We had a really busy day. Kicked off another week of school. It was good to do school without having the books running all over the place. I had an awful time of that last week being so drugged.
I tried eating a potato and tore up the skin over my ex-wisdom teeth. I'm not sure how I did that, but it isn't bleeding, so that's good. It made it hard to talk straight though, because I was trying not to move my jaw and disturb it. It's really hard to explain...and sounds retarded to try.
We ran up to the base. I had to pick up a lawn mower from a navy chief. It's one of the chaplains mowers, but I'm going to be taking care of his lawn while he is gone. His mower was being repaired. I went at about 5 in the afternoon...and woke the guy up from a nap. Whoops. He wasn't in a real good mood about it, but how was I to know he sleeps at 5 in the afternoon?? oh well.
From his house we ran to the chapel. Arielle and I set up set up the room for human videos. It went well. We've got the fighting between the guy playing Jesus and the devil figured out and on paper. I think one more practice and we'll have the whole thing mapped out and then we can just work on transition and making it look good. They're a great team and it has been a blast to work with them.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Uma Samurai
Mom heard that this time of year there is a horse archery festival up in Towada. It sounded cool. My jaw and face is still sore, but I was feeling ready to get out. This was also our first outing into the country without Dad navigating. We got there in good time, so I guess we did alright.
We were hoping to see cherry blossoms....I think. I may have been to out of it to grasp whether that was the goal. But I wanted to see cherry blossoms. The trees are budding, but it is still a bit early.
Towada is a pretty nice town. There's all sorts of things to do, and it is far enough from Misawa that seeing Americans isn't an every day occurrence so people were a bit nicer than usual.
I honestly have no idea what that is.....a huge marshmallow house?
The gang
There was a lane, with cherry trees on either side, that the riders would ride down and shoot targets (3 in all) as they galloped. WOW! It looked really hard. I couldn't help but wonder what would happen if someone fell off their horse....I found out. It looked painful.
A nice Japanese gentleman was there who really liked us. He told us what was happening. He and I talked for a LOOONG time. He would tell me who and where the rider was from (because I can't read the brochures provided). We talked about Kanji and we all agreed writing it is hard. We talked about English....he said a lot of Japanese have trouble writing English, I told him not to worry, most Americans have trouble writing English too. lol He asked me what state I was from...Texas. He got really excited because that is where President Bush is from. He was like, "oh! Bush! Bush!" I wasn't sure what he was talking about at first, but then I understood. "Hai! President Bush!" We talked about Bush for a bit. He said he was a good honest man. AWWW.....I kinda wish I could tell Bush that. That poor man took so much trash off the left during those 8 years.
We talked about a lot of stuff! Rodeos, festivals, colleges, languages, Presidents, states/prefectures. It was really cool.
They had vendors and pony rides...the usual stuff you would expect to find at a Japanese outing. Arielle and I were speculating the price of the pony rides...we laughed and she said, "in America those things are us ally like 5 dollars for going in a circle!" We both laughed. I then asked our Japanese friend how much the ride was, "500 yen." ($5). We found that humorous.
Jr. Archers.....I love the saddle
A lot of people don't know this, but during the Edo Period, Levi jeans were really popular and in use. A lot of Samurai wore them for day-to-day stuff, but wore the kimono for ceremonies. Oh yeah.
Um...this is really small...but that is what it was like!
It was really a pretty park!
Tables on tatame mats make great picnic spots!
A fountain across from the park. The bells chime.
The guy is starting to point towards me...I think he was surprised to see an American pointing a pink camera at him.
It was a great day! I had a blast.
We were hoping to see cherry blossoms....I think. I may have been to out of it to grasp whether that was the goal. But I wanted to see cherry blossoms. The trees are budding, but it is still a bit early.
Towada is a pretty nice town. There's all sorts of things to do, and it is far enough from Misawa that seeing Americans isn't an every day occurrence so people were a bit nicer than usual.
I honestly have no idea what that is.....a huge marshmallow house?
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| From 2010-04-24 |
The gang
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| From 2010-04-24 |
There was a lane, with cherry trees on either side, that the riders would ride down and shoot targets (3 in all) as they galloped. WOW! It looked really hard. I couldn't help but wonder what would happen if someone fell off their horse....I found out. It looked painful.
A nice Japanese gentleman was there who really liked us. He told us what was happening. He and I talked for a LOOONG time. He would tell me who and where the rider was from (because I can't read the brochures provided). We talked about Kanji and we all agreed writing it is hard. We talked about English....he said a lot of Japanese have trouble writing English, I told him not to worry, most Americans have trouble writing English too. lol He asked me what state I was from...Texas. He got really excited because that is where President Bush is from. He was like, "oh! Bush! Bush!" I wasn't sure what he was talking about at first, but then I understood. "Hai! President Bush!" We talked about Bush for a bit. He said he was a good honest man. AWWW.....I kinda wish I could tell Bush that. That poor man took so much trash off the left during those 8 years.
