Tag Archive for hokkaido

Meeting the felt needs of the small town as a ministry

2009/04/02 About Hokkaido, About our ministry, Missions in Japan, My Story No comments
Urahoro town from the mountain top

Urahoro town from the mountain top

After we moved to Urahoro town with less than 6000 people, I began to realize how important it would be to meet the felt need of the town. Number one need for this town seemed to me was that they needed to have profitable businesses so that they could provide the basic needs of the society. Many people left the town since we moved to this town. When we arrived here, the population was 6200. Now it is 5900. What had happened between now and then within 3 years period? Many older people died; some bankrupped; some businesses closed down; some committed suicide. Each year about 100 people left the town. One of the reason why my house was on sale was because the branch office of a company in Urahoro where the previous owner worked for closed. Many still struggle for their business management. Somehow the IT could be a way to get away from this bad cycle.

Urahoro Shopping Area

Urahoro Shopping Area

The town’s shopping area has pretty much of what you need. Recent addition of home center perfected what a small town could offer for shopping.

The picture on the left shows what it is like on this major shopping street. Drug store, electric shop, cake shop, etc are shown at this picture.

There are about 200 businesses registered to Urahoro Chamber of Commerce. As I shared about one of the construction company CEO committed suicide last year, the management of the businesses were not running well. One of the major reason was the highly priced yen now.

Urahoro Camp Site

Urahoro Camp Site

They need to come up wiht better plan or better management. There are great need to improve the management and creation of new businesses. There may be some governmental fund available for new businesses and current businesses. However, much is not used from this town I suppose.

How can I help this town? This is one of the major question I ask to myself many times. I ask God to bless this town since the prosperity of this town means the prosperity of myself according to the scripture.

“Work for the good of the cities where I have made you go as prisoners. Pray to me on their behalf, because if they are prosperous, you will be prosperous too.” Jer. 29:7 (TEV)

Abraham Lee@Gospel House

Ainu People in Hokkaido

2009/04/01 About Hokkaido No comments
At Ainu Festival

At Ainu Bear Festival

While I was at the museum in Shari, I took some pictures of Ainu cultural exhibitions.

The picture at the left is very important Ainu festival relating to bears. They consider bear as an important symbol for their lives. Each year they celebrate this festival and keep the bear at the festival.

Spiritually bear is worshipped as a form of god.

Every museums I visited around Hokkaido, I could see this kind of pictures on festivals for bears.

There must be very strong tie with bear in Ainu’s life style.

Ainu catching salmon

Ainu catching salmon

Ainu knew how to catch salmon from the rivers. Salmon was major food source for their winter survivor. They used Salmon skin to make their shoes. Dried or smoked salmon would be prepared for their winter.

So Ainu invented salmon catching devices very similar to fishing equipment. It is usually wooden spear with devices to catch or hold the salmon at the end.

As you can see in the picture, the fish can not escape from the trap and it is not piercing the fish, but it hooked the salmon so that it can not escape.

Very smart device for Ainu.

Ainu House

Ainu House

Here is a picture of typical Ainu house.

They made the house like this and there are many places where you could find the trace of the previous Ainu house.

They are nature friendly.

According to what I heard from some people who worked with Ainu, they said that Ainu take only what they need from the nature. When Ainu fisherman go to catch fish, they only take what they need  and they do not have idea of keeping them for sales. They live in a community so they share what they have caught.

This prohibited them from developing a capitalism in their society. Therefore, keeping accounting was not in their ideas.

Ainu's four seasons

Ainu's four seasons

Here is the typical four seasons for Ainu.

They did not develop rice growing since they did not have idea of sales. Whatever they could find in the nature, they caught or ate them as the provision from it.

It was only when Japanese came to Hokkaido, they began to have trade with Japanese. They traded their salmon or crane with mordern items from Japanese.

I find it interesting for Ainu to live in harmony with nature. They are peace loving people and have never initiated war against Japanese.

I just pray that Ainu people will come to know the Lord and have peace with God as they make peace with Japanese and themselves.

Abraham Lee@Gospel House

Shari Town

2009/03/30 About Hokkaido, About Japan No comments
World Natural Heritage Site, Shiretoko

World Natural Heritage Site, Shiretoko

Today, we went to Ayumi’s mother’s place. Its main reason was to go to Shari town with Ayumi’s mother, Mieko, for tour and for celebrating her birthday. Since Shari town was Mrs. Mieko’s place where she was grown up. World Natural Heritage Site, Shiretoko is very near from Shari. It is one of the reservation area for natural protection.

