My Thursday Commute

The Japanese school year begins in April.  Ever since then I've enjoyed a pretty regular weekly schedule which includes teaching English classes at the church, helping with worship and Bible studies, Kids Camps, and studying Japanese language.

Thursday is (by far) my busiest day of teaching.  Every Thursday I travel by bus to Koriyama (about 60 minutes south of Fukushima City) to teach English classes at Koriyama Lutheran Church, a tiny church in a residential neighborhood of Koriyama.  In the morning and early afternoon I teach by myself, and later in the day Nomura Sensei and Pamela join me, to lead Japanese Bible study and teach a couple kid's classes.  After one more evening adult class, the three of us travel by car back to Fukushima City.

My favorite part of the day (if the weather is nice) is my morning commute to Koriyama, which involves some good walking, and an hour long bus ride.  I leave the apartment around 6:40am and walk 10 minutes to the bus stop:

At 6:54 the Kousoko Bus headed to Koriyama arrives.  There's kanji on the front (郡山) indicating that this bus is bound for Koriyama.  If I'm ever in doubt as to whether or not I'm getting on the correct bus, I can always use my sufficient Japanese communication skills by looking confused and asking the bus driver, "Koriyama?". 

During the bus ride I read, or study Japanese, or "rest my eyelids" - as it is still quite early in the morning.  55 minutes and 800 yen later (about $10) I get off at the bus stop right across the street from Kaiseizan Park (開成山公園).  This is one of the largest parks in Koriyama, and it's absolutely beautiful!  

In the early spring I enjoyed the Sakura blossoms on the trees along the path.  Right now all the trees are full of leaves and very green!  Some parts are like walking through a forest:

Unfortunately, other parts are like walking through the desert.  After the earthquake and the nuclear power plant incident, in many public areas (particularly school grounds and parks) the grass and top soil has been scraped off in order to remove some of the radioactive contamination.  The result is a slightly lower level of radiation, but the cost is a wrecked landscape:

Government buildings, schools, and parks will also often have a radiation measuring device, which will give you a current reading of the radiation level.  (This meter reads 0.584 µSv per hour - which is actually not so bad.)

There are a few playground areas in the park, too!  If I had time I would enjoy some of the swings or slides, but usually I press onward. . .

On the north east side of the park there is a beautiful gated rose garden.  I can't ever go in, because it opens at 9:00am (the same time my first English lesson starts at the church), but I can enjoy the view as I walk past.  The last couple of weeks the roses have been in full bloom.

I also walk past a large group of elderly retired people playing their weekly game of croquet.  Apparently they begin around 8:00am every Thursday morning, after doing their "Radio Taisou" exercises. 

It takes about 10-15 minutes to walk (at a leisurely pace) on my usual route through Kaisezan Park.  The path exiting the park is very beautiful, too.

After the park I take a "short cut" through a few residential areas . . . there's a slightly faster, more direct route along the busy streets, but I prefer the quiet.

By 8:20am I usually arrive at Koriyama Lutheran Church - which gives me just enough time to eat unlock and open the church, eat breakfast, and get my things in order before 9:00am.  I'm very thankful for the opportunity to enjoy some exercise and beautiful scenery before my work day begins!

More pictures of Koriyama Lutheran Church:

      
In case you're interested, here's a map of my bus route:

                        
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One Year Ago . . .

This morning, Tuesday, Haidee and I were talking about Jonathon (her brother) and Cassie's wedding last year.  It was quite a whirlwind week for us!  Haidee flew back to the USA on a Monday, I proposed to her the next day, she helped her family prep for the wedding, and before you knew it we were saying good-bye (again!) and she was flying back to Japan.

It's hard to imagine that was one year ago.  I remember the day I proposed to Haidee very clearly. . .