We talked about a lot of stuff! Rodeos, festivals, colleges, languages, Presidents, states/prefectures. It was really cool.
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From 2010-04-24 |
They had vendors and pony rides...the usual stuff you would expect to find at a Japanese outing. Arielle and I were speculating the price of the pony rides...we laughed and she said, "in America those things are us ally like 5 dollars for going in a circle!" We both laughed. I then asked our Japanese friend how much the ride was, "500 yen." ($5). We found that humorous.
Jr. Archers.....I love the saddle
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| From 2010-04-24 |
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| From 2010-04-24 |
A lot of people don't know this, but during the Edo Period, Levi jeans were really popular and in use. A lot of Samurai wore them for day-to-day stuff, but wore the kimono for ceremonies. Oh yeah.
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| From 2010-04-24 |
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| From 2010-04-24 |
Um...this is really small...but that is what it was like!
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| From 2010-04-24 |
It was really a pretty park!
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| From 2010-04-24 |
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| From 2010-04-24 |
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| From 2010-04-24 |
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| From 2010-04-24 |
Tables on tatame mats make great picnic spots!
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| From 2010-04-24 |
A fountain across from the park. The bells chime.
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| From 2010-04-24 |
The guy is starting to point towards me...I think he was surprised to see an American pointing a pink camera at him.
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| From 2010-04-24 |
It was a great day! I had a blast.
Wisdom Teeth :(
Wow....I'm not sure what I did, but I really messed up the spacing on this post....it won't get fixed. So scroll down! lol Wait...I've practically got it fixed. Oh well.
....After
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| From 2010-04-20 |
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| From 2010-04-20 |
I've had a long week. I've been able to chew some soft foods these last couple of days. My face still hurts, and my speech is slurred a bit. I've had headaches and dizziness for most of the week, today was really the first day when I felt almost normal in that department. I didn't get as much school done this week as I'd wanted to, but oh well.
Before I forget! When I had my tonsils taken out (hmmm about 7 years ago?) I got really violent on the drugs. I don't know why...I'm not a violent person. But I did. They told us that if ever I had to be put under again to let the docs know that. So we told the dentists that I got violent. WEKLLLL.....I don't know what happened, but I didn't get violent. I got really happy. I was telling jokes and having a great time. I don't remember much of what I did or said (kind of a scary thought really) but I do remember waking up twice during the operation. I also remember pretending that I was on a roller coaster when they put me in the wheelchair...complete with sound effects.
I also remember Mom having to run an errand to the chapel and telling me, "not to talk to anyone, get out, or do anything." I don't remember what I did I think I took pictures while I waited.
So there it is, I get kind of loopier than usual on drugs!
Monday, April 19, 2010
Monday!
I got an early start on school, got it done. We had youth group tonight. Arielle and I went early for human videos. The one we're working on now is coming together well. It was neat to watch. The guys playing Jesus and the devil are starting to get excited about their roles. We've got a busy month ahead of us!
I get my wisdom teeth pulled in the morning. I figure I'll just get out of bed...maybe take a shower and then go. I plan on wearing my pj's and just sleeping the whole day. I'm kind of excited to get to sleep the whole day, and the whole pain thing is a slight damper on my enthusiasm. The dentist said not to wear any lipstick or jewelry or makeup....I don't think that is a problem!
I get my wisdom teeth pulled in the morning. I figure I'll just get out of bed...maybe take a shower and then go. I plan on wearing my pj's and just sleeping the whole day. I'm kind of excited to get to sleep the whole day, and the whole pain thing is a slight damper on my enthusiasm. The dentist said not to wear any lipstick or jewelry or makeup....I don't think that is a problem!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
The Laptop ate Jeremy!
Soooooo....we got a Jeremy Camp CD from the library. Mom and I were talking, she put it into the laptop to load it onto itunes. Nothing happened with itunes so she opened the CD drive thingy on the laptop...and the CD was gone. Without a trace. We looked ALL over but couldn't find it. So we ordered a new one and told the library what happened...."it's like this, the laptop ate it."
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| From 2010-04-12 |
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| From 2010-04-12 |
Real fast!
It's been a full week! I've gotten a lot of school done this week...it has been wild, but I'm staying on top and still keeping my goal of half a hour playing with siblings (I've actually done about 1.5 hours a day:)
Dad sent a bunch of pictures...but I'm not sure which ones I can use...but the following seemed safe to post. lol
Dad sent a bunch of pictures...but I'm not sure which ones I can use...but the following seemed safe to post. lol
Friday, April 16, 2010
Shinto, part III
What is family? It is amazing how the Japanese families seem to stay intact with the long work shifts and long school days. Shintoism supports the structures of the community, hence they support the family. Shintoism promotes group values by expressing them through a set of symbols. The local shrine is the center for many families religious life. Many families have their own kamidana, a small “shrine” that hangs on the wall in their house. Purifying and praying to the Kami are done at these in the home, but for moments of great joy for a family, a wedding or a baby is born, are celebrated and blessed by the Shinto priest at the local shrine. While the sad and “deadly” things of life are conducted at the Buddhist Temple. One is born a Shinto and dies Buddhist.