Her home town was called Iwabetsu, a small village near Utoro, about 40 minutues drive from Shari.

We visited the Shiretoko Museum in Shari where we found many interesting things in the history of Shari in the past 100 years.

She found the agricutural equipment she used to use when she was very young.

She found the agricutural equipment she used to use when she was very young.

She was very happy to find the kind of equipment she used to use when she was very young while her parents were farmers.

There were lots of interesting things in the past and she were very happy to see those things she used to use in the past.

There are several more pictures I would like to share and they will be very interesting to the readers I suppose.

We planned to take a bath at the hotsprings, but she wanted to take more time at the museum since she enjoyed lots of interesting things displayed at the museum. So that was what we did.

Inside of a house a long time ago in Hokkaido

Inside of a house a long time ago in Hokkaido

Here is another interesting place where it showed a room of a hundred years back in Hokkaido. The calendar, a clock, some furniture, a lamp, a folding screen, a kettle, a mirror, and other small items at the house.

They were very intresting to see how they lived in Hokkaido about a hundred years ago.

If you want to find out where Shari is, please click the following link:

http://www.pref.hokkaido.lg.jp/ks/skn/ssi/kakucho.htm

Above site is about Shiretoko area where it was named as The World Natural Heritage.

She found the same machine she used to use at one of the corners.

She found the same machine she used to use at one of the corners.

Anyway, Shari near Shiretoko is a very nice nature-rich area where Ayumi’s mother was raised. I would like to visit Shiretoko at summer time to camp out in the middle of abundant nature.

Abraham Lee@Gospel House

Yogurt became our favorite food these days

2009/03/21 About Hokkaido, Life in Japan 2 comments
Yogurt

Yogurt

Hokkaido is known for one of the best farm land in Japan. Tokachi district is where we live and Tokachi is a good brand for agricultural products. When these products are in Tokyo area, they can sell at higher prices because of its brand.

Before I came to Hokkaido, I did not drink milk much since I did not like the processed milk much. However, after I came to Hokkaido, I began to drink milk much because of the different processing process for milk in Japan. One of my dairy farmer friend gave us non-processed milk and they were very rich and I liked it. The dairy farmer friend showed us around his farm with lots of Holstein milk cows.

It was only one hour away to get to my friend’s farm. Lots of other animal were there. Anyways, Yogurt is fermented milk and they are good after each meal. There are many other brands for yogurt in Japan. We mix with liquid sugar from sugar beet before we eat them.

Recently we eat yogurt a lot and almost everyday we find ourselves eat yogurt. When yogurt is not in the refrigerator, someone will notice and we just go out to buy some.

My diet in Japan has changed greatly. First of all, I began to eat brown rice everyday. Since then, I lost about 3 kg (about 5 lbs.) Lucky! Miso soup and tofu, and other fish are very often on the table. Less meat and more vegetables. Specially from the spring to fall, we will have home grown vegetables. It is almost all-you-can-eat vegetables and they are good.

Hokkaido provides fresh milk, lots of vegetables, and delicious fish. You know also Hokkaido is well known for good food. You have to come and taste some when you come to Japan. Hokkaido is the place you want to visit. If you do, please stop by us.

Blessings!!

Abraham Lee@Gospel House

Kushiro, a port city near my town

2009/03/16 About Hokkaido, Life in Japan No comments
Kushiro

Kushiro

Kushiro has become very close in my mind after we moved to Urahoro. It takes about 1 hour by car from Urahoro to Kushiro. Kushiro is 4th biggest city in Hokkaido. #1 is Sapporo, #2 Asahigawa, #3 Hakodate, #4 Kushiro, #5 Tomakomai, #6 Obihiro, etc. Well, we often go to Kushiro for swimming and eat out there. Sometimes we go grocery shopping too. Kushiro is known for good fish since Kushiro is a port city, and there are lots of choice fish on the market.

Of course, there are many good restaurants in Kushiro. It has also wet land (march) as tourist attraction.