[To see the entire story on our wedding website (along with other pictures and things), click here:  www.weddingwire.com/ericandhaidee]

Haidee was returning to the United States in June for the world’s shortest international visit:  7 days to celebrate her brother’s wedding.  Eric knew this was his moment.  He asked Haidee’s family for one day, just one short day, to spend alone with their beloved daughter.  Knowing that Eric was planning on proposing sometime in the near future, her family agreed:  Eric got to claim Haidee for all of Tuesday!  Cleverly, Eric had ordered flowers on Monday and arranged with a friend to have them picked up and placed in the chapel at Concordia the following afternoon.  He then drove to the airport to pick up Haidee Monday evening and bring her home to Faribault.  Upon seeing her, Eric was stunned by how beautiful Haidee looked after traveling for 24 hours by train, plane, and automobile!   

The next day, sleep-deprived and jet-lagged (but still looking more stunningly beautiful than ever) Haidee and Eric spent their precious *one day* alone together in the Twin Cities.  They visited Minnehaha Falls, a very romantic park in the Twin Cities!  They had lunch at Chica Boca (okay, not the most romantic location – but you can’t get good Mexican food in Japan).  They drove across town . . . on the hottest day of the summer:  103 degrees, high humidity (it was just 2 degrees shy of setting a record) . . . in Eric’s ’99 Saturn . . . with NO air-conditioning! (NOT the most romantic situation, but the car gets great gas mileage!)

After lunch, Eric asked Haidee, “Would you like to play piano together in the chapel for old time’s sake?”  Haidee answered: “Yeah, that would be nice.”  (in her sleep-deprived, jet-lagged state she was agreeable to just about anything. . . good news for what Eric was planning on asking her).  They arrived at the chapel.  Eric’s friend greeted the two of them at the door to the chapel with a wide grin on her face.  “Sure thing,” she said.  “You’re more than welcome to play piano in the chapel!” 

Haidee (still jet-lagged and beautiful) entered the chapel ahead of Eric and saw the roses, rose pedals, candles, and card arranged nicely on a table in the corner of the sanctuary.  “That’s nice,” she said out loud.  “I wonder who those are for?”  Eric closed the glass doors behind them.  Haidee noticed her picture on the card and got suddenly very quiet, and slightly more awake.  She approached the table.  She opened the card.  Eric knelt down beside her and took a small black box out of his pocket.  He asked her the question.  She said YES!!!!

I find myself, one year later, still stunned by how incredibly beautiful Haidee is to me, how I love her even more today than I did one year ago when I proposed to her, and how blessed I am to be married to her.

It's been a year of blessings.  I know there will be many more wonderful years to come!  I love you, Haidee.

Mount Shinobu

Mount Shinobu (信夫山）is a tiny mountain that sits right in the middle of Fukushima City.  It's kind of like Camelback Mountain in Phoenix, AZ.  No matter where you are in Fukushima City, chances are you can see Mount Shinobu.  When we went hiking up in Mount Azuma last year (the same mountain that boasts the famous "Snow Rabbit"), we could look down and see Mount Shinobu - a small green hill in the middle of skyscrapers and other buildings. 

福島市信夫山

Haidee and I both enjoy hiking, and ever since I'd heard from a friend here in Fukushima that there are some pretty good trails that lead to the top of Mount Shinobu we've wanted to check it out.  We had some nice weather today (Monday, our day off) so we threw some water and snacks in a backpack, hopped on our bikes and headed off towards the center of the city. 

It took a little exploring (past a shine and some graveyards), but we eventually found a path that looked promising.  Not long into our hike we saw the following sign:

We laughed as we realized that we (meaning Haidee) can read just enough Japanese to know that the above sign means one of two things:  "don't kill the bugs" OR "beware of the killer bugs."  Either way, we didn't encounter any on our hike, thankfully!  The hike was steep but short and well maintained.  It only took us about 30 minutes to reach the top.  A paved road also winds its way up to nearly the summit, in case someone wants to enjoy the view without putting in the leg work. 

Haidee, and the view to the north of Mount Shinobu

Eric, and a view to the south of Mount Shinobu

Here's a good picture the two of us and the skyscrapers in downtown Fukushima.

My best attempt of a panoramic view, looking south at downtown Fukushima.

On the way down we walked on the paved road at a nice leisurely pace.  We passed a funny looking slide that almost looked like something out of a Dr. Seuss book, so we took a picture!