The Shinto Shrine is what ties all of these foundations together. A shrine is considered a sacred place, because that is where the Kami reside, it is their house. This makes the shrines the most scared place to the Shinto religion. All shrines are marked by a Torii Gate. Sometimes the gate is red and made of wood. Or sometimes it is white and made of brick. The designs differ from region to region and shrine to shrine, but the basic concept is the same: It separates the common ground from the sacred ground. All shrines have their property marked off by a fence or a warning statue so you won’t enter a sacred place with your impure self, thus angering the Kami.
Shinto’s don’t go to the Shrine for regular service (like the Jews or Christians do with synagogues or churches). They go to the Shrines when they are facing a large test, they want help with a relationship, they want to clear their mind, or they need a blessing in something they are about to undertake. The list is infinite. They believe it brings good luck to go and pray to the Kami at the Shrine. The Shrines sell good luck charms and amulets. Before a Shinto can pray, they have to throw money into the Shrine’s alter. The Kami may answer the prayer by giving them their request, but sometimes not and then they’re out a couple of hundred yen.
Shinto’s are very superstitious, a testament of this could be how they build the Shrines. The Shrines are built facing the east; never the north, which stands for death, or the west, which stands for bad luck. The reason for the east could be possibly be that the sun rises in the east, bringing light to the world and sets in the west, bringing darkness.
In conclusion, Shintoism is a very loose religion. It is very possible for one to be a Shinto and a Buddhist at the same time. As is the case with all nations and cultures, with a new generation comes a slightly different take on religion and tradition. To most the younger Japanese, they see Shintoism and Buddhism as a cultural thing, not religious. That is how they can justify being a Shinto and Buddhist at the same time; because being Shinto and Buddhist are part of who they are as Japanese. In America, ones national identity is not measured by whether the person is Christian or Atheist, but it is completely the other way around in Japan. If you are Japanese, then you ARE Shinto and Buddhist.
Shintoism is full of self contradictions, like why would society, without laws and government, fall into chaos if mankind is good? But it is never questioned because that would be an act of individuality, and besides, how do you dispel a belief that has been practiced for thousands of years?
The Shinto Shrine is what ties all of these foundations together. A shrine is considered a sacred place, because that is where the Kami reside, it is their house. This makes the shrines the most scared place to the Shinto religion. All shrines are marked by a Torii Gate. Sometimes the gate is red and made of wood. Or sometimes it is white and made of brick. The designs differ from region to region and shrine to shrine, but the basic concept is the same: It separates the common ground from the sacred ground. All shrines have their property marked off by a fence or a warning statue so you won’t enter a sacred place with your impure self, thus angering the Kami.
Shinto’s don’t go to the Shrine for regular service (like the Jews or Christians do with synagogues or churches). They go to the Shrines when they are facing a large test, they want help with a relationship, they want to clear their mind, or they need a blessing in something they are about to undertake. The list is infinite. They believe it brings good luck to go and pray to the Kami at the Shrine. The Shrines sell good luck charms and amulets. Before a Shinto can pray, they have to throw money into the Shrine’s alter. The Kami may answer the prayer by giving them their request, but sometimes not and then they’re out a couple of hundred yen.
Shinto’s are very superstitious, a testament of this could be how they build the Shrines. The Shrines are built facing the east; never the north, which stands for death, or the west, which stands for bad luck. The reason for the east could be possibly be that the sun rises in the east, bringing light to the world and sets in the west, bringing darkness.
In conclusion, Shintoism is a very loose religion. It is very possible for one to be a Shinto and a Buddhist at the same time. As is the case with all nations and cultures, with a new generation comes a slightly different take on religion and tradition. To most the younger Japanese, they see Shintoism and Buddhism as a cultural thing, not religious. That is how they can justify being a Shinto and Buddhist at the same time; because being Shinto and Buddhist are part of who they are as Japanese. In America, ones national identity is not measured by whether the person is Christian or Atheist, but it is completely the other way around in Japan. If you are Japanese, then you ARE Shinto and Buddhist.
Shintoism is full of self contradictions, like why would society, without laws and government, fall into chaos if mankind is good? But it is never questioned because that would be an act of individuality, and besides, how do you dispel a belief that has been practiced for thousands of years?
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Shinto, part II
The next foundational question is what is the nature of man? Human nature, according to Shintoism, isn’t evil, even though sometimes someone may act unbecomingly of his Kami. But as a nature, mankind is innocent. Shinto’s recognize that there is evil in the world, but they believe that mans natural desire is too do good.
