been used for many years to study the histories of other times, and to examine and weigh the evidence of those who have written about them, and I know of no one fact in the history of mankind which is proved by better and fuller evidence of every sort, than the great sign which God has given us that Christ died and rose again from the dead." —Thomas Arnold, English historian (1795-1842) See Here.

Irenaeus, writing about A.D. 180, confirmed the traditional authorship... "Matthew published his own gospel among the Hebrews in their own tongue, when Peter and Paul were preaching the Gospel in Rome and founding the church there. After their departure, Mark, the disciple and interpreter of Peter, himself handed down to us in writing the substance of Peter's preaching. Luke, the follower of Paul, set down in a book the Gospel preached by his teacher. Then John, the disciple of the Lord, who also leaned on his breast, himself produced his Gospel while he was living at Ephesus in Asia." The Case for Christ, By Lee Strobel

(Photo: Cherry trees blooming near our home in Yaizu, Shizuoka, Japan)

New Year Reflection

Besides waiting 'till midnight to grab someone to kiss, or wondering what 'Ole Ang Syne' means, here's something that can add meaning to our New Year commemoration. I found a good short article on the “Activated' site that suggests that you personally, or with your family or friends, take some time to reflect on the past year and to look ahead to the new. A bit of an expansion on the idea of New Year's resolutions-- presented in a clear, 'how-to-do-it' way:

New Year Reflection-- A spiritual exercise

I already shared a bit about my own family's yearly candlelight ceremony last year. This little tradition has become an important part of my life. Making it 'official' makes it a bit more sure that I'll take the time to fulfil my well-meaning desire to get some perspective on where my life has gone and is going.

I hope you have a great start on a wonderful -- Happy New Year!

Five Sisters and Spring Holidays

In a month when I had so much to write about, I didn't make a single post-- sorry! My excuse is simply, because of all the things happening, that I should have written about, just took so much of my time-- good excuse, eh? I don't think I'd do well as a news reporter-- I'd be fired!

The 'Five Sister' reunion was the biggest event-- with Aiko, Andi, baby Izumi and Erika staying for four weeks. For the last week, Angie and Naomi visited from Tokyo, and Izumi from Australia. Baby Izumi got to meet her namesake and was the center of attention, of course. The photos will be a later post.

Spring also sprang upon us-- after a heavy snowfall the last day of March-- bringing with it Japan's famous cherry blossom (sacura) season, with picnics under the blossoms. We also participated in an international festival and the local Children's day-- photos coming.

The nights are still cold, as we are at 1000 meters, but by Golden Week-- this week-- we're having some beautiful weather-- more photos!

Did I mention photos? Well, another big event, at least for me, was getting a new-- I mean, used-- camera, a Canon Powershot A540. I've gotten along with my cellphone or borrowed cameras for quite a few years now, so I'm very happy to have my 'story-telling' camera-- small enough to always carry with me.

There's more, but those are the highlights.

And to each one who contributed your prayers during this busy time-- a big... Thank you!

Easter Sunday

Sharon and I hope you have a very special day today and have a chance to participate in one of the many meaningful traditions that celebrate Jesus' victory over death for every person.

With so many images competing to represent this special day, I thought you might enjoy this article on the history and meaning of Easter-- as well as the many ways that Easter is celebrated around the world...

Found here:

The Easter Celebration: What does it really mean?

Easter so Early!

I was surprised how early Easter Sunday is this year- March 23th in 2008- with good reason. The last time Easter was this early was in 1913 and the next time will be in 220 years- AD 2228.

The date of Easter Sunday is set by this formula:

The 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox

This approximation-- a compromise made centuries ago-- was meant to unite Christians who were celebrating Easter on various dates. However, Eastern Churches adopted a different formula-- making Easter Sunday April 27th this year. The Eastern and Western observances do fall on the same day in some years-- for example, 2010 and 2011 both fall on the same Sunday.

Does Easter come even earlier than March 23?

Well, the last one was on March 22, 1818 and the next one will be on March 22, 2285-- So, stick around!

Could you imagine what it would have been like for the disciple Thomas at the time of the first Easter? Well, here's an interesting account of what it may have been like:

http://activated.org/magazine/articles.php?id=90.11.172

or you can look over or even download a pdf file of the March Easter edition of Activated Magazine here:

http://activated.org/magazine/details.php?id=90

White Day

No, White day, March 14^th, is not a Ku Klux Klan holiday. In Japan, it follows a month after Valentine's day, when women give gifts to men, usually chocolates-- nice, huh? I really like chocolate!

However, now, on White Day, it's the men's turn. And, we have to consider the Japanese traditional saying: sanbai kaeshi 三倍返し "return triple". Ouch!

How did White Day originate?

Well, just as Valentine's day promotions of cards, flowers and chocolates popularized that holiday, apparently a 1965 candy company 'Marshmallow Day' campaign-- urging men to repay Valentine gifts with marshmallows-- has since expanded to “White Day”, with white chocolates, other candies or even jewelry or white clothing like handkerchiefs or lingerie.

photo: (c) tipserve.com