Perceptions

http://mentalfloss.com/article/55140/10-japanese-travel-tips-visiting-America

This was a very interesting article that we found for Japanese people travelling to America.  It's a bit amusing to see how others perceive us.

It wasn't until I began living in other countries that I really realized how different cultures can be.  Of course, we all know that generally about cultures, that they're different.  It's easier to spot differences when we see them in other cultures than to note the nuances of our own culture.  Typically it's because that's all we've ever known-- and that's "just the way things are!"

When I lived in Mexico, I remember getting that answer a lot.  Sometimes I answer that sometimes too.

Being in an cross-cultural marriage, I see more differences as well between cultures and it's made me be able to pinpoint them a little better. It's also taught me to really appreciate the value of the differences-- learning to adjust to some of them have made my life better!

Anyway, that's a rant.  I learned more about American culture reading this article-- particularly the part about laughter.  Makes me wonder what people may have thought about me when I was there!

What You Need to Know about Japan

So, obviously, this list is not meant to be all-inclusive, but rather a collection of observations, facts and things YOU need to know about Japan.

1. Japan is AWESOME.  Japanese are great people-- hard working, very polite, very intuitive, very helpful and respectful.  When you visit Japan, the people will often try to speak your language to welcome you and accommodate you.  I know it's often the case in America where we expect people to speak our language and demand English in other places.  So, it's an awesome and humbling attitude to receive from the Japanese this type of welcome!

2. You can get anywhere by train in Japan.  Seriously.  There's pretty little need for a personal car and beside, parking can be difficult.  Most people travel by train, bike and foot.  There is a public bus service in Japan.

CONFESSION: I'm very intimidated by the bus systems and have only ridden it few times.  Most of those times, I was accompanied by a Japanese friend.

FACT: It's illegal to ride a bike and have an open umbrella at the same time.  You'll get a ticket!  I'm guessing you'd get a ticket for texting and biking too... although I've seen my fair share of that too!

3. FACT: There are no short-cuts in Japan.  Japanese cities often have many winding and confusing streets that was a defensive technique when the cities were being built centuries ago.  These streets helped keep enemies from advancing very far due to the confusion. These were smart people! Today, when tempted to try a new short-cut in Japan, tell yourself: "that street doesn't go where I think it's going to go.  Stick to the tried and true."  I see a life lesson floating around in there...  See also: http://www.skwirk.com.au/p-c_s-14_u-177_t-516_c-1919/act/history/medieval-and-early-modern-societies-japan/life-in-feudal-japan/castle-towns

4.  Outward appearance is very important in Japan.  At most stores, they offer gift-wrapping for their products.  Great care must be taken care of, because the effort you put into wrapping the gift is a reflection on what's inside. From the mouth of my Japanese friend Yuiko- if you give me a wonderful diamond but with a poor wrapping, I will not appreciate it as much.  But if you give me a mediocre gift with a careful wrapping, I will appreciate it very much!

I guess it is a reflection of what you (the giver) think of the gift as well.  The same goes for your personal appearance.  If you take care to look good, people will take you more seriously and appreciate what you have to offer. 

How this relates to the Gospel: the Gospel message is awesome, therefore we need to take care with how we present it.  Is it valuable to us?  Then we need to be careful and excited and purposeful with our presentation of the Gospel. 

5. Time is very important in Japan.  Everything is very timed-- If your train is scheduled to leave at 7:32am (and that train will be packed), then it will leave at exactly 7:32am.  If you are scheduled to meet someone at Tully's, you need to be there 5-10 minutes early.  No fashionably late in Japan.  You'll frustrate and disrespect a lot of people.  Note- Japanese people are forgiven for being late to work only under the most extreme of circumstances.  See: http://thisjapaneselife.org/2011/03/09/japan-work-ethic/

More to come!  Stay tuned...

The Visit I Couldn't Wait for...

This is an old post from when Vicente visited in 2011 for an almost 2 week trip...

Thursday, July 28, 2011

July

Yeah, July has been busy. Beside having 2 back-to-back teams for more than the first part of the month, we are in the nice summer heat and humidity.

I also started teaching another couple of classes on Wednesdays, which has made for a lot of preparation work.

Anyway, that's kinda the gist. We continue on, working. We've been really going at Street Live (Street Outreach). Having the break dance team here from California was a huge boost to our efforts. Not only did they draw along huge crowds, but they were each very passionate about making the most of every opportunity they had, even the ones they didn't have. In other words, they scheduled more outreach for themselves as a team. The next team, from Korea, was also very passionate, and typical of Koreans-- they were pray-ers. We really enjoyed being with them.

So, yeah, since then, we've been really going at street outreach hard, and it gave us an added boost to be more intentional with our opportunities. Even Tuesday night, I met 2 young college girls, and shared who Jesus is to them, and shared my testimony, all in Japanese. We finished and Ty asked if there was anything they wanted prayer for. Nothing specific, but we prayed for them anyhow. I've been following up with them through texting since then, and I hope to see them on Sunday.

Also, on a side note, I've been reading a book called "Not for Sale" by David B. Batstone. It's about human trafficking. I really encourage you to get it, and once you start reading, you won't be able to put it down. It's very well-written, easy to read, and with stories from those trafficked, the history and tactics of trafficking and the stories of ordinary people doing things to make a difference to stop the suffering of hundreds of thousand, maybe millions of women and children trafficked in this world today. Don't choose to keep yourself in ignorance.

Well, gotta get running... but hope you find yourself well in this summer season!