Worship & the Arts

Japan Quake/ Tsunami APPEAL

2011-03-12T21:26:00.003+09:00

DONATIONS FOR JAPAN

Many of us are wondering how we can best respond to the devastating news of the earthquakes and tsunami that have hurt especially Fukushima, Miyagi, and Iwate ken. As the computer and television screens pour out images, we can pour out our hearts to the Creator of the Universe to take care of the great nation of Japan.

CRASH Japan, a non-profit established for just a time as this, exists to help victims of disasters. We have experienced people who know the culture and language on the ground ready to assess the situation and then take appropriate action. Please consider how YOU might be able to help right now by giving a donation that will “kick start” our Tokyo based disaster relief initiative.

CRASH Japan is strongly endorsed by JEMA (Japan Evangelical Missionary Association) and comes highly recommended by Dale Little, JEMA President. http://crashjapan.com/

24 HOUR FUNDING GOAL: $100,000 (send a donation using one of the following options)

Donate via Horizon Christian Fellowship web site (tax deductible receipt provided): https://www.horizonsd.org/donate/index.asp?purpose=japan_earthquake_relief

Donate via PayPal (no tax deductible receipt): http://www.jema.org/joomla15/index.php/component/content/article/57-feature-article/500-japan-tohoku-quake-relief-donations

Donate in Japan via the JEMA postal furikae account:
Account#00130-4-180466 (Please specify "earthquake relief" in the message box.)

Japan Tohoku Earthquake Prayer List

2011-03-12T18:03:00.003+09:00

Here is a prayer list that we will keep updating that will give you up-to-date requests for the situation in Japan. Please share this link with your friends.

At 2:46 PM local time, March 11, an 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck Japan off the eastern coast of Miyagi, prefecture. This is the largest recorded earthquake ever to have struck Japan, and the fifth largest recorded earthquake in the world. Even after 36 hours, heavy aftershocks were still being felt throughout northeastern Japan, with no way of knowing how long these aftershocks will continue. Some experts have said that there could be strong aftershocks of up to magnitude level 8 for six months. Please pray that the earthquakes will cease. Pray also for the buildings that survived the initial shock, but are being hammered by the aftershocks. Many buildings still stand, but were weakened, and because of this strong aftershocks are very dangerous.
The devastation from the initial earthquake was compounded by heavy tsunamis that hammered the east coast. Sendai City was hit the hardest, both by the temblor and the tsunami. Some towns were entirely obliterated by the tsunamis. Thirty-six hours after the initial shock, the tsunami warnings were downgraded to advisories. Please pray that these tsunamis will cease completely, and that people will be able to return home.
Due to the seismic activity, the ground level in much of coastal Japan actually sank, so sea water that came in during the tsunami is not receding. This is hampering relief efforts. Please pray that relief teams will be able to work safely in these areas.
Casualty reports are still coming in. The death toll is estimated to exceed 1,300 people. Over a thousand people have been injured. Pray for those who have lost their loved ones. Pray for those who are trapped and injured, as well as those who are missing friends and family.
In Fukushima Prefecture, two nuclear power plants are under a state of emergency. The reactors are overheating at the number 1 plant, and at the number 2 plant, the reactor pressure has been rising. At the Fukushima number 1 plant, there was an explosion Saturday afternoon, 4 PM local time, injuring four workers. The evacuation around the Fukushima power plant 1 has been expanded to 20 kilometers. Radiation levels at the plant have been measured at 1,051 microsievert. One hour of exposure to that much radiation is the same amount that the average human receives in a year. As of Sunday morning, 9 evacuees from the 20 km radius around the plant had been found with radiation exposure. Please pray that the situation will get under control soon, before anything more serious occurs.
Pray also for the weather. With radiation being diffused into the air, wind or rain could carry it into populated areas and expose people. Pray that any wind will carry radiation out to sea rather than into populated areas. What's more, bitterly cold night-time temperatures could prove life-threatening for those who are trapped.
Public transit systems in Tokyo and the surrounding areas were shut down for hours after the quake, with some people still stranded away from their families. Limited railway use has resumed. Pray for those who are stranded away from their loved ones at this difficult time.
Millions of homes in northeastern Japan are without power, and over a million homes in Ibaraki prefecture are without fresh water supplies. Pray for the power plants and water facilities to be able to resume their work, and pray for those who do not have these essential supplies.
Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes in the coastal areas and the area around the Fukushima nuclear power plants. Please pray for them, and all who are having to stay in public shelters.
Relief workers are working around the clock to rescue survivors, but things are grim for coastal cities due to the continual bombardment of tsunamis. Pray for the relief workers, that God would grant safety and stamina.
Pray for the Christians of Japan, that we would be able to mobilize relief efforts and provide for people's needs, both physical and spiritual.

Being Effective at Reaching Japan for Christ #2 -- Follow Your Passions

2010-06-19T05:55:00.015+09:00

Do what you love to do, follow your God-given passions.

I learned this the hard way. About ten years ago I went through a period of depression that was absolutely no fun but it helped me make some changes in my life. The main change I made, something that made a huge difference, was resigning from the "preacher/church planter/pastor" role I had at the time. This allowed me to start focusing on what I love to do which is working with artists.

Now I am making films. Filmmaking is not easy, it is one of the most challenging things I have ever done but it is also a lot of fun and, most importantly, an effective means of communicating the gospel in Japan.

If I hadn't taken the scary step of resigning from a position that didn't "fit" me, I would have missed out on so much. Things like: being a producer on the award winning film Jitensha, being part of an amazing team that produced a music video of the first documented performance of Wadaiko & Black Gospel (I will embed that video below).

I want to make a difference, we all do. If I hadn't hit a rough spot and started following my passions I would have been locked in a negative cycle of trying hard, not getting anywhere, frustration....

Are you just "hanging on" because you don't know what else to do? Are you settling for "peace and pay" (an easy job and a secure paycheck)? If so, it isn't worth it. It might be time to quit and do something completely different.

If you could do anything, what would you do?

Wadaiko X Black Gospel Fusion Music Video from Studio Re: on Vimeo.

Being Effective at Reaching Japan for Christ #1 -- Death by Meetings

2010-05-28T00:44:00.011+09:00

There are aspects of the culture of Japan that "pushes" people to hold a lot of meetings.

A few years ago I decided that life was too short and our mission far too important for me to waste time in meaningless meetings so I avoid them as much as I possibly can.

How big a deal is this issue?

A high level committee in Japan made up of missionaries and pastors discussed a badly needed new translation of the Bible for 15 years. During that time this group didn't make a decision to move ahead and actually do it.

