Double Thanksgiving in Japan!

Thanksgiving in Tokyo at the Fujino's. Liz is in the foreground, and Gary and Lynn Fujino are in the left hand side background.

We were able to celebrate Thanksgiving twice this past week!  We had planned to spend Thanksgiving Day in Tokyo and were invited to have Thanksgiving at Gary and Lynn Fujino’s home.  It was a potluck with plenty of good food.  We were able to meet many new people while we were there and had some very good visits.  Liz and I had taken an early train to Tokyo and spent much of the day shopping and looking around.  Tokyo is a fascinating city.  We mostly walked around Shinjuku and Shibuya station areas.

Liz, Marika, and Keiko

Earlier in the week, Liz got together with Keiko and Marika to visit over lunch and afterwards they went to a coffee shop for dessert.  This is the same coffee shop that Liz and I sang our one and only duet together.

Becky, Liz, and Miriam with the two big turkeys

Last Saturday, we were invited to celebrate Thanksgiving with the Benedicts in Nojiri.  This is the fourth Thanksgiving that we have spent with them.  Liz made two pumpkin pies, mashed potatoes, and corn bread for the dinner.  Becky had cooked two large turkeys and the turkey was delicious.  It was a really wonderful meal and a good time of fellowship together.  Our friend Eugene was able to join us for the meal.  Jon and his father-in-law, Clarence, have lived in Japan for so long and I really enjoy visiting with them about Japan.

Masao Saimon and Jon in Karuizawa. Our meeting was in the building behind them that has been built into the mountainside.

I walked my 10,000 steps 6 out of the last 7 days.  The day we were in Tokyo I walked over 15,000 steps.  I missed making the 10,000 steps on Monday because I took a road trip with Jon Benedict to Karuizawa.  We were driven there by Mr. Kobayashi and joined Masao-san and 11 others for a luncheon and discussion.  Mr. Kobayashi is a new follower of Jesus and wanted to get some followers together for a discussion on how to follow Jesus.  I really enjoyed the discussion time and was very encouraged listening to everyone’s input.

At the Benedict's home getting ready for dessert. We had several to choose from.

The weather is fairly cool here these days and looks to be cooler this coming week.  I’m still reading in the Gospels and the book, Mealtime Habits of the Messiah; I’m on encounter 36 now.  When we were at the Fujino’s home last week in Tokyo, Gary gave me some books.  Gary is such an encouraging person to be around.  I read one of the books titled, Overcoming Spiritual Barriers in Japan by Keith Webb, this week.  This book had some good insight about the history of Japan over the past few hundred years and how that relates to today.

Jon, me, Eugene, Clarence, and the back of Stephen's head

I’ve also started another one he gave me titled, Spiritual Leadership by J. Oswald Sanders.  I liked this passage from the preface:  ”True spiritual leadership is authoritative, but not authoritarian.  Authoritative because it commands the sanction of Scripture and secures the cooperation of the Holy Spirit, but not authoritarian in the sense of exercising an undue influence on the decisions and life-style of other believers.  The leader must be careful not to usurp the responsibilities that are rightly theirs, to be exercised under the lordship of Christ (Jesus).”  I think it will be a good book.  Also while shopping in Tokyo, I looked at the price of meats they had in the stores.  The top price for beef I saw was $185 per pound, and there was an imported 8½ pound smoked ham from Italy that you could buy for $542.  I’ve been getting ready for my kanji test tomorrow.  That’s about all I know for now from here in Nagano.

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