Japan Trip 2018 (April – July)

This was my first time ever going to Japan. I spent two weeks studying Japanese at GenkiJACS in Fukuoka, and three months in Sendai on a short-term mission trip.

This page (and post titles) will be updated frequently.

  1. Study in Japan 2018! My Goal – I decided that I was finally going to do this thing. If I failed, fine. If I didn’t, great!
  2. Going to Japan!! – A little over a year later, I stepped out in faith and bought plane tickets.
  3. Why It’s Good When God Says No – My fundraising plans were demolished, and it was a wonderful thing.
  4. As the path turns... – As the day I would leave approached, I reflected on the journey up to then.
  5. Japan Trip 2018 Day 1: What Was I Thinking!?
  6. Japan Trip 2018 Days 2 & 3: Baby Steps in Kawasaki
  7. Japan Trip 2018 Day 4: Kawasaki Cultural Museum
  8. Japan Trip 2018 Day 5: Shinkansen from Tokyo to Fukuoka
  9. Japan Trip 2018 Day 6: First Day at GenkiJACS
  10. Japan Trip 2018 Day 7: Class and Aeon Max Value Supermarket
  11. Japan Trip 2018 Day 8: Class and a Photo Walk
  12. Japan Trip 2018 Day 9: Pocket Wi-fi and First Look at Daiso
  13. Japan Trip 2018 Day 10: Better Than Daiso?
  14. Japan Trip 2018 Day 11: God’s Blessings in Hiroshima
  15. Japan Trip 2018 Day 12: Beach Volleyball and Laundry
  16. Japan Trip 2018 Day 13: Day Trip to Dazaifu
  17. Japan Trip 2018 Day 14: Sushi and Shipping a Package in Japan
  18. Japan Trip 2018 Day 15: My Awkward Graduation from Language School
  19. Japan Trip 2018 Day 16: Iki Island Trip! Seasickness and Electric Bikes
  20. Japan Trip 2018 Day 17: Iki Island Trip! Island Shrine Tour
  21. Japan Trip 2018 Day 18: Packing and Housecleaning
  22. Japan Trip 2018 Day 19: Taking the JR Beetle Ferry from Fukuoka to Busan, South Korea
  23. Japan Trip 2018 Day 20: Relaxing Day in Korean Hotel
  24. Japan Trip 2018 Day 21: Back in Japan! From Busan to Sendai
  25. Japan Trip 2018 Day 22: Rifu Aeon Mall Shopping and Meeting Raven and Eli
  26. Japan Trip 2018 Day 23: Orientation and First English Class
  27. Japan Trip 2018 Day 24: First Edo Youth
  28. Japan Trip 2018 Day 25: Tea Ceremony
  29. Japan Trip 2018 Day 26: First Day at Tsubamesawa Church and Kids’ Club
  30. Japan Trip 2018 Day 27: Neighborhood Kids’ English
  31. Japan Trip 2018 Day 28: Interrogated at English Meet Up
  32. Japan Trip 2018 Day 29: English Circle
  33. Japan Trip 2018 Day 30: Meeting the Leader
  34. Japan Trip 2018 Day 31: Concert at Tsubamesawa
  35. Japan Trip 2018 Day 32: Aoba Festival
  36. Japan Trip 2018 Day 33: Overwhelmed
  37. Japan Trip 2018 Day 34: Walking and Brownies
  38. Japan Trip 2018 Day 35: Costco in Sendai, Japan
  39. Japan Trip 2018 Day 36: Day Trip to Iwate Prefecture
  40. Japan Trip 2018 Day 37: Duck Duck Goose
  41. Japan Trip 2018 Day 38: HANDS Japanese Tutoring
  42. Japan Trip 2018 Day 39: Sports Day
  43. Japan Trip 2018 Day 40: Youth-Kids’ Club
  44. Japan Trip 2018 Day 41: MEBIG
  45. Japan Trip 2018 Day 42: A Productive Day
  46. Japan Trip 2018 Day 43: Christian Bookstore in Japan
  47. Japan Trip 2018 Day 44: Spochan
  48. Japan Trip 2018 Day 45: Worldviews
  49. Japan Trip 2018 Day 46: Day Trip to Matsushima
  50. Japan Trip 2018 Day 47: Visiting Shiogama Bible Baptist Church