One of the most ancient ethical codes of conduct in the Shinto religion is group identity. They favor group solidarity over individual identity. Wa (benign harmony) is inherent to nature and human relationships and anything that disrupts this harmony is bad. It is the nature of mankind to seek harmony. Any act of individuality would disrupt Wa, so the nail that sticks up gets hammered down.
Rules governing human behavior are necessary to keep the status of Wa; without which society and nature would fall into disorder. Many maintain the belief that if social nonconformity were tolerated it would result in chaos. Anything that disrupts the Wa (emotions, desires, individualistic action) are looked upon as evil. Mankind isn’t evil as a nature, though. While living, everyone should be kind to each other and be careful not to wrong those around them, because they believe that someone’s Kami may come back and cause trouble to those who wronged them.
What is truth? Shinto’s don’t believe in heaven or hell; they do believe there is a place of impurity. They have no fear of torment in hell for wrong doing. On the flip side, they don’t have a heaven to look forward to for doing what’s right. What then, is their motivation for doing what’s right? They don’t have any holy scriptures as a standard or any deity worthy of imitating (their deities all acted in ways that were most selfish and “unbecoming of their Kami”).So how come Japan has a low crime rate and are some of the most honest people one will ever come across? It all comes back to the group identity. When you do something that breaks the ethics code you shame your tatamae (how one looks to the outside world) and the ie (your employer, family, etc.). Your behavior will reflect on your family and your friends. If you do something that shames them, they will shun you. This circle of conduct greatly regulates how a person will behave.
The Shinto’s don’t believe there is an absolute dichotomy of what is right and wrong; but because mankind is inherently good, they will always act in a worthy manner, whether it was noble or not. If the group says it is okay, then it is okay; you just don’t want to be the person standing out.
What is morality? This topic is a little bit hard to nail down, because truth is a matter of what the group says is right, and even though people do bad things they are really good, and there is no absolutes and all things are gods.
There isn’t a righteousness and sinfulness, there is purity and impurity. Upon first glance, there isn’t much difference between righteousness and purity and sinfulness and impurity. The difference is how the terms “purity,” and “impurity,” are defined. They don’t draw a line between what is right and what is right, but what is pure and impure. Impurity isn’t wrong in and of itself; Shinto’s have impurity just by day to day business. They continuously purify themselves, not because they feel guilty for anything they’ve done, but because it provides peace of mind and good luck.
Purity is the lifeline of the Shinto religion. Blessing a car is part of the assembly process for Japanese cars. All people purify themselves on a daily, weekly, and annual basis.
The Place of Pollution is where all the dead go. It is called The Place of Pollution because death is considered impure. It isn’t a place reserved for moral offenders, like hell, but a place where all people go.
The Shinto’s know death; they understand it is a heartbreaking experience, and they believe even the Kami are heartbroken by it. While the body goes to The Place of Pollution; the Kami is released from all physical bounds and again becomes part of the universal life force. The universal life force is the Kami, because all things have Kami and Kami is essence. The deceased family member’s Kami are then worshipped by the remaining family.
One of the most ancient ethical codes of conduct in the Shinto religion is group identity. They favor group solidarity over individual identity. Wa (benign harmony) is inherent to nature and human relationships and anything that disrupts this harmony is bad. It is the nature of mankind to seek harmony. Any act of individuality would disrupt Wa, so the nail that sticks up gets hammered down.
Rules governing human behavior are necessary to keep the status of Wa; without which society and nature would fall into disorder. Many maintain the belief that if social nonconformity were tolerated it would result in chaos. Anything that disrupts the Wa (emotions, desires, individualistic action) are looked upon as evil. Mankind isn’t evil as a nature, though. While living, everyone should be kind to each other and be careful not to wrong those around them, because they believe that someone’s Kami may come back and cause trouble to those who wronged them.
What is truth? Shinto’s don’t believe in heaven or hell; they do believe there is a place of impurity. They have no fear of torment in hell for wrong doing. On the flip side, they don’t have a heaven to look forward to for doing what’s right. What then, is their motivation for doing what’s right? They don’t have any holy scriptures as a standard or any deity worthy of imitating (their deities all acted in ways that were most selfish and “unbecoming of their Kami”).So how come Japan has a low crime rate and are some of the most honest people one will ever come across? It all comes back to the group identity. When you do something that breaks the ethics code you shame your tatamae (how one looks to the outside world) and the ie (your employer, family, etc.). Your behavior will reflect on your family and your friends. If you do something that shames them, they will shun you. This circle of conduct greatly regulates how a person will behave.
The Shinto’s don’t believe there is an absolute dichotomy of what is right and wrong; but because mankind is inherently good, they will always act in a worthy manner, whether it was noble or not. If the group says it is okay, then it is okay; you just don’t want to be the person standing out.
