Why we are going to Japan

I recently created a powerpoint presentation to explain why we are going to Japan as missionaries and why this trip is different from the simple pleaseure trip we took before. I have modified the power point for this blog. What are the spiritual needs of Japan? If you want to know more, read on . . .


When you think of Japan, what comes to mind?


The graceful curves of a Tori shrine?
A colorful kimono draped over a white-faced girl?
Majestic Mt. Fuji crowned in white?


When I think of Japan, I see all these things.
But I also see an extremely wealthy, consumer-driven nation where work defines the meaning of life and ancestors are gods.


In a nation teeming with 127 million people, less than 1 percent of them are Christians.
I saw this for myself when I lived in Japan from 1995-2001.
The first year I was there, I was telling the children in my classes about Christmas. “Who’s birthday is on Christmas,” I asked the group of 8-to-10-year olds. Expecting the obvious answer, I could hardly disguise my shock when I heard their answer.
“Santa Claus,” they replied confidently.
I took quick surveys in my classes and out of the 100 or more students I had contact with weekly, only a handful had ever heard of Jesus, much less knew that Christmas was the celebration of His birth.
“Yesu Kuristo” rang a bell with the few children who had gone to the local Catholic school.
Otherwise, I faced bewilderment.
“Kuristo” and “Kurisumas” I pointed out to them the similarity. Slowly the light began to dawn.
That year I found a book at the local Catholic bookstore (the only place in my small town that had anything Christian at all) that told the story of Christmas in Japanese. We got out paper and crayons and made a manger scene for the wall. I got candles and we lit them, while I got our Japanese school manager to read the story to them in Japanese. Then we sang silent night
and had Christmas cookies. One hundred more Japanese knew about Jesus that Christmas.


Japan is one of the hardest mission fields in the world today. Japanguide.com recently polled its members about their religious belifs. “Religion clearly seems to be rather unimportant in Japanese daily life,” they concluded.
When asked what religion they affiliate with, 52 percent of those surveyed said, “none.” Forty-seven percent chose Buddhism or Shintoism (or both). Although 11 percent indicated they feel closest to Christianity, that doesn’t mean they are believers since most participants who did affiliate with a religion chose more than one (which accounts for the total of more than 100 percent) and only 16 percent of those surveyed admitted to being religious at all. Half of those surveyed said religion had no importance in their daily life. In total, two thirds visit shrines, temples or churches a few times or once per year. Only about 6 percent visit religious buildings weekly or even more frequently.


Most religious rites in Japan originate from a variety of religions. People have Shinto marriages, celebrate Christmas, and hold Buddhist funerals, Japanese do not adhere to one religion. But there is a common religious base in Japan. That is the religion of "family", in other words, ancestor worship.
According to Japanguide.com, if there is any thought to life after death at all, the aim of the average Japanese person is to become an “ancestor spirit” by receiving the religious rites from his/her descendants. If there is a “religion of Japan” this is it.
But recently, due to a high rate of divorce, a decrease in the number of children, and an increase of nuclear families, the "family" system has gradually been disrupted. This means that ties to ancestors are being lost and the religious base has radically broken down. Now is a time of radical change.


Freedom of religion is allowed in the Japanese constitution, but traditional and modern culture combine to form a tremendous barrier to the gospel. Japan is one of the least evangelized countries in Asia. Japan is coping with rapid social change and insecurity. Japan prides itself on peace but shocking events like the Great Hanshin Earthquake in Kobe and the terrorist attack in a Tokyo subway station have rocked Japanese security. In a spiritual sense, Japan is a very needy nation.


This is where I feel God wants me and Bonnie to go and here’s why:
I lived there for six years and saw a fruitful ministry even though I wasn’t there in a ministry capacity
God has planted a love for Asian people in my heart.
About three years ago, God began calling me to take the gospel to people in Asia.
Working for God in Japan will teach Bonnie the spiritual lessons she needs to learn if she is going to do great things for His kingdom.

The power point presentation goes on about things you've heard before. I hope this explains a bit more what you are participating in by joining us in this work in The Land of the Rising Sun. IF you would like to see the powerpoint, I'd love to send it to you, just let me know. Send an e-mail to: karyn@comporium.net