  51. Japan Trip 2018 Day 48: Monkey in the Middle
  52. Japan Trip 2018 Day 49: Missionary Bento Dinner
  53. Japan Trip 2018 Day 50: Travel Woes Become a Blessing?
  54. Japan Trip 2018 Day 51: Silence and Simplicity
  55. Japan Trip 2018 Day 52: Edo Youth, Digital Drawing
  56. Japan Trip 2018 Day 53: Shall We Dance?
  57. Japan Trip 2018 Day 54: A Wonderful Day
  58. Japan Trip 2018 Day 55: Tai’s Testimony
  59. Japan Trip 2018 Day 56: A Day Off
  60. Japan Trip 2018 Day 57: Stepping Out and Starting to Grow
  61. Japan Trip 2018 Day 58: Ninja Obstacle Course
  62. Japan Trip 2018 Day 59: The Principle of the Path
  63. Japan Trip 2018 Day 60: House Party in Shiogama
  64. Japan Trip 2018 Day 61: Father’s Day Baptism and Shopping at GU
  65. Japan Trip 2018 Day 62: Corn Hole
  66. Japan Trip 2018 Day 63: Trip to Ishinomaki and Onagawa (Nozomi Project, Megumi Project)
  67. Japan Trip 2018 Day 64: Visiting Humble Oshikahanto
  68. Japan Trip 2018 Day 65: New Faces at JJE
  69. Japan Trip 2018 Day 66: Dangerous Mom Stripes Party
  70. Japan Trip 2018 Day 67: Volunteering at a Vegetable Farm, My Sento (Onsen) Experience, and Catching a Japanese Cold
  71. Japan Trip 2018 Day 68: Sharing My Testimony in God’s Strength
  72. Japan Trip 2018 Day 69: Special MEBIG
  73. Japan Trip 2018 Days 70-73: Being Sick in Japan
  74. Japan Trip 2018 Day 74: Riding the Sendai Loople Line (Date Mausoleum, Sendai “Aoba” Castle, Christian bookstore, Donquihote)
  75. Japan Trip 2018 Day 75: Trip to Mt. Zao
  76. Japan Trip 2018 Day 76: Okama Crater
  77. Japan Trip 2018 Days 77-79: SEND Conference at Okutama Bible Chalet
  78. Japan Trip 2018 Day 80: Meeting Japanese Christians
  79. Japan Trip 2018 Day 81: From Ome to Ueno and Asakusa
  80. Japan Trip 2018 Day 82: Kurume Bible Fellowship at Christian Academy of Japan
  81. Japan Trip 2018 Day 83: Harajuku and Shibuya
  82. Japan Trip 2018 Day 84: SEND Center, Okachimachi, Ameyoko, and Akihabara
  83. Japan Trip 2018 Days 85-86: Return to Tohoku – Pokemon Center, JUMP Shop, and Saying Goodbye to Ayumi
  84. Japan Trip 2018 Day 87: Final Edo Youth, the Beginning of Goodbyes
  85. Japan Trip 2018 Days 88-89: Free Day and Shiogama Summer Festival
  86. Japan Trip 2018 Day 90 – Marine Day, English Scavenger Hunt, and more
  87. Japan Trip 2018 Days 91-92: Drawing Jesus, Cat Cafe, Karaoke, and Purikura
  88. Japan Trip 2018 Day 93: Preparing for English Day Camp and a Surprise Guest
  89. Japan Trip 2018 Day 94: The Busiest Day of July
  90. Japan Trip 2018 Day 95: Summer Festival at a Daycare
  91. Japan Trip 2018 Day 96: Last Youth-Kids’ Club and a Memorable Sunset
  92. Japan Trip 2018 Days 97-98: Raven’s Acquaintances
  93. Japan Trip 2018 Day 99: Rakuten Eagles Home Game (My First Major League Baseball Game)
  94. Japan Trip 2018 Day 100: English Day Camp – Summer in America
  95. Japan Trip 2018 Day 101: Luggage Forwarding and Last-Minute Shopping
  96. Japan Trip 2018 Day 102: Drawing Day with Middle School Girls
  97. Japan Trip 2018 Day 103: Last Day at Tsubamesawa Church
  98. Japan Trip 2018 Day 104: Final MEBIG
  99. Japan Trip 2018 Day 105: Goodbye and Hello
  100. Japan Trip 2018 Reflection: Jet Lag and Culture Shock