A church in Tokyo established a committee that met for over 100 hours to plan the church's anniversary celebration.

If every church and mission in Japan cut the amount of time spent in meetings by 50% and also had a clear purpose for every meeting that does take place we would be far more effective at reaching Japan for Christ.

I have worked in Japan for over 20 years as a missionary and my observation is that we waste large amounts of time in meetings -- I wonder what would happen if we just quit doing that?

What do you think?

Reflections on IAM Encounter 10: Making Our Art an Expression of Love

2010-03-11T03:25:00.013+09:00

Guest post by Julie Robertson (photo at right):

We received a massive blessing from God last week— he allowed my husband Eric and I to attend the IAM Conference in New York City! Due to short notice, we were not certain if we would be able to attend… but then funds started coming in from unusual places. We knew then that God was telling us to go! Paul Nethercott met us there, and it was a blessing to be able to connect with him over the weekend.

IAM (International Arts Movement) is an organization that encourages artists worldwide to change their world through faith and their chosen art field. The conference was held March 4-6 at Cooper Hall in the exciting Greenwich Village area of New York City. We attended seminars by prominent musicians, fine artists, sculptors, designers, writers, and illustrators. Studio Re:'s collaboration, the film Jitensha, was selected from a number of other entries to screen at the Conference. It was encouraging to see the positive reaction and thoughtful questions that people were asking Paul after the showing.

We were encouraged to go out and explore New York City. For those of you who have been/lived there, you know that just being in this city is an

inspiration… it is so busy, exciting, artistic, diverse… and (just like Alicia Keys sings) you truly feel that “there’s nothing you can’t do.” We attended several art shows of a caliber beyond anything that we could possibly see in our current home of Oklahoma.

Eric (photo at right is Eric at Grand Central Station) learned valuable information about music from Jacob Marshall, lead singer of the successful band “MAE.” Among the other fantastic friends we made were Makoto Fujimura (in photo beside his painting), a world-renowned Japanese artist and founder of IAM; Dave and Corey Fuller, who are involved with IAM in Oklahoma City; Kiwa, a Japanese exchange student studying fine art near Boston, and so many others!

The thing that sticks out most in my mind is what Mr. Fujimura said about making our art an expression of Love. We all know the famous description of love in I Corinthians 13, but how many of us artists think of applying these characteristics to our work? How many of us make art that is not envious, boastful, proud, rude, self-seeking, or delighting in evil, but rejoicing with the truth? So much of modern art is purposefully intended to shock, aggravate, horrify, or otherwise celebrate evil. How wonderful it would be if we artists would all use our energy to create art that points people to life in Christ instead of hopelessness and death.

It was also great to see so many successful, prestigious artists who are Christians... something that sometimes I don't think exists. We don't have to stay caged in our small little ambitions that only reach a few people in our immediate area. We can truly make a huge impact on the whole world, like many of these people are already doing. That was what I will always remember from this conference.

That, and the 99c pizza by the slice.

Reaching Japanese for Christ: Love, Listen & Learn

2010-02-11T00:05:00.006+09:00

Guest Post by David Sedlacek, TEAM Japan Vice Chairman

1John 3:18 Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

Today, I'd like to share a "fable" from the book Cross-Cultural Servanthood by Duane Elmer.

A typhoon had temporarily stranded a monkey on an island. In a secure, protected place on the shore, while waiting for the raging waters to recede, he spotted a fish swimming against the current. It seemed obvious to the monkey that the fish was struggling and in need of assistance. Being of kind heart, the monkey resolved to help the fish.

A tree precariously dangled over the very spot where the fish seemed to be struggling. At considerable risk to himself, the monkey moved far out on a limb, reached down and snatched the fish from the threatening waters. Immediately scurrying back to the safety of his shelter, he carefully laid the fish on dry ground. For a few moments the fish showed excitement, but soon settled into a peaceful rest. Joy and satisfaction swelled inside the monkey. He had successfully helped another creature.

I encountered this story a few years ago, but recently it came to mind again when I was thinking about leadership and love. I believe we are called to this nation to lead and to love others. We "lead" others to Christ, and we lead worship services, and we lead Bible studies, and we lead our lives as a testimony to the grace of Jesus Christ. God has given us a love for the Japanese people, and it is out of love that we perform our various ministries.

But did the monkey love the fish? He had great intentions, but at the end of the story the fish is dead (re-read the story one more time if you didn't get it). Duane Elmer explains the moral of the fable like this: "The story does not tell us the degree of humility or arrogance the monkey possessed. But, then, that was not the real issue as far as the fish was concerned. The fish likely saw the arrogance of the monkey’s assumption that what was good for monkeys would also be good for fish. This arrogance, hidden from the monkey’s consciousness, far overshadowed his kindness in trying to help the fish."

The reason I was reflecting on this story the other day, and why it came to mind again today, is that I want to be a servant to the people of this nation, to the people of my church, to my teammates, and to my TEAM-mates. I came here to love and to lead and to serve. But if I am going to love or lead or serve, I need to listen. Listening is the one thing that the monkey neglected to do.

You cannot serve someone whom you do not understand, and you do not have compassion for someone whom you do not know. So we must get to work get to know one another. We've got to spend time listening to the people in our church and in our community, to understand them and to love them that they might know Jesus.

Elmer, Duane H. (2006). Cross-cultural servanthood: Serving the world in christlike humility. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books.

Note: Elmer's book is an excellent guide to helping think this through in a cross-cultural setting. He outlines the pilgrimage we must take if we are to truly serve others. The journey starts with Openness ("the ability to welcome people into your presence and make them feel safe"), to Acceptance("communicating respect for others"), Trusting, Learning ("seeking information that changes you") Understanding, and then finally Serving ("you can't serve someone you don't understand"). Elmer presents each step of the journey as an essential building block to the next.

Note from Paul Nethercott:

Dr. Duane Elmer is currently a professor at Trinity Seminary in Deerfield, IL. In the 1980s my wife and I had the good fortune of having him as our adviser at Missionary Internship in MI. He was an exceptional mentor and teacher for both my wife and I because he believed in us, invested in us, and went out of his way to help us. He facilitated highly innovative (and effective) training that has made a big difference in our lives. In recent years I finally "got it" and have started teaching a lot like he taught us -- simulations, small groups, no tests, lots of activity, discussion, reflection, etc. One valuable statement he made to us is "without reflection there is no learning." Thanks Duane -- your help meant a lot to us.