It was a fun afternoon.  A hike up Mount Shinobu would be a great activity for anyone who would like to come to Fukushima City for a visit!  (hint, hint)

The Shepherd's Voice

"I am the Good Shepherd.  The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.  

I know My sheep, and My sheep know Me . . ."   John 10:11,14

Song:  "The Good Shepherd"  by Fernando Ortega

Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd.  His love for us is amazing.  It goes deeper than we can comprehend.  It has the power to heal people, to set them free, and to transforms lives.

As I look back over the years I am in awe to see God's plan in placing people, places and experiences in my life to teach me more about His amazing love.  In the summer of 2008 God brought me to Mount Carmel Ministries.  My relationship with Jesus was profoundly deepened that summer.


It was there that I was first introduced to the Shepherd's Voice.  The Shepherd's Voice is a daily practice of reading God's Word and hearing His personal promises for you, and by doing so experiencing His love more and more deeply every day.

One way that has helped many people to hear our Shepherd's Voice is to insert their name into the promises that God has given us in the Bible.  If you have a friend or loved one with you, ask them to read these personal promises to you.  Close your eyes and soak in God's love from these verses.


"I have made you, Eric, and you are very good."  (Gen 1:20)

"I have called you, Eric, to be mine and I have redeemed you.  Eric, you are honored and precious in my eyes." (Is 43)

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on you, Eric, that you should be called God's son!" (1 John 3:1)

“But while Eric was still a long way off, his Heavenly Father saw him and was filled with compassion for him.  He ran to his son, Eric, threw his arms around him and kissed him."  (Luke 15:20)

"You, Eric, are my son, in you I am well pleased."  (Luke 3:22)

"My son!  You are loved.  You are so valuable to Me."

These words of Truth hold such promise and abundant life.  I need to know (to experience) this Truth every day.  I believe that experiencing God's Word goes beyond simply reading Bible verses.  I believe that hearing God's Truth is something that can be learned, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, and practiced throughout our journey of life.

I like the image that Johan Hinderlie often shared at Mount Carmel:  being transformed by the Word of God is like a cucumber being transformed into a pickle:  it doesn't just happen overnight, but it is a slow, on-going process in which the vegetable must soak in the brine.

Sonja and Johan Hinderlie

This Memorial Day Weekend the Hinderlies celebrate their 28 years of ministry at Mount Carmel Ministries in Alexandria, MN.  Mount Carmel is a place of grace that believes in transforming lives through "Jesus Only."  It's been like a home to me ever since 2008.

I can't even begin to describe the how deeply I have experienced God's grace at Mount Carmel.  I've always felt welcome there.  I always knew that f I was thirsty to hear the Gospel of Jesus' love, Mount Carmel was there, with open doors.  "Welcome Home!  Rest and be renewed with God's GRACE - His gift of love, forgiveness, and new life."

I know I do not stand alone as I express my thanks to Johan and Sonja Hinderlie for their 28 years of humble service to God at Mount Carmel.  The seeds they have planted and nurtured in my heart will remain for a lifetime, and beyond!

Johan and Sonja,

I am in awe of the way God has blessed the lives of many through your witness.  I praise Him for the gift of knowing the two of you personally.  Pastor, Mentor, Friend.  These images fall short of describing how much the two of you mean to me.  Thank you for everything.  God bless you!  As you go on your way may Christ go with you . . .

With Much Love,

Eric <><

This carved wooden statue of the Good Shepherd sits on the altar in the chapel at Mount Carmel Ministries.

To learn more about the Shepherd's Voice, found in the Daily Texts devotional books, visit the Mount Carmel Ministries website.

Annular Solar Eclipse

I was pretty excited when I woke up this morning.  There were a lot of other people living in Japan who were pretty excited, too.  Today at approximately 7:30am (Tokyo time), the moon passed completely in front of the sun to form an "annular" solar eclipse.  Don't confuse the name with "annual" (or "anal"). . . This particular astrological event does NOT happen once a year.  It's quite rare, in fact.  The last annular solar eclipse visible from Japan occurred in 1839. 