What is morality? This topic is a little bit hard to nail down, because truth is a matter of what the group says is right, and even though people do bad things they are really good, and there is no absolutes and all things are gods.
There isn’t a righteousness and sinfulness, there is purity and impurity. Upon first glance, there isn’t much difference between righteousness and purity and sinfulness and impurity. The difference is how the terms “purity,” and “impurity,” are defined. They don’t draw a line between what is right and what is right, but what is pure and impure. Impurity isn’t wrong in and of itself; Shinto’s have impurity just by day to day business. They continuously purify themselves, not because they feel guilty for anything they’ve done, but because it provides peace of mind and good luck.
Purity is the lifeline of the Shinto religion. Blessing a car is part of the assembly process for Japanese cars. All people purify themselves on a daily, weekly, and annual basis.
The Place of Pollution is where all the dead go. It is called The Place of Pollution because death is considered impure. It isn’t a place reserved for moral offenders, like hell, but a place where all people go.
The Shinto’s know death; they understand it is a heartbreaking experience, and they believe even the Kami are heartbroken by it. While the body goes to The Place of Pollution; the Kami is released from all physical bounds and again becomes part of the universal life force. The universal life force is the Kami, because all things have Kami and Kami is essence. The deceased family member’s Kami are then worshipped by the remaining family.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Shinto, part I
Here is an essay I wrote on Shintoism...the research was kind of mind boggling, and I'm not sure everything translated right, but here it is. Part I
Shinto
All peoples of all nations and all times have, or have had, a worldview. A worldview is the lenses through which someone sees the world. All worldviews attempt to answer several fundamental questions about our very existence: What is the nature of God? What is the nature of man? And what is the universe? From these, several more questions arise: What is truth? What is morality? And what is family? These questions form the foundation to any worldview. The worldview that we will be looking at specifically is Shintoism. Shintoism and Buddhism are very intermixed and hard to separate. When I say that Shinto’s believe something, be aware that Buddhists’ also believe something similar. However, for the sake of simplicity, I will say that the Shinto’s believe something and exclude the Buddhists’.
Shintoism doesn’t have a monotheistic God, they are polytheistic. It is a complex mix of animism, ancestral worship, and worship of Kami. Kami, when translated, is the rough equivalent of spirits, natural forces, or essence. Everything has Kami; the birds, the rocks, the trees, people, the mountains, the ocean, and anything else you can think of. It all has a spirit. That is how animism fits into all of this; animism being the belief that all things have a soul. Nature, we must then conclude, is alive. If all things have Kami, then nature and mankind are inseparable, they’re equal. When a person dies, the family worships that person’s Kami to appease the Kami so it won’t cause trouble for the living. In reality then, worshiping the Kami is the same as worshiping your deceased ancestors. When you do something that harms nature, you offer a special prayer to placate the Kami.
At the ground breaking ceremonies for whatever is being built, a Shinto priest is there to bless and to pray to the Kami of the ground so it won’t be angry at the builders. An interesting fact about Shintoism is what they believe about babies. Shrines are dedicated to a child’s Kami who dies before birth, be it a miscarriage or an abortion because the baby’s Kami is thought to seek revenge and cause plagues and troubles for the living. The Shinto’s recognize that the unborn child is a living being, and that is why they take such care to try and appease the Kami of the baby. Shinto’s take much reverence if they are killing something to further their own well being, because they don’t want the Kami of whatever they killed to seek vengeance.
Shintoism is polytheistic. They have deities, the chief deity being Amatersasu, the sun goddess. Shintoism is a religion of brightness, at least to them it is, and that is why the sun goddess is so important to them. The Japanese national flag is a rising sun, in honor of the sun goddess.
A common factor to all worldviews is that they offer a creation story. How did we get here? Shintoism offers that the myriad of deities told two of their own to create a land for them to live on. Izanagi-no-Mikoto (male) and Izanami-no-Mikoto (female) then dipped a spear in the sea from the heavens and pulled it out of the water. The drops that fell from the spear tip formed land, the island of Japan. The deities then dwelt on the island. But then the two creators of the land, Izanangi-no-Mikoto and Izanami-no-mikoto, wanted offspring. They then engaged in a sacred ceremony, but they did it wrong and the following offspring (islands) were cast away. When tried again the offspring (islands) were perfect and so they kept them.
This is very important to the Shinto’s belief. Japan was created for the gods and goddess’, making it sacred. Some things are considered especially sacred: an unusual shaped rock or a tall tree. Mount Fuji is one of these places. At the top of Hakoda Mountain there is a small Shinto shrine.
Finding the difference between what is holy and what is the universe is very difficult with Shintoism. The Kami are worshipped, and all things have Kami, thus the universe is god.
