The Search for a Church Home

Firstly, I'm so sorry that I have been MIA from this blog. I have been thinking about all the stories I want to share. I have also been sorting out  balancing my work and becoming fearless again. 

The bible states "Train up a child in the way he should go, Even when he is old he will not depart from it." My grandmother always used to quote this line to me when I was growing up. And she was right. My family instilled the importance of spirituality within me and I have always carried Jesus in my heart.


When I decided to move to Japan I didn't really realize how difficult it would be to find a church. I took it for granted that I could always find a church whenever I need one.  I googled churches within my prefecture but everything came up in Japanese. There was no info in English. I was frustrated. I figured I would have to go to Tokyo every Sunday to attend church.


One day, I went to the local gym with one of my friends. She was offering me a free trial lesson and showing me the location of the gym. I had no idea there was a gym in the same building that housed the supermarket. This is one of the many reasons why I need local friends.


While at the gym, she introduced me to one of the trainers Michie. Michie was very warm and friendly like most locals. When I was getting ready to leave she  offered to take me to her church. I was very happy.  For weeks, I have been scouring the internet for a church. Usually, I am the one asking. It was like a divine intervention.


She gave me her card and told me she would give me a ride to church anytime. Later that week I emailed her and asked her if I could attend church with her the upcoming Sunday. She confirmed and she picked me up in front of the local McDonalds 9:30 on Sunday.


The church is located near Kamatori station and it has 3 branches. The other locations are by the following train stations Honda and Toke. The name of the church is Oyumino Alive. It is a Presbyterian Church. The service is bilingual. The congregation is made of Japanese, American, African and Australian members. 


It was a great service. One of the most powerful moments came at the end of the service when one of Pastor's son gave a presentation about the missionary work he is preparing for. His name is Jonathan Iverson, his wife's name is Maggie and they have a young child. Jonathan Iverson is completing seminary school at RTS and afterwards he and his family will move to India to become missionaries. Jonathan said "It's an Honor to Go." He was inspired by the story of a man named Kumar who lived in India. When Kumar became a christian he wanted to have a connection with other christians but that was hard for him to do in India. As a result, he found a christian chat room on the internet. It was there he met a man named Paul Taylor who lived in Texas. Paul Taylor shared that story with his local church the one that Jonathan Iverson belongs to. 


Iverson's discovered that there was a need for Christian missionaries in India. He said for the most part, the missionaries in India are Catholics and he believes Protestants should also have a presence there.  His goal is help train the existing Preachers in India. He wants to share his theology education. Although, he is aware of the danger involved he  knows its safer for a Westerner to preach the gospel. He believes "it's an exciting time to be a missionary in India."


I was really inspired by the Iverson's faith and dedication to God. They are leaving the world they know in America to go out and preach the gospel in a foreign country. This was my first time meeting missionaries. I always thought missionaries were crazy people. I could never be so fearless. Yet, if it weren't for missionaries I would not have a church to attend in Japan.  One of the congregation members told me 10 years ago this church did not exist. And now I can attend 1 of the 3 locations all within 20 minutes of my home.


Thank God for missionaries!


Oyumino Alive
Presbyterian Church
http://oyuminochurch.jp

The French Connection

The Japanese have a love affair with all things French. Before Japan, I taught in France and then vacationed in Tunisia. Thus, my french radar was pretty high.  I first notice the french influences during my flight to Japan. My dinner had a few french staples: a croissant, brie, and my desert was a french pastry.

The french influences are scattered throughout Japan. From Nagoya to Chiba I noticed there were bakeries featuring french deserts,  salons with french names, and many department stores had french titles. Most department stores obviously carry many french designers.

Louis Vuitton seems to  be designer of choice for women. Most women here seem to own at least one Louis Vuitton item. I even joked that it's illegal to be a woman here and not own Louis V. I have some photographic evidence to back up my claims.

Banking Crisis & Pure Kindness

Every time I feel like I am not adapting to this country and I am on the verge of giving up the locals kills me with kindness.

Backstory:

Tuesday, October 6

A month or so had passed and I still had not received my debit card. I went to my bank at approximately 9:00am. I tried to explain my conundrum to the bank clerk with broken Japanese and my iphone translator.  The clerk had no idea what I was talking about.

It's 9:00am, I need my bank card so I'm trying to work out a way to tackle this problem. I have only 1 true friend in the area that speaks Japanese a fellow teacher. The problem is I know she sleeps in and, moreover, I didn't want to constantly call her with my problems. Then I remembered that my company has a branch called Native Tanto. This department hosts bi-lingual staff members who are here to help assist us with day to day problems.