Manga Messiah & Manga Metamorphosis Artist Interview

2010-01-20T22:55:00.006+09:00

The Bible Illustration Blog has an excellent interview of Japanese Manga artist Kozumi Shinozawa posted here: THE INTERVIEW

Kozumi is the illustrator of Manga Messiah & Manga Metamorphosis -- the first two books in the Bible Manga Series (there will be a total of five). Well over 500,000 copies of Manga Messiah have been distributed in Uganda alone; it is being published around the world in many languages.

Three of the Bible Manga series are currently available in English at Amazon, you can purchase them HERE

Countenance Three by Makoto Fujimura - Free Download

2009-12-26T03:44:00.007+09:00

It is Christmas day in Chicago where I am so thankful to be spending time with family celebrating the birth of Jesus.

I want to wish the readers of Worship and the Arts a Blessed Christmas! I also want to let you know that Makoto Fujimura's painting "Countenance Three" is now available as a free-of-charge downloaded. I highly recommend Makoto and this lovely painting.

The note about this painting says that "Countenance captures the reflection of the Creator's gaze on His creation."

Download High Resolution Image of the painting HERE

Creative Commons License For photo of the painting "Countenance Three" by Makoto Fujimura

Makoto is a Japanese national who lives in NYC. He recently wrote a book with Tim Keller (pastor of Redeemer Church in NYC) called Refractions: A Journey of Faith, Art, and Culture

Outreach: Small is often Better Than Big

2009-12-16T02:11:00.003+09:00

When over two hundred people showed up for the Christmas outreach we were understandably excited. The combined membership of our two new churches in Kyushu was about ten (including the missionaries) so this was a big event for us. We rented a nice room in a local mall, had decorations, music, a gospel message, and everyone received bags of homemade goodies prepared by the church ladies. It seemed to have been a great success.

However, there were problems: the church ladies complained that it had been too much work; there was disappointment that no one had gotten saved; the event cost more than we could afford; it wore us out. I tried to follow up on the new contacts we made but when I called a few of them they clearly did not like the intrusion.

Several years later we were on staff with a new church in Yokosuka. At this church we established a “Gospel Live House.” The concept is from mainstream “Live Houses” popular in Japan which are venues with live music, food and drinks.

We held our “Gospel Live House” four times a year. It was easy to create a relaxed atmosphere in our church by moving out most of the chairs, adding some tables, and providing simple homemade snacks and drinks. We had a live performance and charged 500 yen per person.

The quality and type of music varied a lot. One time we had smooth jazz by skilled musicians. Another time an awful rock band from a local college performed. We never had preaching on the program. Usually, one of the performers would share a short testimony and most, but not all, of the music had gospel themes.

We had a lot of fun with our Gospel Live Houses and they were one of the reasons that we had a thriving church. This was effective outreach. Why did it work out so well?

Doable: The quarterly rhythm did not wear us out and gave us adequate time to prepare for the next one. We held it in the church and it did not require a big staff; the 500 yen per person cover charge paid most, if not all, expenses.

Consistent: People looked forward to the next Gospel Live House. They knew what to expect so they were able to relax and enjoy themselves.

Contextual: What we did and how we did it was appropriate for our church and for our community, it was a good “fit” for our situation. Almost any wholesome activity that a few people in your community are interested in can be a means of gathering people.

Relational: Rather than gathering a large crowd so we could preach at them (very few people like to be preached at and those that do are almost ALL in the church already) we tried to build relationships. The warm atmosphere made it possible to get to know individuals, to become friends and to let them know that we cared about them.

Enjoyable: Did I say it was a lot of fun? This was an important reason people kept coming back and why they brought their friends. We all enjoyed it.

Are big events bad? No, they have their place and can work well.

The good news is, small groups can effectively do outreach because intimate gatherings are often better for building relationships. The single most important factor is genuine love for people. If we don’t have that, we have nothing. And, how we do outreach is not nearly as important as caring, really caring about people which always involves sacrifice.

Reflections on "The Millennium Matrix" - a book by Rex Miller

2009-11-27T03:22:00.021+09:00

It has been four years since my wife brought “The Millennium Matrix" home from one of her classes at the Robert Webber Institute For Worship Studies in Florida. This book is extremely valuable to me because it has helped me understand what is going on in the world, both now and in the past, from a nee perspective. Reading it has changed the way I think, no exaggeration.

Following is an updated review of “The Millennium Matrix that I wrote several years ago.

“We are at that very point in time when a 400-year-old age is dying and another is struggling to be born, a shifting of culture, science, society, and institutions enormously greater than the world has ever experienced.” (Dee Hock)

Have you wondered why some churches are ornate temple-like structures full of symbolic art while others look like a Wal-Mart with chairs? What about the different approaches to corporate worship - from ritualistic liturgical forms to highly produced performances with stage, lights, and state-of-the-art PA systems?

Rex Miller’s book The Millennium Matrix helped me understand why many churches in the US look like Wal-Marts with video screens. This book also contributed to my understanding the church and culture of Japan. The heart of The Millennium Matrix is a chart called The Complete Millennium Matrix” which is a framework that enables us to understand the past, the present, and the future from a new perspective.

Miller's main premise is, “when the primary means of storing and distributing information changes, our worldviews change.” In other words, the way we communicate has a profound impact on our worldview and lifestyle including how we conceptualize and express our Christianity.

Miller’s chart identifies four major methods of communication, each of which also denotes an epoch in world history:

1) Oral (from the ancient past through 1,500 AD)

2) Print (1,500 AD – 1950)

3) Broadcast (1950 – 2010)

4) Digital (2010---

Miller includes lists detailing the impact on culture of each of the dominant media. These lists are divided into a number of categories including “how we believe, how we see beauty, how we know, and how we work and trade."

Now, here is the exciting part. Using Miller’s chart we can see that for oral cultures visual art is an important means of remembering information. Rituals (liturgy) also help people remember so that is why the early church was liturgical and its buildings were full of visual art. For the illiterate masses, stained glass windows were their Bibles.

When printed literature became common, a major clash took place between the new print culture and the old oral one. Therefore, the Reformation was not only a break with the past theologically; it was also a giant conflict between the old oral culture and the new print one.

For several reasons the newly literate “print culture” believers got rid of almost all art. Besides the issue of Protestants rejecting art because it was Catholic, the new print culture no longer needed or appreciated it. Reflecting the print-based emphasis on linear/logical/rationalistic thinking, church architecture became plain, with few embellishments. Rituals were less important and church music became more complex because people could read it in printed books. For the new print culture, revelation was less mystical so both general and special revelation became an object of rationalistic study. Individuals rose in importance, laying the foundation for democracy and many new social institutions.