All peoples of all nations and all times have, or have had, a worldview. A worldview is the lenses through which someone sees the world. All worldviews attempt to answer several fundamental questions about our very existence: What is the nature of God? What is the nature of man? And what is the universe? From these, several more questions arise: What is truth? What is morality? And what is family? These questions form the foundation to any worldview. The worldview that we will be looking at specifically is Shintoism. Shintoism and Buddhism are very intermixed and hard to separate. When I say that Shinto’s believe something, be aware that Buddhists’ also believe something similar. However, for the sake of simplicity, I will say that the Shinto’s believe something and exclude the Buddhists’.
Shintoism doesn’t have a monotheistic God, they are polytheistic. It is a complex mix of animism, ancestral worship, and worship of Kami. Kami, when translated, is the rough equivalent of spirits, natural forces, or essence. Everything has Kami; the birds, the rocks, the trees, people, the mountains, the ocean, and anything else you can think of. It all has a spirit. That is how animism fits into all of this; animism being the belief that all things have a soul. Nature, we must then conclude, is alive. If all things have Kami, then nature and mankind are inseparable, they’re equal. When a person dies, the family worships that person’s Kami to appease the Kami so it won’t cause trouble for the living. In reality then, worshiping the Kami is the same as worshiping your deceased ancestors. When you do something that harms nature, you offer a special prayer to placate the Kami.
At the ground breaking ceremonies for whatever is being built, a Shinto priest is there to bless and to pray to the Kami of the ground so it won’t be angry at the builders. An interesting fact about Shintoism is what they believe about babies. Shrines are dedicated to a child’s Kami who dies before birth, be it a miscarriage or an abortion because the baby’s Kami is thought to seek revenge and cause plagues and troubles for the living. The Shinto’s recognize that the unborn child is a living being, and that is why they take such care to try and appease the Kami of the baby. Shinto’s take much reverence if they are killing something to further their own well being, because they don’t want the Kami of whatever they killed to seek vengeance.
Shintoism is polytheistic. They have deities, the chief deity being Amatersasu, the sun goddess. Shintoism is a religion of brightness, at least to them it is, and that is why the sun goddess is so important to them. The Japanese national flag is a rising sun, in honor of the sun goddess.
A common factor to all worldviews is that they offer a creation story. How did we get here? Shintoism offers that the myriad of deities told two of their own to create a land for them to live on. Izanagi-no-Mikoto (male) and Izanami-no-Mikoto (female) then dipped a spear in the sea from the heavens and pulled it out of the water. The drops that fell from the spear tip formed land, the island of Japan. The deities then dwelt on the island. But then the two creators of the land, Izanangi-no-Mikoto and Izanami-no-mikoto, wanted offspring. They then engaged in a sacred ceremony, but they did it wrong and the following offspring (islands) were cast away. When tried again the offspring (islands) were perfect and so they kept them.
This is very important to the Shinto’s belief. Japan was created for the gods and goddess’, making it sacred. Some things are considered especially sacred: an unusual shaped rock or a tall tree. Mount Fuji is one of these places. At the top of Hakoda Mountain there is a small Shinto shrine.
Finding the difference between what is holy and what is the universe is very difficult with Shintoism. The Kami are worshipped, and all things have Kami, thus the universe is god.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
School Update!
Here's a quick school update!
I tripled my work load, I'm pushing hard to get done by the beginning to mid July. I was worried as I started, I'd been having a lot of trouble staying on top of things with a regular load and so I had no idea what would happen with a tripling of the load.
I was able to pull it off last week, and I'm on track for doing it again for this week. I decided that unless I made a set time when I'd stop and be done for the day then I would never be done and wouldn't see my family for a long time....so i made the cut off 4....which is WAYYYY earlier than I'd usually been getting it done. I'm managing.
I've got a biography to write about George Washington, and the research is really making me mad. The authors of the books I'm reading is portraying him as a power hungry, immature, little creep. GRRRR
I tripled my work load, I'm pushing hard to get done by the beginning to mid July. I was worried as I started, I'd been having a lot of trouble staying on top of things with a regular load and so I had no idea what would happen with a tripling of the load.
I was able to pull it off last week, and I'm on track for doing it again for this week. I decided that unless I made a set time when I'd stop and be done for the day then I would never be done and wouldn't see my family for a long time....so i made the cut off 4....which is WAYYYY earlier than I'd usually been getting it done. I'm managing.
I've got a biography to write about George Washington, and the research is really making me mad. The authors of the books I'm reading is portraying him as a power hungry, immature, little creep. GRRRR
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Basketball!
Our neighbors has this basketball hoop that they just let lay in their yard since they moved in. Since then we have had 1 typhoon, a lot of rain storms, 2 blizzards, and a lot of ice. When the snow finally thawed I went and asked if we could set it up. They agreed.
We first put it at the end of the street in front of our house. But our other neighbor decided to keep parking his car right under the hoop, and so we were afraid the wind would blow the hoop onto his brand new car. Plus there wasn't much room. And every time you missed the shot, the ball would go into the farmers corals. so we moved it.