I dial Native Tanto but I get no answer. So, I call another department Schedule Control to find out what time Native Tanto will arrive. I find out Native Tanto does not open until 9:30am. The operator asked if I needed help. I give her a quick explanation. She then offers to take my number and have a Japanese staff member call me back to help with translation.  So a take a seat in the bank and wait.

Twenty-five minutes later. Schedule Control calls me back. I explain my problem to the bilingual speaker and then I hand my phone to the clerk, explaining I have a Japanese speaker on the line.  So the bi-lingual speaker acts as the middle man as the clerk and I speak to her back and forth via the phone.

Ten minutes later, I find out that the debit card was mailed to me but got returned because I was not home to sign for it. Now, I had to fill out a new form in Kanji (yikes!) and sign it with my inkan. (An inkan is a stamp that I had made that acts as my signature). In Japan an inkan is required on official documents, to open bank accounts, etc.

I thank both the clerk and the bi-lingual speaker. I run home-luckily I live about 5 minutes away. When I arrive home I grab my inkan from the safe, passport, Alien Registration Card, and my personal information that is translated into Japanese.

I walk back to the bank and struggle to fill out the form. This is  the first time I have attempted to write Kanji. Some minutes later I fill out the for and take seat. My wait time is about 5 minutes.  When approach the counter, the clerk reviews the paper work, tells me everything is ok, I breathe a sigh of relief and go home.

I'm so happy that I took the initiative to follow up about my debit card. And I was grateful, that the people in my company were willing to help me with my personal problems.


Friday

http://www.lloydstsb.co.jp/

Several days later, I  received the details for my Go Lloyds account.( Go Llyods is a service that allows you to transfer money from a Japanese account to foreign accounts. )  I subscribed to this service in order to pay my US bills, student loans, etc.

Here's the problem. I had yet to receive my debit card. I had my passbook, which although quite high tech is limiting.  However, the letter I received from Lloyds stated that I could make transfers from any Japanese bank. I could make the transfer myself from the ATM or I could have a bank clerk assist me as long as I handed them the  letter that was in the welcome pack. One side of the letter is in English and on the other side is Japanese.  The letter was very comprehensive it had all the information I needed to complete the transfer.

1:30pm Friday, October 9

So I head to my bank with my passbook and Lloyds letter in hand. I figured it was easier for me to just complete the transfer myself. I put my passbook in the machine to start the transaction. However, the machine keeps spitting out my passbook. This is a first because I have never had problems with the passbook.  So, I try a different machine but the new machine still does not accept my passbook. Now, I'm worried.

I go inside the bank and try to explain that my passbook isn't working. The clerk does not completely  understand what I am trying to say. I think she picked up on two words : ATM & PASSBOOK. So she just follows me to the ATM machine.  I put in my passbook to show her the problem. She now gets it. She tries to do it herself but to no avail.

So, we both head back into the bank. She explains the problem to her colleage. (Her colleague is the same woman that helped me on Tuesday). They motion for me to hand them my passbook and to have a seat. Apparently, there is a problem with the chip.  So they do some fancy things on their internal computer. They replace the chip on my passbook and tell me "Diajobu" which basically means its ok.

I go to the ATM and test it out. It works! YAY. Next, I needed to do the transfer. I'm reading the information in the welcome pack and I'm looking at the machine but the info is not matching up. Then I notice in there is an exception in fine print: Transfers can be made at any Japanese ATM EXCEPT for Post Office bank accounts. Which surprise, surprise,  is the type of account I have.

Across the street from my bank is another local bank's ATM. I go to the ATM but I can't read anything. It's all in Japanese-naturally. The reason I have a post office account in the first place is because the Post Office ATMs are one of the handful of Japanese ATMS that are bilingual.  So I just start pressing random buttons. Finally on the screen it signals that I can put in my passbook. I put in my passbook but it gets rejected probably because it's not my bank.

So, I ponder again...Then I remember that the letter says that I can make transfers from any bank. I'm too embarrassed to go to back to my bank. So I go to a bank that is about 10 minutes away by foot.