In the Fifties, the entrance of broadcast culture created another major clash, one that is still going on today. Churches started looking like TV studios with a stage, sound and lighting. The worship service became more of a celebration featuring bands, videos, and drama. This approach works great for large groups, so the era of the mega-church was born. Generally, the older print culture generation thought it was awful; the younger generation, the current baby boomers, mostly loved it.

Now, only fifty years after the beginning of the broadcast era we have an emerging digital generation that is far less interested in broadcast style churches. So, we find ourselves in the middle of yet another major transition.

Digital technology is driving dramatic changes worldwide. Via digital technology, we have merged text, sound, images, and data into one common “language.” Mass media is no longer the monolithic power it once was; personalized media gives individuals primary control over what they read, see, and hear. The iPod, Apple's iconic device for storing digital data, is a multi-million-dollar marketing success that is at the cutting edge of personalized media.

In Japan digital technology is changing the way people work, think, behave, and believe. This is putting tremendous stress on society and on the church in Japan. Large portions of the church have not yet adapted to broadcast culture and now we have a new paradigm to deal with. The challenges are immense and we don’t know what the new “emerging Church” in Japan is going to be like but it is going to be different.

There are signs, though, that digital era churches will have candles, incense, art of all kinds and liturgy as part of their worship -- in the US many already do. A return to mysticism, awe, and beauty along with an emphasis on authenticity is taking place. Worship services will be more interactive, less performance-oriented, and generally smaller. There will almost certainly be a growing trend towards house churches in Japan.

Robert Webber and many other thinkers are noting the similarities of the Emerging Church to churches of the past. Ironically, the Emerging Church is "looping back" actively reviving ancient practices unused for several centuries by Protestants.

According to Japan Campus Crusade for Christ staff member Yoshitaka Satoh, the current college kids are completely different from his generation; they want interaction, discussion, and don’t want long logical messages by the “Sensei.” He also reports that they do not like top-down command-and-control leadership. Significantly, these new characteristics of young Japanese are ones that Miller says are common to the new digital generation around the world.

If Miller is more or less right, if Mr. Satoh’s evaluation of college students is more or less accurate, we need to make huge adjustments to be effective at making disciples of younger Japanese. We will have to get rid of old stereotypes, accept new realities, and make changes in almost every area.

Many Japanese growing up in the new digital era will have great difficulty fitting into traditional church structures. Imagine the college students Satoh described attending a church where there is no interaction during the worship service, long analytical messages, and decisions are made from the top down. Many churches will probably not be able to adjust, and they will die.

This is one reason we need new churches and new missions in Japan. One large mission in Japan has, in effect, created a new mission structure by splitting from its’ Japanese denomination. This mission shifted to an exclusive focus on starting house churches (the Japanese denomination involved rejected this strategy).

Along with challenge, we have exciting new opportunities to use digital technology to build the church. Through connecting via the Internet, groups and individuals are collaborating as never before. The Internet is breaking down walls between denominations. Interactive media such as the CD “tracts” produced by Campus Crusade are reaching the digital generation. Potentialities with using digital technology to spread the gospel are innumerable and we have only begun to imagine what they are.

The new digital culture will change Japan but Japan will also change it, giving it characteristics that will make it unique. Those of us that work with Japanese need to be aware and be ready to respond with effective strategies and methods.

There are some weaknesses in Miller’s views. For one thing, he is probably off on his timing; it seems to me that the digital age will be established sooner than 2010. I also think that he is a too optimistic about the new digital era. Different it will be, no question about it. But, people will still have the same core problems as before.

Around the world there will be much conflict related to the digital revolution. Many will view the new digital culture, and the church that is emerging with it, with alarm and simply condemn it. If we understand the profound impact of media, we gain a new perspective and we can be constructive rather than reactionary.

Free for 24 hours – “The Last TV Evangelist: A Guide to the Media Revolution” by Phil Cook

2009-11-20T11:36:00.007+09:00

Phil Cook author of "Branding Faith" has released a book called "The Last TV Evangelist." Phil consistently has valuable insights so I am recommending his new book -- even though I have not been able to read it yet.

There is a review of "The Last TV Evangelist" HERE

For the next few hours you can download the entire book, free of charge. A hot link won't work so copy and paste the following web address: http://www.conversantlife.com/free/TLTVE.pdf

Article Featuring Ken Taylor

2009-07-17T21:01:00.003+09:00

Last month, Studio Re: and Hallelujah Gospel Family worked together to do a film shoot of a large concert featuring approximately 300 singers in a Japanese black gospel choir.

The feature of the night was a fusion piece between gospel music and Japanese wa-daiko. You can read more about that in a post on this blog written by guest-writer Jefferey Timmer entitled Black Gospel Music in Japan... and the questions that come with it.

Recently, CAN founding member and leader of the Hallelujah Gospel Family network, Ken Taylor, was featured in a news story by ANS News. The article is called "How 'Sister Act' has inspired the formation of 30 Japanese Gospel Choirs run by a Filipino former night club entertainer who found Christ."

It's a long title, but a good article. Check it out here: http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2009/s09070045.htm

The National Anthem of Japan

2009-07-09T21:16:00.005+09:00

The Japanese national anthem was officially adopted in 1999, but it hasn't had quite the appeal of other national anthems throughout the world. A friend of mine sent me a link to a fascinating article that may be of interest to you. It's called Something to Sing About - Japan needs an anthem that unites the nation. I highly recommend reading it. Post your comments if you want to have a discussion about it.

Below is some information not contained in the article. First is the lyrics of the song, second is the melody.

Official^[9]
君が代は
千代に八千代に
さざれ石の
いわおとなりて
こけのむすまで

English
May your reign
Continue for a thousand, eight thousand generations,
Until the pebbles
Grow into boulders
Lush with moss

Poetic English
May Japan's Reign
Last for ten thousand years
May her stones turn to rocks
May those rocks turn to boulders
May Japan Reign and Flourish

Innovation In The Arts: "Missional Art"

2009-06-06T13:02:00.006+09:00

Innovation in the Arts is a guest post I wrote for Innovation in Mission, a blog by Jon Hirst connected with the book he published with the title Innovation in Mission.

I have not had a face-to-face meeting with Jon -- we recently connected on the social networking site called facebook. But, Jon's parents, Lester and Priscilla Hirst are good friends and former colleagues in the same mission. I have a lot of respect for Les and Priscilla. They have been a great encouragement to me, and to many others that I know.

Other posts on this blog related to "Missional Art."

A Film Showing that God is at Work in Japan
"Bicycle" - A Film by Biola University & Studio Re:
Missional Art - Lamp Post Graphic Novels
Manga Messiah: Expanding Around the Globe II

Three Books Related to "Missional Art:"

Black Gospel Music in Japan ...and the questions that come with it

2009-06-02T09:24:00.014+09:00

Greetings from a guest blogger.