I can dunk with this thing....I'm not sure how high it is...maybe 9 feet. But i like to dunk it, and feel all pro!
Siblings and neighbors have played me in many games, but I've got the advantage of being tall and knowing how to play...so i usually win!
Vitacost (a food company that we order food from that we can't get in Japan) decided to send us this.....I guess if I plan on getting huge and buff, I got the stuff to do it!
BTW! Our human video team made it into the talent show! YAY!
We first put it at the end of the street in front of our house. But our other neighbor decided to keep parking his car right under the hoop, and so we were afraid the wind would blow the hoop onto his brand new car. Plus there wasn't much room. And every time you missed the shot, the ball would go into the farmers corals. so we moved it.
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| From 2010-04-07 |
I can dunk with this thing....I'm not sure how high it is...maybe 9 feet. But i like to dunk it, and feel all pro!
 |
| From 2010-04-07 |
Siblings and neighbors have played me in many games, but I've got the advantage of being tall and knowing how to play...so i usually win!
 |
| From 2010-04-07 |
Vitacost (a food company that we order food from that we can't get in Japan) decided to send us this.....I guess if I plan on getting huge and buff, I got the stuff to do it!
 |
| From 2010-04-07 |
BTW! Our human video team made it into the talent show! YAY!
Goodbyes
Here we are at the airport....I wonder how much of my life I spend at an airport!
That is us saying goodbye in Japan.....
....and this was the welcoming commity for Dad in the States
He is safely arrived at his destination after 7 days of travel...crazy!
That is us saying goodbye in Japan.....
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| From 2010-04-02 |
....and this was the welcoming commity for Dad in the States
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| From 2010-04-02 |
He is safely arrived at his destination after 7 days of travel...crazy!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Human Videos!
I've said in previous posts that I'm heading up a drama team at the chapel (human videos). It's time I get y'all a real update about that!
Our target audience is the Japanese. We just recently performed our first video at a youth rally off base, with a lot of Japanese. It was an amazing experience, and I'm glad the church had a couple there who could explain what we were doing. I've done some thinking about that, and I realize that the struggles an American youth goes through is different from that of a Japanese youth, making the message of a video not as powerful as it could be. I'm trying to find someone who has a heart for God and understands the Japanese culture to help us bridge the gap.
The youth rally was amazing though. The couple that was doing the speaking did a great job.
The high-school on base is having a talent show, and we signed our human video team up to perform in it. I wasn't sure of details or anything like that, but we decided to go for it. We started working on a new human video, to the song Set Me Free by Casting Crowns. The song is very powerful, and when we add the choreography to it, it should be a real smash. We've worked a couple of weeks on it, and so we have the general concept down but still don't know how to do it.
WELLLLLLLLL!!!! One of the team members e-mailed me today at 11:37 and said that the auditions for the talent show was tonight at 5-8. I hadn't thought of auditions, but here it was. The rest of my afternoon was spent frantically trying to get the team to meet for the audition with just several hours to spare. It has been a very wild afternoon! By 3, I hadn't heard from a lot of the team. I knew for sure there would be 3 of us, but it is hard to do this video with only 3 people! I started calling folks...didn't get much feedback. I waited and prayed...and tried to get school done! lol
In about the last hour and a half before I needed to leave for the base I started to hear from the team...about half was going to be there for sure. I went into my room and did a lot more praying. I was like, "God, if You want us to be there, then You open the doors and bring it together." I was very nervous riding up to the base. I still didn't have our main role covered.
When I arrived at the audition place there weren't very many people from our team...me and one other guy. I signed our name up at the bottom of the list to buy time and waited. In the end we had half the team show up, which was amazing with such short notice. Our main teenager wasn't there and so one of the team played her role. That was her very first time to play that role and she did amazing! We also didn't have a second Roman and so another guy played the Roman for the first time, and he did a great job as well.
When you think about all of that, how we weren't even sure if we would have a team or even what video we were about to do. Because we had just started working on the new one, that is the one we plan on doing in the talent show, we aren't real good with it yet. And so we were hoping they would let us do the first one we had learnt as a sample. But we didn't know if they would go for it until we standing in front of the judges. It is amazing. The team did an awesome job and they really pulled together. Some other people, who were auditioning as well, was peeking through the wall and were crying. God did some really cool stuff today. And the team did a great job. We all got together and we all prayed before we went in there. I just can't even put words to how amazing of a team they are, and how God did such a miracle all at the same time.
We find out Thursday if we are in. So please be praying for that!
Our target audience is the Japanese. We just recently performed our first video at a youth rally off base, with a lot of Japanese. It was an amazing experience, and I'm glad the church had a couple there who could explain what we were doing. I've done some thinking about that, and I realize that the struggles an American youth goes through is different from that of a Japanese youth, making the message of a video not as powerful as it could be. I'm trying to find someone who has a heart for God and understands the Japanese culture to help us bridge the gap.
