Carol's report

Carol is finally taking her turn at writing here. It's Friday night and I'm looking back at yesterday's memorable gifts, oops I meant to say "events," but that typo says what I truly feel about this whole trip -- a real gift from God. Below is coverage on two "light" events and then a real heavy one, definitely needing prayer.

A Fish Story

I started the morning early - in fact Sylvia and Rob and I met at the entry hall cupboard where we store our shoes at 4:15 AM and walked in the darkness to the train station. Since the whole event was "fishy" and not so "spiritual" I've put the account on my blog at

http://californiaroll.blogs.com/park/2006/09/fish_market.html

Though we didn't do much praying during that three-hour escapade, we sure got a bigger picture of Japan, its traditions, its values, and the way its economy works.

Tully's and Hot Water

Afterwards we hung out at a Tully's coffee shop (since we couldn't find a Starbucks). Sylvia has been happy to find Starbucks in Tokyo at least once a day, often twice -- an essential place for recharging. In absence of that sure commodity, she took a risk by trying this coffee brand originating in Seattle. The verdict? Tully's espresso is as good as, or maybe better than, Starbucks.

At Tully's we had 1.5 hours to kill, which went by fast as we journaled, read scriptures and talked. Since in Japan it's not cool to occupy space, which is so expensive, unless you pay for it, we went back to the counter for a second round of drinks. I'd already had a yogurt drink; now I wanted something hot. Hmm, even though the Tully's paper cup had a square to check for decaf, the cute smiley clerks were very puzzled at the request for coffee without caffeine. Why would anyone want such a thing?

Then I asked about their teas. Hmm, no herbal stuff. Well, "Please just give me some hot water," I asked.

"We can't do that." The smiley girls were now very troubled looking. They genuinely wanted to please me but didn't know how.

What? I hazarded a guess about why they could serve tea but not hot water and took a stab at a solution. "Could I have the hot water for tea with the tea bag separate?"

Happiness was restored. "Yes!" Their dimples showed again and smiles brightened their faces. A brown cup full of hot water appeared and then one girl handed me a pretty cellophane bag, probably meant for a pastry, with instead a beautiful, pyramid-shaped tea bag inside. They had understood what I needed and how I was circumventing the rules or their limitation of not knowing how to charge for just hot water.

Now for the serious part.

Praying at Yasukuni Shrine

Japan has two major religions: Shinto, which covers the entrance into life (i.e., babies are dedicated at a Shinto shrine); and Buddhism, which covers death (funerals are done at Buddhist temples; altars with ashes of the ancestors are kept in the firstborn son's home).

Yasukuni shrine is neither one of these. It's the controversial site of a state manufactured religion, started by the government in 1869. There the spirits of soldiers and others who died in service of their state are commemorated and worshipped. To the consternation of many, twelve convicted war criminals are also enshrined there.

The compound is huge and beautiful. It contains many buildings, magnificent cherry trees (symbolic of the fleeting lives of those who sacrificed themselves for their country and emperor), and a fascinating history museum which is quite "limited" in its viewpoint. After spending 45 minutes rushing through it, I agree with some who say it preaches a revisionist perspective of history.

Our guide told us that the Prime Minister of Japan has been making regular visits there since 2001. Noting the symbolic meaning of this action, Peoples Republic of China, South Korea and others have lodged complaints.

What's the reaction of the Japanese people? Our guide told us that they are about evenly divided about the PM's visits and the potential rearming of Japan which the visits point towards. Now nearly half the Japanese would like their country to again possess military force (instead of just the "self-defense" force as specified by their constitution) because of the nuclear threat posed by North Korea.

After WWII, the US promised to defend Japan, but that appears extremely unlikely these days. What could we do with a crazy North Korean dictator and his missiles pointed across a narrow sea channel towards Japan?

So we can understand Japanese fears, but find the thrust towards military buildup and nationalism disturbing. So do many Japanese, especially Japanese Christians. In fact, some Christian school teachers here have lost their jobs because of their unwillingness to lead their students in singing a national anthem that pledges first loyalty to the emperor or state.

So we prayed at this very significant site that a man who could lead towards peace would become Prime Minister, that the Japanese people would find safety and security in other means than weapons, and that God would bind the deceitful spirits at work in this shrine.

For those want more info on Yasukuni, Collin has found some articles on the web cited below:

The wikipedia article is at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasukuni .

More interesting reading is at the narration for "Spirits of the State", produced by someone at the University of San Francisco. The text is at http://www.pacificrim.usfca.edu/research/yasukuni_narrative.html .

Collin's Comments (or "back to your regularly scheduled narrator")

I have heard that one reason Japan isn't fully accepted or trusted by its Asian neighbors and some other nations is that there seems to be no real repentance for its role in World War II and other military adventures. The version of history shown in this museum and in some textbooks support the view that Japan has never really repented.

I wonder if part of the reason for the continued spiritual bondage of the Japanese people is the failure of its leadership to 'fess up to some of the nonsense that was perpetrated in the past.

"If we say we have no sin, we lie and do not follow the truth. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

"Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed."

Please pray for the Spirit of Truth to come with power in Japan and stir people's hearts to thirst for truth... that they may confess, that their sins may be forgiven, that they may be healed and set free from bondage.