I (Jeff Timmer) am here for six weeks this summer working as an intern with Paul Nethercott and fulfilling requirements for my grad degree in ethnomusicology. I’m also here to do some research on gospel choirs in Japan. I became interested in this topic two summers ago while on a short-term trip working with a church in Osaka. After two years of grad classes as framework and preparation, I’m back to spend some more time looking in to the topic. Paul has asked me to share a few thoughts via blog posts while I’m here.

I’ve been here only a week, so I’m still a little cautious when it comes to writing any new and interesting discoveries, happenings or insights. Instead I think it’s best to begin by sharing some of the questions I’m addressing as a researcher, visitor and ethnomusicology student. (For those who don’t know, I should probably mention that “ethnomusicology” is essentially the study of music in/as culture; the anthropology of music; the study of the music of the world; etc.)

To the questions:

Now that black gospel music has been popular in Japan for around 15 years, has the genre established itself as a fully Japanese activity and not something that has been imported? How is this defined or characterized? What is uniquely and distinctively Japanese about the way black gospel music plays itself out here?
What is drawing the Japanese to participate in these choirs?
What are the goals, methods and vision of gospel choir leaders and directors?
How are choirs established and how are they supported?
As Jonathan Herring notes in another post on this blog, most of the participants are not Christians. For the number of choir members who have become Christians through participation in the choirs, what are the elements, methods or people God is using in this conversion?
What lessons can be drawn from these gospel choirs that can help the local Japanese churches and their ministry to the community?
Some work is being done to experiment with fusing black gospel music with wadaiko as well as hip-hop dance. What effects will this have on the genre, if any? How will the relationships between leadership and participants develop and spread?
What’s next for black gospel music in Japan?

The purpose in sharing these is partly to preface any later posts on the subject, but also to help challenge your own thinking and take a moment to put on the hat of an ethnomusicologist/artist by taking a step back and asking similar questions. Sometimes when you take things that have become normal or routine and look at them with some outside eyes, new insights or epiphanies can emerge that will ultimately help refine your work or goals.

I’m looking forward to digging a little deeper with these questions and others over the next few weeks. More thoughts later!

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Note from Paul Nethecott:

It is really good to have a quality person like Jeff here for a few weeks working with me on an important project. His research is tied in with a film project we are producing under Studio Re:

The first part of this production is a mini-documentary that will explore the popularity of both Black Gospel and a genre indigenous to Japan called Wadaiko (Japanese style percussion troupe).

The second part is a Wadaiko/Black Gospel Music Video (WBG Music Video) that we will shoot on June 20, 2009 at a large hall in Tokyo. This will feature a large Japanese Black Gospel choir under the direction of Ken Taylor and 12 Wadaiko percussionists from a group called Matsuriza. As far as we know, this will be the first performance of Black Gospel and Wadaiko fusion. It could be the start of a new style of music. And, it could attract a lot of attention.

Why is Studio Re: producing a Music Video? This will be a visual demonstration of the fact that the Gospel is for Japan. It will show that the gospel does indeed "connect" with Japanese and with their culture. In a nation where virtually everyone views Christianity as a foreign religion, this is a radical idea. But, we aren't going to just talk about the fact that the gospel relates to Japanese culture, we are going to create a visual demonstration. Will it work?

The first time our Japanese bookkeeper saw the WBG teaser inserted below, she cried.

She couldn't even say exactly why she cried but it touched her on the emotional level. I took it as a very good sign. She did say something like "I had never thought about how Japanese culture could be part of my faith."

Japanese Black Gospel Choir & Taiko Troupe in a Music Video?

Missions & Filmmaking Converge in Tokyo

A Film Showing that God is at Work in Japan

"Bicycle" - A Film by Biola University & Studio Re:

View Mujo No Kaze Online Here

(Potential) Spiritual Bridges in Anime - Eden of the East

2009-05-29T23:20:00.004+09:00

Wow, long-time-no-post. Sorry for those of you who have given me so much encouragement over the Spiritual Bridges series. I don't actually plan when to write about an anime, manga, or video game; I just write about something when I discover it. And it's been a long time since I've discovered an anime with spiritual bridges--last Fall's season wasn't very good in that regard. This Spring, however, is different.

For those that read this series, I want to draw your attention to an anime that's currently airing on Fuji Television called Higashi no Eden (東のエデン), or Eden of the East. It is 11 episodes long (episode 8 just aired this week), to be followed by a theatrical movie later this year. I don't know, as of now, whether the movie will be a concise re-telling or the conclusion to the series. Time will tell.

The first thing to draw attention to is the staff behind this anime. It was animated by Production I.G., famous for their work on the Ghost in the Shell: Stand-Alone Complex series and the Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit series, and many key staff members from those previous projects are involved in this one too. Anyone who has seen either of the previous series will tell you that that's a good thing.

The second thing to draw attention to is the premise of the story. At first, it seems like an animated version of the Bourne trilogy of movies, but it quickly throws in some other elements that differentiate it. For example, unlike Jason Bourne, Takizawa Akira (the lead male, also with amnesia) wasn't an assasin; he was a messiah (small "m"). He discovers that he is one of 12 messiahs in the country of Japan. Each person has been hand-picked and given a simple mission: change/save Japan by any means necessary. In order to do this, they've been given a phone charged with 10,000,000,000 Yen and access to a mysterious woman known as "Juiz" (Portuguese for "judge"), who, for the right price, can even influence the Japanese prime minister.

I'll leave the rest of the story for you to discover should you decide to check this series out, but I wanted to bring it to your attention. Why? Because it's one of the most respected animation companies, comprised of staff members that have their own following, that is brainstorming ideas of possible ways to save the Japanese culture. I doubt they'll come up with any viable solutions, but it illustrates many things that people are thinking about right now. Already, we've seen one messiah who uses his money to create a haven for abandoned elderly people in need of medical treatment and another who thinks that if he can support enough people in becoming NEETs (Not in Education, Employment, or Training), he can force business tycoons to start changing their practices. It's interesting, and it's food for thought. So, if you like this kind of story, check it out. I'm sure it'll be a good way to start conversations, if nothing else.

Follow-up: As the series goes on, we are introduced to many NEETs and even a Hikikomori. Both groups are portrayed in an extremely positive light that highlights not what they are, but what they could become if they were just allowed to use their gifts. After watching the finale, I will unhesitatingly pronounce it the best anime of this season, and recommend it to anyone. We'll see about a Spiritual Bridges post, but as the end of the season is not the end of the story, I'm not sure I can write that post yet.

