How's this for a name of a car? Yes, "Naked" really is the name. Yes, there are lots of these cars driving around Japan. Yes, I have riden in one. Do you think an English speaker ever told the car company or, for that matter, the car owner what naked means? Who knows!

"The best things are nearest; breath in your nostrils, light in your eyes, flowers at your feet, duties at your hand, the path of God just before you." Robert Louis Stevenson

It was one of those rare days that I saw both the sunrise and sunset. Heidi, Nick and I got up at about 4:50 am had a sunrise service at a park five minutes from our apartment. It was a time to reflect on scripture, pray for the city, and watch God's workmanship. I was reminded that God's mercies are new every morning.

This afternoon (and into the evening), my apartment complex had a BBQ on top of the roof. We had a wonderful time grilling, eating, laughing, taking pictures, soaking in the sun rays, talking, being.

Yesterday, my church and another church in town had a joint service at a park with a BBQ afterwards. It was a beautiful day and I have the sunburns to prove it! It was filled with worship, eating lots of food, talking, getting to know new people, trying to bridge language gaps, holding babies, laughing, looking at pictures, playing baseball.

Later in the afternoon a bunch of people came to my apartment and Heidi's. It was a fun international mix of people: Japanese, American, Chinese, Australian, and Turkish. English was the common language between all of us. For some English was their first language, for others their second, and still for others their third or fourth. It was fun hearing people helping each other communicate and cross-referencing in various languages to make sure they understood. We talked about a variety of things--from coconut crackers to what is heaven & hell. It was a good time of sharing, questioning, disagreeing, and respecting. It was also a much needed push for me to get more serious about language study.

This past weekend, I ventured down to Nagasaki with Heidi and Toshiko. My mind is still reeling with all of the new information it was trying to absorb. I will try to give you a glimpse into the city through pictures and brief captions.

Peace Park: This statue was completed in 1955, ten years after the atomic bombing. The raised arms points to the threat of nuclear weapons and the outstretched arm symbolizes peace. And of course, all of the paper cranes are for peace. The mindset seems to be that peace is the answer to everything and if world peace could be established everything in the world would be grand. However, peace can't be established without the Prince of Peace.

Urakami Cathedral: The original Urakami Cathedral was completed in 1925 after 30 years of labor. It was once the largest church in the Orient, but it was destroyed by the atomic bomb and rebuilt in 1959. The statues in front are remains from the bomb.

Martyrdom of the 26 Saints of Japan: Six European missionaries and 20 Japanese Christians were crucified here in 1597. They were canonized by the Pope in 1862. The martyrs walked from Kyoto and Osaka to Nagasaki, where they died by crucifiction. Inside the church we sang and prayed for persecuted Christians.

Dejima: This was the site of the former Dutch factory. Dejima was a tiny island built in 1636 to isolate Europeans and prevent the spread of Christianity. For more than 200 years it served as Japan's only open gateway to Europe. Here is a model of what it used to look like. It is no longer an island because Nagasaki has built up the area around it (by dumping moutains into the ocean). However, the site is accurate and you can see many artifcates and fondations of buildings from when the Dutch East India Company was there.

Glover Gardens: The former house of British merchant Thomas Glover and other houses from the 19th century are preserved here. It was funny to look at buildings that were so familiar in structure, layout and content. The hillside and gardens overlook Nagasaki Harbor as well. And minus the hawk that tried to attack me (at least my breakfast) twice, it was a lovely time strolling through the roses and houses. There are also statues of Madame Butterfly and Puccini. It is said that the inspiration came from Glover and his Japanese wife.






Oura Catholic Church: This church was built by French missionaries in 1864 and is now the oldest church in Japan.

Confusion Shrine: This is the only Confusion Shrine built by Chinese outside of China. The piece of land that it's on is owned by China, so I guess I was in a little piece of China this weekend:)

There was a big festival (matsuri) in Shimonoseki. People from all over came for the festivities and the weather was perfect for it. There were many different parts to it and I went to several events. One of the main highlights is a parade with maiko and courtesans. One of my students, Chihiro, was the most important person of the parade; she was sort of like the queen of the day. She has been training for months and months to have this role and be able to walk, dance, stand, and bow just right. Her costume was pretty amazing! Besides people to hold umbrellas to shade her, she also had an entourage of about 20+ people.

Hitomi, another student plays taiko (traditional Japanese drumming) and performed for the festival. The song lasted 30 minutes and told the story of the Genpei War, which occurred in the Shimonoseki Strait. There were about 25 drumming spots and they would take turns rotating throughout the song. They waited behind the drum and come out at a specific time. It was done very fluently and without a break or pause in the music.

The day also included a “battle” between the Heike and Genji clans in the strait. (Actually, it was more like a parade of boats with people in costumes sitting on the boats and waving.) I also went to a musical of the story. This battle is one of the reasons Shimonoseki is well known in Japan. (Below is a summary)

The battle of Dannoura was a major sea battle of the Genpei War. It took place at Dannoura in the Shimonoseki Strait. On April 25, 1185 the Genji clan defeated the Heike. The Heike were outnumbered, but some sources say that they had the advantage over the Genji in understanding the tides of that particular area, as well as naval combat tactics in general. The Heike split their fleet into three groups, while their enemy arrived en masse, their ships and archers ready. The beginning of the battle consisted mainly of a long-range archery exchange, before the Heike took the initiative, using the tides to help them try to surround the enemy ships. They engaged the Genji, and the archery gave way to hand-to-hand combat with swords and daggers. However, the tide changed, and the advantage was given back to the Genji.

One of the crucial factors that allowed the Genji to win the battle was that a Heike general defected, and revealed to the Genji which ship the six-year-old Emperor was on. Their archers turned their attention to the helmsmen and rowers of the Emperor's ship, as well as the rest of their enemy's fleet, sending their ships out of control. Many of the Heike warriors, seeing the battle turn against them, threw themselves overboard, committing suicide rather than facing defeat at the hands of the Genji. Among those killed this way were the Emperor and his grandmother.

Ahhhhh...the smell of spring is in the air! The tsutsuji (azaleas) have been out in full force. If you look at them too long they almost hurt your eyes because of their intensity. My walk to school everyday has been very fragrant due to all of tsutsuji that line the sidewalks. Here's a picture of my school with all the flowers.