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LIJ Episode Lives Videos

TGIF

This Friday — Good Friday — marks our 50th episode of Life in Japan! It’s hard to believe we’ve reached the milestone of 50 episodes, but here we are, and what better way to celebrate than on Good Friday, the day we remember the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross 2,000 years ago to restore our relationship with the Heavenly Father and bring us life, joy, peace and so many other blessings. We would not be the happy people we are today without God’s love, the love of Jesus, in us.

The message of Good Friday and Easter weekend is one that resounds throughout the ages, and it never loses its power. With everything in today’s world out of whack, only the power of God operating in us can bring things back together as they should be. Is your life perfect? Then you don’t need God. But if you’re like me, you realize that you are far from perfect. It’s not our strength that God is attracted to — it’s our weakness. Because when we realize we are weak, He is there to be strong for us. And in God, anything is possible. God bless you this Easter Weekend! May the love of God abound to you more and more.

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Lives

The Strangest Spring

This has been the strangest spring I can remember. Schools are closed, people are working from home as much as possible and it snowed with the sakura in full bloom. Nowhere in the world was prepared for what would happen this year, and as a world-wide Corona shutdown lingers on, and even threatens to make things worse, one wonders how far things will go before we emerge from this crisis.

But with kids and adults back home, we have an unprecedented chance to focus on our families again — the very relationships that make up the base of a strong society. While we are typically pulled in many different directions, now the circumstances have brought us together, and if we take advantage of it, can bring our lives closer to the purpose that God had for us all along. It is a most unusual Spring indeed. How we respond to it will make us or break us.

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Lives

Tokyo’s Quasi Quarantine

Tokyo’s in quarantine. And it isn’t. There is a strange paradox happening right now as parts of society in Japan (such as schools and large events) are shut down, but other parts of society (day cares, restaurants, parks) are up and running — some busier than ever! With the flowering of the Cherry-Blossom trees, the government of Tokyo recently asked people to stay inside this weekend and not go out and clog up the parks. But the government stops short from mandating anything, leaving it as a suggestion. It almost seems up to you to decide whether or not what you are doing is essential. These are certainly strange times, just as our newest video shows.

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LIJ Episode Lives Videos

Amazing Kansai

When life serves you lemons, make lemonade. That’s exactly what we did with the shutdown of schools and many public areas and attractions here in Japan due to Corona virus. After the initial shutdown went into affect, the prices of hotels (especially in Kansai) dropped very low. While there was a lot of things understandably closed due to the virus, there were many things that were still open and safe under the proper precautions. So we ventured out on a surprise trip to Kansai to learn more about this beautiful country where we live.

Kansai is an area to the west south-west of Tokyo that is known for its bustling metropolis of Osaka, beautiful spaces of Nara where you can feed the deer, or the ancient city of Kyoto that’s full of history. Home to Nintendo, Universal Studios Japan and tons of historical Japanese historical buildings, Kansai is a must-visit place to visit in Japan if you want to learn all about this beautiful country. Although most spaces were closed, we were still able to see a lot in the few days we had. Enjoy the latest episode of Life in Japan.

Since our return from Kansai, America too has since clamped down hard to try to stop Corona in its tracks, taking further measures by closing restaurants and keeping people quarantined as much as possible. Meetings at larger than 10 people are highly discouraged. My father said he has never seen anything like it. Japan reacted a number of weeks earlier by cancelling schools and encouraging people to work from home as much as possible. In the case of Japan, we are still able to get together and travel, but everything is done with health in mind. Our meetings are being live-streamed and done online. Another advantage in Japan is that there is a minimal amount of physical contact (shaking hands, hugging and kissing are not social norms). Our prayers are with all of the people and countries fighting a common enemy so that life can move on.

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Lives

Unexpected Break

Everyone has been thrown off by the recent outbreak of Corona Virus, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make the most of the situation. Here’s what we’ve been up to at home — and outside. While there’s a lot that has changed in these weeks since the outbreak, there’s a lot of things you can still do and enjoy. And that’s exactly what we will do.