Bach Leads Japanese to Faith in Jesus Christ

2009-05-20T19:24:00.004+09:00

The Asia Pacific Times has a wonderful report on the popularity of Bach in Japan.

Ms. Shikata, a Japanese woman we know well travels to Germany frequently, sings with a semi-professional choir that only sings Bach pieces, and, well, is just nuts about the guy.

Click on the following title to read the article: Where Bach was jailed, Asians Pay Homage

Wadaiko/Black Gospel Fusion in Tokyo

2009-04-21T15:13:00.015+09:00

Hey Everyone, I (Jonathan Herring) have been working with Paul and 'Studio Re:' for a little over two months. I have had a great time! I am excited to tell you about a project we have been working on that involves God, drums, and a Japanese choir.

Studio Re: has been advancing a project that will be filmed on June 20 in Tokyo. We will shoot an entire concert of Black Gospel Choir music but our main purpose is to create a music video of one specific song during the concert. That song will be a fusion of two distinct Japanese styles of music. One is Wadaiko (also known as Taiko), which is an intense, elaborate, Japanese drumming performance. It has deep roots in ancient Japanese culture, going further back than even Buddhism's arrival in Japan. Wadaiko is full of energy and incredibly engaging to watch. The bride to this groom may surprise you; Black Gospel Choir. But this couple isn't too diametric as Gospel Choir music has some of the same rhythmic and energetic qualities as Wadaiko. Gospel Choir is also quite popular in Japan. Since the movie 'Sister Act' The Japanese people have grown a love and fascination for Gospel music and it has become a mainstream art.

As far as we know, a fusion of Wadaiko and Gospel Choir has never been done in Japan (or any where else for that matter). But having seen a good bit of both, I think the fruit they produce will be extraordinary. By filming this concert, and by making a short documentary to go along with it, we hope to achieve a number of important things:

1. The developing of relationships with the members of the Wadaiko group, none of whom are believers. We want to show them God's love and through this film promote and bless their group. The same goes for those in the gospel choir; there will be about 600 choir members involved in the entire concert, perhaps 100 of them are Christians. Yes that's right, 500 people will be singing praise to God, 500 people who don't yet know God, but nevertheless find themselves glorifying Him.

2. As Christians we can make a huge impact on the culture by being at the forefront of art and music. Since a collaboration of Wadaiko and Gospel Choir has not been done before, we believe with its success, many windows will be opened to permeate the Japanese culture with art that overflows with the heart of Christ.

3. The leaders and directors of the concert and film are believers. Though the participants might not know it, they will be glorifying God and through film we will be able to show that to the world.

We see a lot of potential in this project, and I am thankful for the opportunity to be a part of making it happen. Here is teaser of what a Wadaiko and Gospel Choir fusion might look like, so please take a look and tell us what you think.

Mobile Phones: An Innovative Approach to Outreach in Japan

2009-03-04T13:43:00.024+09:00

Anyone who has lived in Japan for any amount of time has noticed the pervasive use of mobile phones (Keitai denwa - 携帯電話, hereafter "keitai" for short) everywhere, from restaurants to trains to stores. Keitai are becoming the primary method of communication for Japanese young people, even eclipsing the use of computers.

The Numbers
69 million Japanese people access the internet on their mobile phones. This is more than the number of Japanese PC internet users.

The average Japanese high school student uses her keitai for two hours a day (notice I say her, since on average girls use their keitai slightly more than boys). Yet the average students talks for less than 10 minutes a day, with the vast majority of that two hours being email and internet usage. This trend of using one's keitai primarily for email and internet, and not actual talking, is actually true of nearly all keitai users, not just students and young people.

Computer illiteracy is a growing problem among Japanese youth, as many of them are completely bypassing computer usage and using only their keitai for all electronic communication. This trend is only expected to increase in the coming years.

How it works (techno jargon)

Email on keitai
All Japanese keitai come with their own email address, usually ending in docomo.ne.jp, softbank.ne.jp, or ezweb.ne.jp, for the cases of NTT Docomo, Softbank, and AU, for example. You can send email from your keitai to someone else’s keitai or PC email address, or you can send email from your computer to a keitai the exact same way as sending email to another PC, with no extra steps required. Sending email is the primary method of using keitai in Japan, by far eclipsing actual talking.

Internet on keitai
All modern keitai are able to view the internet. Keitai internet websites are specially formatted to be viewed on small screens and slower data connections. Many of Japan's most popular websites actually receive more visitors on their keitai site than their PC site, reflecting the trend of moving away form PCs and towards mobile.

Blogging
A blog is an online journal that others can view. Japanese are the most prolific bloggers in the world, with some 37% of all blogs in the world being in Japanese, where as English comes in second at 36%. Both individuals as well as businesses in Japan use blogging as a way to connect with people. Since this is such an established medium for communication and most people are familiar with it, it is probably a great opportunity for the Christian community to connect with Japanese. Blogs in Japan can easily be both viewed as well as written from either a computer or a keitai.

QR Codes
A "QR Code" is a square-shaped barcode-like image you have probably seen on signs and handouts. A QR code represents an encoded block of text, usually containing a keitai website address and contact information. All Japanese keitai come with the ability to take a picture of these QR codes ("barcode scan" mode). Once the QR code is snapped by a keitai, the decoded website and/or contact info is displayed on one's keitai phone for easy access.
QR Code Flow

1) The QR code you would like to scan

2) Put your phone in barcode reader mode and snap the QR code

3) After successfully snapping the QR code, it shows up on your screen. You can now click
on the decoded website to visit it

4) The actual keitai website on the phone's browser

An Opportunity for Sharing
One of the phenomenon happening with internet usage in Japan is that since it is relatively anonymous, Japanese people are more open about sharing there than in real life. For example, on Facebook, America’s most popular social networking site, more than 90% of users use their real name and real picture on their profile. By contrast, on mixi, Japan’s most popular social networking site, less than 5% of users use their real name and real picture.

Therefore it is not hard to find Japanese people engaging in discussions on their blogs or internet forums that they would not do in real life, perhaps even more so than their Western counterparts. This means using the internet may be a key way to get Japanese to open up at the heart level, in different ways than might be possible in person.

Furthermore, since, unlike a computer, one's keitai is on one's person all the time, Japanese are able to engage in online sharing much more frequently than on the PC. As a result, one recent study found that Japanese people engage in the deepest online relationships using their mobile phones, and shallower online relationships using PCs. This would suggest that the keitai, as opposed to the PC, may be a good medium to get Japanese people to open up more deeply about spiritual and other issues.