2:00pm

I arrive at the bank. It's empty. Great-no line. I hand the clerk my letter and he says OK. The clerk at this bank speaks a bit of English. He starts the transaction, but a few minutes later, he walks and explains something to me  in Japanese and broken English. I must have looked like a deer in headlights because the clerk then tries to use  his Japanese to English dictionary. I still don't understand so I told him I will try to get a Japanese speaker on the the phone.

I call Native Tanto to get help. I explain my problem to the representative. But he tells me that based on his experience with Lloyds I won't be able to complete the transfer without a debit card. I told him that the letter stated it is possible for me to complete the transfer at any bank even without the debit card. He tells me that's unlikely. I feel like I'm getting nowhere so I thank him for his time.

I'm pretty resilient so I don't want to give up. I have very few choices. So,  I call up my friend. I ask her if this is a good time to talk. She says yes, I give her a quick summary and ask her if she could translate for me. She says YES. (Thank goodness-bless her). So my friend tells me that the bank doesn't feel comfortable completing the transfer without my debit card. Without the debit card the bank won't be able to track the transfer. Cash does not provide a paper trail. The bank advises that I go to my bank to  complete the transfer.

The last place I want to go back to is my bank. At this point, I'm frustrated so I give up.  I thank the staff and walk out of the bank. I plug my earphones in to listen to some calming music

2:25pm

I'm jamming to my music but I hear someone shouting  behind me. I turn around it is a one of the bank clerks. She explains to me in PERFECT English that I should go my bank and try. My bank is 10 minutes up the road. I explain to her I'm not sure if I have time because I have a train to catch at 3:00pm. She tells me I should try because if I do the transaction before 3:00pm I can have the money posted to my US account today-due to time difference.
(Side Note: I actually really need to make this transfer because I have due dates approaching. So you can see why I'm stressed).

I tell the clerk that maybe I'll just try on Monday. She explains to me that Monday is a National Holiday, which I wasn't aware of because I'm actually scheduled to teach on Monday.

I told the clerk that nobody at my bank speaks English and it is difficult for me to explain what I need done. She then offers to write me a note that I can take to my bank. (Bless her!) So we head bank into the branch. She writes me  a note. I thank her. She walks me to the door and points me in the right direction of my bank

I look at my watch it's 2:30. I have to get to my bank and I still need to go home because I left my lunch at home. I packed a lunch cause I'm on a tight, tight budget. So, I do what any desperate person would do I take off running in the direction of my bank

2:35ish

I arrive at my bank out of breath. I grab a number. I wait anxiously for my number to be called. I hand the same clerk I  have been dealing with all week the translated letter from Lloyds and the note from the other bank. She understands, we walk together to the ATM. She inputs the info. She asks me to check everything. I do a quick scan and say OK. It's 2:42. She hits a button and accidentally wipes out all the info. And has to start all over again.

At this point you know I'm about to have a heart attack. But I can't give up, I've come too far. It's 2:45 everything is completed. Yay! I walk out the bank as calmly as I can and sprint home.  I get to my apartment at 2:48, which is a record, grab my lunch box. And rush out the door. My train leaves at 3:07 and is a 10 minute walk way.

I have to stress that I cannot be late for work. I'm on probation until the end of the month. If I'm late I can be fired. So I HAVE to make the train. Lateness doesn't fly in Japan.  So, I put on Beyonce's Get Me Bodied-it always got me going on the treadmill and run as if I'm on fire. I make it to the train platform at 3:05. I sit on the train, sweaty out of breath, and say a silent prayer to God.

I completed my money transfer and I'll make it to work on time. Thank God for the kind locals and my friend. Without their help I would be lost.  So, this is an example of how kind and customer service oriented the Japanese are. Every time I feel like I want to give up Japan wins me over.

Next Posts: My hospital trip, The Japanese's Love Affair with All Things French & Roppongi

Struggles

I am facing a few struggles this week.

• I have no idea how and where to pay for my electricity bill.
• I do not fully understand the garbage system.
• I am terrified of the spiders here.

Firstly, I cannot read any of the info on my electricity bill. I am still waiting for my debit card, so paying online is not an option.  The garbage system here is very intricate. And if you do not adhere to the high standards there are fines.  It's a bit frustrating that I have to put so much thought into my garbage disposal. I have to separate my garbage into burnable and unburnable garbage. I also have to pay for special bags. In Japan you cannot toss your garbage in any plastic bag that's lying around. You have buy special bags that are marked burnable and unburnable.