What does "annular" mean?  There are three types of solar eclipses:  Partial, Annular, and Total eclipses.  A partial eclipse is when the moon only blocks a portion of the sun, like this:

 (BTW, thanks, Wikipedia for all of this useful information)

A total eclipse is when the moon completely covers the entire circle of the sun.  When this happens you can see the corona of the sun (like a burst of flame) that surrounds the center orb of the sun.  It's pretty cool:

An annular eclipse is when the moon passes completely in front of the sun, but its apparent size is not quite large enough to cover the entire circle of the sun.  A small ring of the sun remains, giving this type of eclipse the nickname:  "Ring of Fire.  (Yes, Haidee and I both immediately thought of Lord of the Rings).  Compare the annular eclipse with the Ring of Power from Tolkien's LOTR.  I think you can see the resemblance is quite obvious: 
 

                

This Ring of Fire eclipse is a pretty spectacular phenomena.  And, because it's so rare, people made special arrangements in Japan.  Schools even opened early so teachers could view the event with their students.  The Japanese economy enjoyed a nice boost with approximately 24 billion yen (308 million dollars) of sales of equipment like solar filter glasses, to enable people to view the eclipse without damaging their eyes. 

Ever since third grade (when I made a Quaker oatmeal container planetarium that projects constellations on the ceiling) I've loved absolutely loved astronomy, so you can bet that when I heard about today's eclipse from my students I started making plans.  A couple nights ago I started dreaming (literally, while I was asleep) about what the eclipse would be like, and how I would protect my eyes - like using multiple pairs of sunglasses, or just taking a picture of it with my digital camera).  I was so excited that I probably woke up 3 or 4 times this morning before my alarm went off at 6:30am. 

The eclipse that I witnessed in my last dream was so incredible:  I could even see constellations and galaxies behind the sun!  (probably not possible, even during a total solar eclipse).  When I finally got out of bed at 6:30am and pulled back the curtains, here's what I saw:

Alas!  A completely cloudy sky in Fukushima City obstructed this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!  I was pretty disappointed.  I spent the next hour surfing the internet looking for the next time in my life I would have the opportunity to view such a spectacular astronomical event.  I narrowed down the search criteria to annular or total eclipses occurring in either the USA or Japan.  The good news:  there are about 10 more occurrences in the next 70 years that I might possibly have a chance to see.  The bad news. . . . I might need to travel to northern Alaska or the UP of Michigan to see one.  And then there's always the probability of cloudy weather. . . .

Click here to see my list of the next 11 eclipses in Japan and the USA.

Click here for instructions on how to make a planetarium out of an oatmeal container.

Mountains

Every morning when we push back the curtains in our apartment we look out to see the mountains to the west of Fukushima City.  Mount Azuma Kofuji (pictured below) is an active volcano, with occasional plumes of steam rising up out of a vent in the mountainside.  Because of this, there are several onsen (Japanese Baths) spas on the mountain, using water from the hot volcanic springs to fill their baths.  This makes Mount Azuma Kofuji a very popular site for Japanese visitors. 

Mount Azuma Kofuji (and a view of the river near our apartment)

  

A plume of gas rising up from the mountain (picture taken last summer)

We've actually driven past the volcano crater several times.  Last July when I was visiting Haidee, we hiked up to the crater and looked inside!  (no, there's no bubbling lava or anything like that, but there's a great view of Fukushima City)

Haidee and me at the top of the volcanic crater (it was very windy)

A view of Fukushima City from the top

Mount Azuma Kofuji is also well know for the famous "Snow Rabbit" that appears every Spring as the snow is melting.  The farmers call it the "Seeding Rabbit" and use its appearance to mark the time when they should sow their fields in the Spring.  Apparently, if you wait to plant until you see the Snow Rabbit, there's a much lower risk of frost.  Nomura Sensei, our pastor, told me all about the snow rabbit during my first visit to Fukushima in Nov. 2010.  Ever since then I was also hoping to see it myself.  Last year Haidee sent me a picture, but I couldn't find the rabbit.  Can you?  Look at the picture below.

