Category: Lives

Did you know you were born to be loved? Not everyone experiences the kind of unconditional love that a healthy parent has for their child, but the amazing thing is that God loves us perfectly. Don’t believe me? Just look at Jesus. He was sent from God as a light into the world. He famously said “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son (Jesus), that whoever would believe in Him would not perish but have everlasting life.” Perfect love moved God to send His most precious son to get us back from the effects of a fallen world.

It seems like the only news we get today is bad news, but it doesn’t have to be that way. The word Gospel means “Good News,” and it is truly the best news of all. You can’t just ignore bad news or be oblivious to the suffering in the world around you, that would just be cruel. But you can shift your focus to the Good news of the Gospel and let that hope shine out for others. Good and evil and not like ying and yang (two equal opposites). Good is infinitely more powerful than evil. A little bit of good can drive away an entire lifetime of evil, just as one candle can dispel a whole environment of darkness. One righteousness man (Jesus) dying on behalf of humanity is enough to redeem (or buy back) all of humanity!

So no matter what your situation is, no matter how dark your life seems, know this: God loves you and wants you to experience this love that transforms your life. Yes, the world can be a terrible place, but God’s power to redeem any situation for the good is bigger yet.

If you’re interested in more, you can follow us at Paz Church. We have a large selection of messages and music that will lift your spirit up and help shift your focus. If you’d like to chat with someone, you can reach one of our trained chat coaches at https://chooselife.jp/.

The Japanese school bag, or Randoseru, is the staple of elementary education in Japan. Kids get one robust randoseru and use it from the time they enter 1st grade to the day they graduate 6th grade. They are one of the most unique features of the Japanese education system.

But the love for the Randoseru doesn’t have to end with elementary school though, as companies such as the Hako have begun to make these unique Japanese backpacks for adults too. Stylish and beautiful, we got to try them out for ourselves and see if they fit into our daily lives. Here it goes — we’re trying out some Randoserus for grown-ups on Life in Japan!

If Corona has taught us anything, it’s the art of living, working and adventuring in (or close to) home. And while many types of tourism are struggling, there are some that are thriving. For instance, take camping. The very fact of being off by yourself in nature somewhere is something that (for the most part) works very well in an era of “social” distancing (which is a terrible name — it should be called physical distancing).

We had plans early in 2020, before COVID changed the world, to do some camping. So we bought a tent, got camping supplies and geared up for the camping season. We were fortunate to get some camping in, but something very unexpected happened. When shutdowns became the norm, people everywhere turned to camping as an outlet for their vacation woes.

It was no different over Golden Week. We had planned on a great camping trip, but due to the high amount of reservations made way in advance, we had trouble finding a camping ground. One full place led to another, until we decided we would do the next best thing: camp at home. Here’s our home camping adventure!

We’ve lived in Japan for 7 years now, and that whole time has been with little kids in tow. That means that you do life a little bit differently. The places you go are different, the things you like to do are different and when you do them (working around nap times and school schedules). But that doesn’t have to put a damper on things — you just enjoy each phase as they come and embrace the highlights. In our case, we’ve learned to love a good roller slide.

Yes, Japan loves a good roller slide, and before Japan I really didn’t even know what they were. But these slides fill the parks in Japan — they can be found in just about any serious park in varying sizes, widths and lengths. Up until last year, none had impressed us as much as the awesome slide at Showanomori Park in Chiba prefecture. We went to the park for the obstacle course, but we were blown away by the slide! Starting at the top of the hill and barreling all the way down to the bottom, this slide has us coming back for more. You can see it near the beginning of our trip to the German Village.

After riding that slide, I thought I had just done the longest roller slide in Japan, so I decided to research it. I had only scratched the surface. Japan has a number of long roller slides that we hadn’t even touched, and soon a new trip formed in my mind: one where we hit a couple of the longest roller slides ending with the largest roller slide in Japan.

The longest roller slide in Japan resides in Tabayama, and this roller slide is not for the faint of heart. Blue mats are rented at the slide, and this 247-meter behemoth requires gloves for braking! There are instructions that are similar to riding a roller-coaster, because any mistake on this slide could be bad news. If you are able to learn good form and stay together in a train with your neighbors, you can enjoy the fastest speeds on the slide. With several tries, we were able to get it down, nearly breaking the sound barrier on our last run (or so it felt).

So are you ready to see what it was like? Here’s Japan’s longest roller slide!

The world may be uncertain these days, but that doesn’t mean your life has to be in a state of uncertainty. Yes, most things are out of our control, but the things that remain under our control make the difference in whether we will grow stronger during this pandemic or if we will fall apart.

We as humans like to put up a persona that we are strong, that we can do it, that we are self-made, successful people. But one of the biggest blessings in life is to realize just how vulnerable we are as human beings. We weren’t made to do it alone, we’re only fooling ourselves if we think we can. Before we can be strong, we must realize that we are weak.

Strength can come from many different places, but the best sources of strength are ones that are accessible, true and trustworthy. They can be drawn upon in the darkest of days. Building a strong family takes work and dedication, but it also serves as a strength in unstable times. Seeking God, to know Him and live by his ways is not always cool in today’s society, but a life built on a firm foundation of a good living never goes out of style. A life that’s worth living is a life that holds together.