Next, the spiders here are HUGE and fast. The other night I spent 1 hour trying to kill a superfast spider. Just now I went to check my mail box and there is a huge spider in the  hallway. When I started running, the spider started running and it kept up with me. So now, I'm quarantined. I want to go to the post office but I'm too scared.  --Before you judge: I live alone and I'm deathly afraid of spiders :(. Aww sad day.

Deals, Steals, & Tips

The Banking System Rocks

When I opened my bank account. I received a bank book with my balance. I was promised that I would receive my ATM card in two weeks. Ok cool. What I didn't realize was that my bankbook acted as an ATM card! And when you can put your bank book in the ATM and not only can  you withdraw your cash and do other various transactions. The ATM balances your bank book for you. Hello! Isn't that amazing?

After 7PM Deals

My colleagues and I were so excited when we found out that the supermarket gives a very big discount on meals, bread, fruit, pastry, almost everything after 7pm. When you are living in a hotel with no microwave and you have to buy every meal this is priceless.

Sunday is a Business Day

Say what? Yeah, Sunday is normal business day. A lot of places ie cellphone providers, malls, boutiques, and grocery stores open from about 9:00am-9:00pm.  I got my cellphone contract on Sunday around 7:00pm  and still had time to do some shopping in Harajuku.  Crazy and convenient I know. But just think this all comes at a price for the employees doesn't it.

7/11

There are 7/11s everywhere. And yes they are open 24 hours. If you run out of milk or nail polish 7/11 is there for you.  Also there is a chain called Family Mart which is just like 7/11. Almost every neighborhood has a family mart. Check it out.

100 Yen Stores

This is the equivalent to the Dollar Store. 100 Yen stores have everything. You can find food, pots and pans, cleaning supplies, etc. There is typically one in every neighborhood. Find it and use it.  It helped me survive my first moth in Japan.

The Importance of Slippers

Earlier I posted about the no shoes policy in homes, some business, and the classroom. Most places offer slippers to change into or you wear your socks. What I failed to explain is that the slippers phenomenon goes way beyond that.

When you go to the bathroom in hotels, restaurants, various public places, and even in your home. You are supposed to have specific slippers for that room. You change into bathroom slippers and they stay only in the bathroom.

When you go shopping and you enter the dressing room. You either change into dressing room slippers and leave your shoes outside of the door. Or you do the socks or barefoot thing. The sales staff will kindly remind your. I witnessed this in the Gap and Uniqlo already.

Air Conditioned Trains

Let's face it, Japan can be very hot and humid. And all the trains are air conditioned! What's the big deal? Well after living and traveling in Europe I realize this is a privilege and not a right. And I appreciate that.

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Saitama & Tokyo

Saitama

I moved to Saitama to continue training on August 19th 2009. I stayed in the R&B Hotel in a city called Kumagaya. There were a few differences that I noticed as soon as I exited Kumagaya station.
Firstly,  Saitama was not as HUMID as Nagoya. Yay!  And it definitely looked and felt like a city.
Another cool aspect of Kumagaya was that it was much closer to Tokyo than Nagoya. It takes between 53 minutes to slightly over an hour to arrive in Shinjuku, Tokyo depending on the speed of the train.

Tokyo
I will admit that I was terrified about visiting Tokyo. I thought I would be overwhelmed. I wondered if it was safe. I knew I would stand out like crazy and I was worried if I could face the scrutiny. However, Tokyo is fabulous! There's great shopping, it's very modern. I was expecting to see a lot of the old architectural style, however, it's mostly sky scrappers, bright lights, and traffic. It's like most cities except bigger, stronger, faster :). In my opinion.  Yet, Tokyo still reflects Old Japan. There are "hidden" temples, gardens, beautiful parks in Tokyo mixed in with the modern attractions.

For example, I took the train from Shinjuku to Harajuku. Harajuku is known for it's great shopping, "Harajuku Girls," etc. However,  there is a beautiful shrine/temple just east of Harajuku station.  Although, it's less than a 10 minute walk from the station. It feels like worlds away. The shrine is located in a beautiful and tranquil forest. It's quiet, has small ponds, and all I could hear were crickets. I later found out they actually weren't crickets but another insect.  I can't remember what they are called.

Harajuku

Harajuku is shopping heaven. The stores vary from the Gap to Ralph Lauren and other designers. There is a Chanel boutique and a Mac Store on the same street. There is something for every budget. What I love about Harajuku are the hidden streets that turn off from the major streets  into shopping alleys. In those clandestine areas you can find uber deals. My favorite store in Harajuku is the Marc Jacobs store.