Recommendations
The following are some concrete steps that you, or the tech person at your church or ministry, can use to get your mobile presence up and running quickly

• Create a mobile portal for your church. You don't need to create a brand new website from the ground up, rather you can sign up at one of the existing popular web portals (see below) and create your own profile and blog within minutes.
• Create a QR code for your mobile portal, and put in on your church flyer, business cards and posters. This way Japanese can easily access your church's contact info and mobile portal.
• Create a keitai mailing list, to send daily or weekly Bible verses, announcements, or other info, to your church members keitai.

Resources
http://qrcode.jp/	Easily create your own QR code for free
http://mixi.jp/	Mixi - The most popular social networking site in Japan, with more than 16 million users. Create a community for your church, and join the existing Christian communities
http://blog.fc2.com/	FC2 is a popular blogging website in Japan, and unlike most other sites, has an English interface
http://plaza.rakuten.co.jp/	楽天 (Rakuten), a popular blogging service with both PC and mobile interfaces
http://ameblo.jp/	Ameba, another very popular blogging service, also with good PC and mobile support

About the Author

I (John Gibbs) am a missionary to Japan with WorldVenture, specializing in equipping the Japanese Christian community with mobile phone evangelism, discipleship and (online) community.

I typically employ nearly all of the strategies noted above in my advice and services to Japanese churches, in addition to constantly looking for better and more effective ways to encourage Japanese Christians and non-Christians to communicate online. For example, churches are usually equipped with a QR code for their Sunday handouts, event posters, and business cards. I also urge churches to start a blog on one of the above services. Additionally, I create a mobile website for each church or organization, and show them how to update it. A message board is always attached to the church's website, and while brainstorming with the pastor, we find ways to get people talking on the message board (i.e. daily Bible study reflections, prayer board, etc).

As for my personal background, I came to Japan in mid-2008, before which I was a software engineer in silicon valley for 7 years. I was motivated for missions by taking the Perspectives on the World Christian Movement course in the fall of 2007. I plan to stay in Japan for the long-term, bridging the gap between the gospel and nonbelievers using technology or any other means available.

I can be contacted at: john at worldventure dot net

Manga Mutiny - One Step Closer

2009-02-13T22:58:00.002+09:00

As some of you may know, I (Scot) work as a proofreader/editor for NEXT Manga, publisher of the Manga Messiah series. I just wanted to put in a quick note for all who have been waiting for Manga Mutiny. The Japanese version has been out for quite some time now, and the English version is nearing completion. We finished the main bulk of the editing last night, and are now just waiting for Tyndale's (the US Publisher's) input. When that's done, we'll do some last-minute touch-ups, and then it will be ready for print!

For those who are new, back in 2006, New Life League Japan started it's branch called "NEXT Manga," publishing a book called "Manga Messiah." This was a 280-page full-color retelling of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) in the style of Japanese Manga (similar to American Comics). Last year, we released Manga Metamorphosis, giving the book of Acts the same treatment. This year, we are releasing Manga Mutiny, which tells the story all the way from the creation of the world to the parting of the Red Sea during the Exodus, spending a majority of its time on Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and Moses. This will be followed up with another volume next year which will tell the rest of the Exodus. Despite being a bit biased, let me say that these books just continue to get better with every release. In my opinion, Mutiny is the best yet, and is leagues above any other books of its kind.

Also, NEXT has just released a smaller, 64-page version of Manga Messiah simply known as "The Messiah." This was done as a low-cost way to meet the needs of pastors and missionaries who like to distribute these in bulk. Head over to the NEXT Website for more information. And be sure to check the "Testimonials" page for some inspiring stories.

A Film Showing that God is at Work in Japan

2009-02-05T13:41:00.004+09:00

Studio Re: has produced our first "My Story" -- a series of videos featuring Japanese sharing how God is at work in their lives. Genuine and winsome, this series speaks to the heart and appeals to a wide audience. Some amazing circumstances allowed us to produce this video including funding to buy a $6,000 mac computer for editing.

I want to recognize and thank Megumi, Scot, Shane, Josh, Graham, and Tim for all you did to make this happen! Featuring original music composed for this series by Tim, we are really pleased to make this short film available on the Internet.

Please make use of this!

Send the youtube link for this video to your friends, here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r02G8l6CLgs
Copy the "embed" code that appears next to the video on youtube and paste it into your blog or web site.
Show it to your Sunday school class or small group
Use it as part of a message or Bible study

Please leave comments with ideas on how to use this video and/or input on how we can improve it.

A previous post from this blog regarding Studio Re:

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"Studio Re:" is an innovative initiative that I have the great privilege of being a part of. We have an amazing team forming around our vision of "Impacting Japanese culture through redemptive films."

“Studio Re:” is a group of Christian artists who are producing films that lead Japanese to discover that there is more to life...much more.

We produce films in a variety of genres that present redemptive content and pose crucial questions. These films seek to affect and change the shape of contemporary Japanese culture and its inhabitants by assuming a biblical paradigm; offering redemption instead of separation, hope instead of resignation, design instead of chaos. It is a sowing ministry that will prepare the minds and hearts of the Japanese in order to shorten the spiritual distance between them and Jesus Christ.

Our strategy:

To establish a team of empowered, dedicated staff with common values who live out their faith.
To gain, interact and follow up with our audience via the Internet.
To cultivate a library of award-winning films that are redemptive and have value to Japanese society.
To collaborate closely with key churches, schools, and other groups
To build a solid business plan that results in financial stability

A film we produced in collaboration with Biola University won first place at the 2008 Inigo Film Festival. You can view the trailer for Mujo No Kaze at the following web site: www.mnkmovie.com

If you want to help with this vision, or know someone else who you think might want to be involved, leave a comment on this blog or write to me at pnethercott (at) mac.com

In particular, we are looking for skilled, dedicated people to come and work with us for at least two years.

We are also looking for $30,000 dollars to buy equipment and pay other expenses related to producing films. But, small contributions will help and are deeply appreciated.

Studio Re: is part of CAN (Christians in the Arts Network), which is a Tokyo based project under TEAM (The Evangelical Alliance Mission.) Contributions are tax deductible and can be sent to:

TEAM P.O. Box 969 Wheaten, Illinois 60187

Online contributions are also an option at the TEAM Home Page. Select "Japan" under the "ministry area" tab and then under the "project" tab select "Christians in the Arts Network."

For more information:
Email: can.studio.re (at) gmail.com
Studio Re: Web Site: www.studio-re.com

"Bicycle" - A Film by Biola University & Studio Re:

2009-01-11T23:26:00.011+09:00

If you want to know what Scot Eaton and I have been doing the past week, take a look at the Biola Film Japan 2009 Blog.