A couple weeks ago, during an exceptionally clear day (usually there are plenty of clouds and rain this time of year) we were walking to church when Cindy pointed out the rabbit on the mountainside.  I looked up and, lo and behold, there it was!  The remaining snow on the mountain really does take the shape of a rabbit!  Now, every time I have a clear view of the mountain, I look for the rabbit.  I wonder how long it will take before it melts completely . . . .


If you're really interested in more detailed information about the history of the Snow Rabbit on Aizuka Kofuji mountain, you could read this 10 page research paper that I found online.  (No, I didn't actually read it myself. . . . but maybe you have lots of time on your hands).  The title (obviously a translation from Japanese):  "The meaning of watching the snow shape of rabbit on the mountainside of Azuma-kofuji:  Just a snow, but it means something."  =)

The "Snow Rabbit"

Kids Camp (May)

Last week I participated in my third Kid's Camp program since living in Fukushima, Japan.  A group of about 25 of us (leaders, volunteers, parents, children) spent 3 days and 2 nights at a national youth camp in the mountains above Lake Inawashiro - the largest lake in the Fukushima prefecture and a very beautiful location!

One of the goals of this Kids Camp program is to allow families an opportunity to rest and have meaningful time together - in a location with a much lower radiation background level than in Fukushima City.  In addition to games and activities (in both English and Japanese), we spend some time singing songs, reading a Bible verse, and hearing the message of Jesus Christ's love for us.


Hands down this Inawashiro Kid's Camp was the most powerful for me.  I know that God will use ALL of our Kids Camps for His glory and purposes, but it was very apparent to me that there was an impact on lives of others this time around.  There was strong Japanese leadership from Mariko Fuyama Sensei - a young lady serving as a church worker in another Christian synod in Japan - and from Nomura Sensei - our pastor at Izumi Lutheran Church in Fukushima.  (Pamela Kuehne, my sister-in-law, and I will be providing some leadership and programming assistance as well).  Whole families (children, mothers, AND fathers) came together - very rare in Japan.  There were some very positive young adult Japanese Christians who volunteered at this camp.  Their presence was a blessing not only to the families, but for Pamela and me as well!

National Bondai Youth Friendship Center - a government run retreat center.  Lodging and meals are very inexpensive, and the site has a lot to offer groups that are visiting!

 

Twice a day - 7am and 5pm - ALL the groups staying at the retreat center gathered to hear announcements, do corporate exercises, and listen to the Japanese national anthem (during a flag ceremony).

 

The "Radio Taisou" exercises that we did every morning at the camp are practiced all over the country by students at school, employees at their workplace, and elderly in the neighborhood parks.  The radio feed in this You Tube video is exactly the same one we heard while we were doing exercises at 7:00am.  Kind of different than what we Americans are used to.

The kids playing games indoors during some free time.  Unfortunately there was a lot of rain during the 3 day retreat . . .

Pamela having a great conversation with the other young adult Christians.

We spent one rainy morning touring the the Aizuwakamatsu Castle.

Mariko Fuyama (left) and Nomura Sensei (right) provided some strong leadership for the event.

It was very significant that both mothers AND fathers came with their families.

The three junior high girls (center) really bonded with the young Christian volunteers.

 

Playing with balloons back at the gym in the retreat center.

 

A paper plane contest, led by the Japanese volunteers, was a big hit!

 

More paper planes.

The men really got into it, too!

  

Nomura Sensei had really good form!

The young children really took to the cute baby that came along.  : )

    

Saying goodbye to the young adult volunteers.  They were really a blessing to me!

As I reflect on the event, here were some of the ways that God blessed me during this most recent Kids Camp:

Fellowship with other young Christians (men and women volunteers and pastors) here in Japan.  Leading kids games and music.  Participating in games (while other Japanese people led)!  Watching families (including the dads) have fun together.  Having Christian conversations that were filling and uplifting.  Praying and worshiping together.  Seeing how the kids really made heart-connections with the other volunteers.

Praise God!  Please pray that He will continue to use this ministry to touch the lives of others here in Japan with His grace and love.