Also, I was excited to see the Harajuku girls. Except, I really had no idea what  I was looking for.  My first trip to Tokyo was a last minute decision the night before. The next day. My friends and I hopped on one of the early trains to make a day trip into the city. When we arrived in Harajuku we were scouring the streets to spot these fashion forward girls. I was expecting to see the girls for Gwen Stefani's video come to life.  I learned that the Harajuku girls were not just one idea. They were goth girls, ladies dressed up like princesses, basically girls with edgy fashion. They usually pose on the bridge by Harajuku station or close by the station exit. Sundays are the best days to visit Harajuku if you want to get a glimpse of these fierce girls.

Customer Service

The customer service is Japan is excellent. It may even rival the customer service in America. The staff are attentive. Super polite. Everything is wrapped beautifully. You are walked to the door and given a bow upon your departure. This customer service is the same even if you don't spend a dime.  For example, while I was in Nagoya I needed to adjust my glasses. I went into a random eyeglass store and they fixed my glasses for free and gave me excellent customer service even though I didn't spend one Yen.

Clubbing

Tokyo has so beautiful and luxurious clubs. I'm still building my club resume so there will be more to come later. So far, I've been impressed. There is an air of exclusivity, the atmosphere and the people are chic. The clubs I have been to have had a good mix of locals and foreigners.  Which is the best of both worlds.

Next post: The awesome banking system, amazing trains, and other things I've been generally impressed by.

Discovering Japan

Hello World!

So I was both terrified and excited about my new life and job in Japan. I accepted my job offer in Japan after a lot of prayer, an epiphany, and support from family and friends.

So who am I?

I am a 27 year old Jamaican-American woman living in Japan. I arrived in Japan August 11, 2009 to work for Peppy Kids.  I flew from London where I was working as an intern for a year. My flight was about 11 hours to Tokyo and then 1 1/2 hours to Nagoya my destination.

I flew into Nagoya for training. I spent eight days in Nagoya discovering the prefecture and bonding with other trainees.

Living in Nagoya

So throughout Japan. There is a no shoes policy. When I arrived at my apartment building. I had to change into slippers my building provided to walk into the space. My apartment was pretty sweet. Bigger than expected. Built in air conditioning, hot plate, microwave, fridge, a washer and dryer. Everything I needed to feel at home.

No shoes were allowed on the tami mat where I would sleep and host friends.  Sleeping in Japan is a different style than I was used to. Firstly, you sleep on "futons." In my apartment that meant  I laid something that resembled a mattress pad on top of the tami mat, I also had a sheet, a pillow that felt like a bean bag, and a duvet cover. It was surprisingly comfortable.  Ok, maybe not the pillow....

I had trouble sleeping through the night for about two weeks. I would try to sleep around midnight but I kept waking up around 1:30am and could not fall back to sleep until around 5:00am. This is problematic when I have to be at work around 8:45am. Stupid jet lag and maybe a bit of home sickness.  I was so happy when I started sleeping through the night but that did not come until about 2 weeks later when I checked into a hotel to continue my training. But that comes later...

The Weather

Nagoya is affectionately known as "the arm pit of Japan." It is sooo humid there! I'm an island girl so I know heat, but the heat in Japan is different. The humidity here is very high and you are constantly sweating.   And it is important  to keep your body hydrated. Which was not difficult, because you are constantly buying and drinking bottled water. It  was difficult for me and the other trainees to walk outside for more than 15 minutes a time. I also found it difficult to breathe in the air at times. The air was thick with humidity. It kept thinking how was I going to get used to this? It was just not comfortable.

Plus, you could see the heat at times. And as a black woman coming to Japan in the summer you have to make some serious hair decisions. I decided to go curly-bad idea in retrospect.  I discovered Japanese women have straight hair for a reason! It took a lot of work to ensure that I did not look like a ball of frizz. Not sure if I accomplished that goal. You can be the judge of that. (Be gentle). I had no idea the weather would be this brutal. It's one thing to read the forecast but living  in the climate is an all together different experience.

The Taste
I love Japanese food. I love rice and seafood. So I'm in food heaven. I must say that I did not love everything. My friends and I discovered a sushi place. And authentic sushi can be quite exotic. I was not a fan of the ice cold octopus.  Otherwise, the food is great. I'm so happy that Japanese meals that were so expensive in the States on average are about $5.00.

Next post Living in Saitama and visiting Tokyo