"Japan is a complex and enigmatic nation, dignified by a culture far more ancient than our own. It is a place where the traffic on the streets and the type in the newspapers flow from right to left; the opposite of white is not black, but red; and a can of hot coffee comes from a vending machine that bows graciously as it delivers it. Japan also embodies a unique civilization, one that rocketed into the modern worldwithout acquiring the same value, norms, and modes of thinking most inhabitants of advanced and prosperous nations today associate with modernity."
- page 2-3, Shutting out the Sun: How Japan created its own lost generation by Michael Zielenziger
Since I was not born or raised in Japan, I am seeking to be a humble learner of Japanese culture so that we might love and serve the people there. This book is helping me understand more of Tokyo and Japan today in some very fascinating ways.
As different as our civilizations may appear or be, we have the same basic core need of relationship with God. Regardless of our cultural background, we need to find the gospel as the answer to our needs. As we seek to see the gospel contextualized for Tokyo, I am reminded that in many ways, Japanese culture is closer to the ancient world that Jesus embodied when he walked the earth. May He be glorified in Japan!
"And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us," ~ Acts 17:26-27 ESV
Reflections on mission to Japan's next generation