Yesterday we went to Kushiro for lunch, shopping, and swimming. It was a fun trip and refreshing time as a family. From the end of March and begging of April, the new spring season starts. Life around us seems to be as lively as new beginning of the year. Maybe that is one of the reason why new year starts in April in Japan. Well the school starts in April, new fiscal year starts in April.

map of Kushiro

map of Kushiro

The spring warmth brings many people outside for walk and often takes us to new ideas in life. Something lively is starting everywhere. Farmers begin to be busy for seeding. Snow melts everyday. You begin to see the land more and more each day from the snow covered area. Sparrows came to our home again breeding as usual.

The sound of spring can be heard everywhere just as our hearts are ready for new beginning.

Abraham Lee@Gospel House

Hokkaido’s Spiritual Root

2009/03/13 About Hokkaido, About Japan No comments

When I first arrived in Hokkaido, it was for my wedding preparation and greeting to my wife’s family. But when I came back to Japan later in 1995, it was to pray for the mega-city, Sapporo. During this 1 full month of prayer journey, I began to understand what was causing what was obvious in the spiritual realm from my study of the history of Hokkaido.

Ainu Couple

Ainu Couple

One of the first thing that was very obvious was the relationship with the native Ainu people. They were mistreated by Japanese and forced to abandon Ainu language and culture replaced by Japanese and Japanese culture. This deeply wounded Ainu people. Now most of Ainu are not 100% Ainu anymore since they are mostly inter-mixed with Japanese and carry Japanese names. When you meet them on the street, you may not recognize them as Ainu unless they have Ainu’s facial structure on their faces. Just like Hawaiians in Hawaii, they are not pure any more.

This dark history of early settlement in Hokkaido from main island of Honshu caused deep root of spiritual darkness. Many of them were cheated by Japanese in their trade since the Ainu did not keep accounting often. Many promises were broken and finally the war between them was final blow against them for the total surrender.

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People in Hokkaido

2009/03/11 Life in Japan 3 comments

hokkaido mapHokkaido people (Dosanko道産子） are immigrants like Americans. They are from all over the Honshu (the main island of Japan) and other islands like Shikoku or Kyushu. Not many are from Okinawa. It was only a little over 100 years when Japanese government decided to expand their territories to other places. This expansion policy affected to form a pioneering companies to move farmers to Hokkaido. Many were promised to receive large land after they cultivate the land for farming. Usually it was those of 2nd child or later since they could not inherit their parents’ land. It was the 1st son who will inherit the land and 2nd, 3rd, 4th and forth are not the heirs from their parents. They will either be renting portion of the land and become very poor in the future ending up helping their elder brother. If they are lucky, they can survive in their lives. It was that harsh for the farmers in Japan back then. So this expansion policy attracted many, but the sad thing about moving to sepearte and unknown island of Hokkaido was emotionally heart breaking. Seperating from their parents and their home land was not an easy decision. It was many times one way ticket.

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Two very different towns with 30 miles apart

2009/03/07 About Japan, Life in Japan No comments
Makubetsu Office and Classes

Makubetsu Office and Classes

I used to live a small town called Makubetsu with 27,000 in population. We still have an office and classes there. We commute to this place every week for the classes and a business office time in Makubetsu town. We have students coming each week and the place is a 4 bedroom house turned into an office and classes.

When God led us to Urahoro town about 45 km (about 30 miles) from Makubetsu town, we did not know what was ahead of us. God gave me a specific house to purchase and there it was and we bought it by cash. All the money needed came in place, and we did it all by faith. Yes, there was seed money given to me from my friend in Tokyo, Japan. It was a seed money for this particular time.

When we arrived there in Urahoro, we tried to make friends and get to know people there. To our surprise, God already put key people lined up for us to meet. It was very nice to get to know some of the nicest people. Good neighbors and nice and caring people who help us although they are not Christians. One of them introduces me to others that I am a missinary and God has led him to this town with some kind of boasting fashion.

夢の村の皆さん

夢の村の皆さん

In the winter time, after the snowfall, they just come with their big dumpper to remove the snow and they just leave without saying anything. They just care for us and we receive it with joy and try to make it as another opportunity to give some present as a token of thanksgiving.

They are just nice people who retired from their work and they try to encourage this town with helping them in any way they can. They built the sign on the left piture. We were grateful about their help on this. One of the far right, Mr. Yamamoto, is an artist and he made this sign for us saying the sign should be unique and outstanding. He did the outstanding job indeed.

The way people interact is totally different in Urahoro comparing from Makubetsu. Makubetsu is like a city next to Obihiro, the biggest city in Tokachi district.

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