The youth rally was amazing though. The couple that was doing the speaking did a great job.
The high-school on base is having a talent show, and we signed our human video team up to perform in it. I wasn't sure of details or anything like that, but we decided to go for it. We started working on a new human video, to the song Set Me Free by Casting Crowns. The song is very powerful, and when we add the choreography to it, it should be a real smash. We've worked a couple of weeks on it, and so we have the general concept down but still don't know how to do it.
WELLLLLLLLL!!!! One of the team members e-mailed me today at 11:37 and said that the auditions for the talent show was tonight at 5-8. I hadn't thought of auditions, but here it was. The rest of my afternoon was spent frantically trying to get the team to meet for the audition with just several hours to spare. It has been a very wild afternoon! By 3, I hadn't heard from a lot of the team. I knew for sure there would be 3 of us, but it is hard to do this video with only 3 people! I started calling folks...didn't get much feedback. I waited and prayed...and tried to get school done! lol
In about the last hour and a half before I needed to leave for the base I started to hear from the team...about half was going to be there for sure. I went into my room and did a lot more praying. I was like, "God, if You want us to be there, then You open the doors and bring it together." I was very nervous riding up to the base. I still didn't have our main role covered.
When I arrived at the audition place there weren't very many people from our team...me and one other guy. I signed our name up at the bottom of the list to buy time and waited. In the end we had half the team show up, which was amazing with such short notice. Our main teenager wasn't there and so one of the team played her role. That was her very first time to play that role and she did amazing! We also didn't have a second Roman and so another guy played the Roman for the first time, and he did a great job as well.
When you think about all of that, how we weren't even sure if we would have a team or even what video we were about to do. Because we had just started working on the new one, that is the one we plan on doing in the talent show, we aren't real good with it yet. And so we were hoping they would let us do the first one we had learnt as a sample. But we didn't know if they would go for it until we standing in front of the judges. It is amazing. The team did an awesome job and they really pulled together. Some other people, who were auditioning as well, was peeking through the wall and were crying. God did some really cool stuff today. And the team did a great job. We all got together and we all prayed before we went in there. I just can't even put words to how amazing of a team they are, and how God did such a miracle all at the same time.
We find out Thursday if we are in. So please be praying for that!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
ME!!
The story behind this picture is pretty expansive. Mom and Dad were paying taxes, I was bored and in my room. I had just figured out how to actually take and save pictures on my Japanese cell-phone and so I decided to take a picture. I have an American flag on my wall (I believe in keeping a low profile) and I had myself. So I took this picture. But then I decided it was such a cool picture that I needed to get it onto facebook.....and so I went and got mom's camera. I set my cell phone up on my lap and then attempted to take a picture. But the lighting and focus was bad and so I deleted them. The following picture is the result of a lot of work and effort. It is an amazing story of determination and duty and love. Happy day! 
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Deployment Goals
Last night, while we sat around eating ice-cream, Dad asked us what our deployment goals are. hmmmmm.....during this last month I've spent a lot of time with my siblings. Probably more than I've done since we got to Japan. Because I hadn't had school to do, I spent a lot of time with them. And now that March is over and I'm starring down the barrel of some very long school weeks, I don't want to go back to what I'd been doing before this month started. So my first deployment goal is to spend at least .5 hour playing with them everyday, be it board games or outside.
My second goal is to update the blog for Dad at least 3x times a week. :)
My third goal: Max out on the bench press at 160lb. I can do 130 now, so I figure I'll just keep pushing. I think I'd like a six pack too, but I'm not sure that is an official goal!
I also plan on cutting back on Facebook time. I wanted to see if I could go the whole day yesterday without getting on facebook. I did it, but it was hard!! I hadn't realized how much time I'd spent on facebook. It has started to overcome me, and I don't like things having any control over me and so I'm going to try and wean myself of it.
My second goal is to update the blog for Dad at least 3x times a week. :)
My third goal: Max out on the bench press at 160lb. I can do 130 now, so I figure I'll just keep pushing. I think I'd like a six pack too, but I'm not sure that is an official goal!
I also plan on cutting back on Facebook time. I wanted to see if I could go the whole day yesterday without getting on facebook. I did it, but it was hard!! I hadn't realized how much time I'd spent on facebook. It has started to overcome me, and I don't like things having any control over me and so I'm going to try and wean myself of it.
I've had a lot of "last days," this last month. Yesterday was our last full day with dad before he deploys. Dad had packed earlier in the week and so we just played and went to the bowling alley.
I actually beat Dad in bowling (which is a first) in both games. I was pretty happy! I also made a new high-score for myself, 160 points.
I actually beat Dad in bowling (which is a first) in both games. I was pretty happy! I also made a new high-score for myself, 160 points.
We had dinner and opened up a package from g'ma. Thank you g'ma! I had been looking for a whistle, keeping the human video team focused can be hard sometimes!
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