A few facts about our film:

1. The script, by a young Japanese writer, was conceived in Japanese, written in English and then "back translated" into Japanese (almost all the dialogue is in Japanese).

2. We usually have about 22 people (cast and crew) on the set and we all spent a number of hours crammed into a one bedroom apartment (in Niiza) shooting scenes for this film.

3. Yugo Saso, the main character has appeared in several films including "To End All Wars." Jack Hafer, who is now the chair of Biola's film department, was a producer for "To End All Wars." Masayuki Yui, who appeared in four films directed by Akira Kurosawa plays the role of an "old man" in "Bicycle."

4. We are using two bicycles to make this film. One is intact and the other one has been broken down into small pieces. Casey, the prop guy, has told me that we may or may not be able to get it back together again.

5. The production budget is $3,000. But, that doesn't include many donated items, including a steadycam rig, lenses, and the use of a good camera and other equipment that belongs to the Biola film department. It also does not include the cost of International travel and housing for the group of 15 from Biola and other expenses on the Japan side. I think the "actual" budget is close to $50,000.

The cast and crew have been fantastic! Biola sent a wonderful group of people over here to work with us. Making this film has been a huge challenge, full of crazy moments (explaining that will require another post) and I am VERY tired out right now but that is OK. It is a profound privilege and honor to be a part of this project, one of the best experiences of my life.

Links:

Studio Re: Home Page

"Bicycle" Blog

Little Drummer Boy: A Rock/Taiko Fusion

2008-12-21T00:40:00.004+09:00

Continuing in our Christmas trend of posting videos rather than actually writing something, here is another Christmas video. But this time, it's an original. I was approached by my pastor last week, and he asked me if I would play Taiko in our church's Christmas Party. This included writing a new piece, since my group's pieces require a minimum of 10 people. I chose to fuse taiko with another style of music and play to a CD. It turned out so well that I played it at my school's Christmas Party too, which is where the video comes from.

The song is "Drummer Boy" as arranged by Jars of Clay on their 1995 album. I chose the song because I felt that the lyrics really conveyed my spirit and gave the message I was trying to give. Taiko is still seen as "suspect" in a lot of churches, but with this song, I hope that there is no doubt that taiko can be played to honor the King. As the last few lines say: "I played my drum for him; I played my best for him. Then he smiled at me--me and my drum."

Lyrics (thank you to Takatori Masakazu for the Japanese translation):

Come they told me (来て、って言われた。)
Ba rum pa pum pum (バランパパンパン)
A newborn king to see (新しい王が生まれたよ。)
Ba rum pa pum pum (バランパパンパン)
Our finest gifts we bring (最高のもてなしを持って)
Ba rum pa pum pum (バランパパンパン)
To lay before the king (王様の前に捧げて)
Ba rum pa pum pum (バランパパンパン)
rum pa pum pum (ランパパンパン)
rum pa pum pum (ランパパンパン)
So to honor Him (その方を称えるために)
Ba rum pa pum pum (バランパパンパン)
When we come (みんなで来るとき)

Little Baby (小さな赤ちゃん)
Ba rum pa pum pum (バランパパンパン)
I am a poor boy too (僕も貧しい男の子だよ)
Ba rum pa pum pum (バランパパンパン)
I have no gift to bring (おみやげなんかもっていけない)
Ba rum pa pum pum (バランパパンパン)
That’s fit to give a king (王様にはそれが一番いいかも)
Ba rum pa pum pum (バランパパンパン)
rum pa pum pum (ランパパンパン)
rum pa pum pum (ランパパンパン)
Shall I play for you (遊んであげようか)
Ba rum pa pum pum (バランパパンパン)
On my drum? (僕の太鼓で)

Mary nodded (マリアさんがうなずき)
Ba rum pa pum pum (バランパパンパン)
The ox and lamb kept time (雄牛と子羊がたわむれ)
Ba rum pa pum pum (バランパパンパン)
I played my drum for Him (僕の太鼓を奏でてあげて)
Ba rum pa pum pum (バランパパンパン)
I played my best for Him (僕の得意な曲を弾いてあげた。)
Ba rum pa pum pum (バランパパンパン)
rum pa pum pum (ランパパンパン)
rum pa pum pum (ランパパンパン)
Then He smiled at me (そしたら王様は僕に笑ってくれた)
Ba rum pa pum pum (バランパパンパン)
Me and my drum. (僕と僕の太鼓。)

A Christmas Video by Sufjan Stevens

2008-12-20T19:45:00.000+09:00

When Sufjan had a concert in Tokyo early this year this year a good friend of ours was in the show so my family got complimentary tickets; we all loved it. Rather quirky and a lot of fun, it was the first concert that my eleven year old daughter really enjoyed.

I want to wish readers a "Merry Christmas!" I hope you enjoy this delightful video by Sufjan.

Christmas Cheer

2008-12-14T15:00:00.003+09:00

Japanese ingenuity will never cease to amaze me. Take, for example, turning your produce section into a wind ensemble. Enjoy this... unique... rendition of "Angels We Have Heard on High," and have a great Christmas season!

Spiritual Bridges in Video Games - The World Ends With You

2008-11-24T20:51:00.006+09:00

If you were to die today, do you know where you would go? Heaven? Hell? Shibuya? Well, according to the minds over at Square-Enix and Jupiter, the answer is c) Shibuya. The game is called "The World Ends With You" (Japanese title: Subarashiki Kono Sekai - It's a Wonderful World)--an RPG (Role-Playing Game) for the Nintendo DS released earlier this year. I (Scot) picked it up without any idea that I'd be writing a post on it; I simply wanted to play what I anticipated would be one of the greatest games of all times. [In that, I wasn't disappointed; this easily falls into the top 10 Nintendo DS games ever made, and it will be remembered long after the system becomes defunct.] What I wasn't anticipating was that the story would be an unintentional modern re-telling of the book of Job that directly deals with the pitfalls of Buddhism.

This came as a huge surprise to me, since I have been playing games by this development team for six years now. They are responsible primarily for the Kingdom Hearts franchise, though they have contributed to a half a dozen Final Fantasy titles too. Having played most of their games, and having even read the director's personal blog for a short stint, I can say with utmost confidence that this is not a Christian company. All of the spiritual bridges I am about to write about were not intended by the creators, but are simply evidence of God's law being written on every man's heart.

Before we begin, let me offer up a warning. I am going to go very far with the spoilers here, not only talking extensively about the ending, but also referencing things that are only unlockable on the second playthrough. If you have any desire to play this game, please stop reading right now and come back to this blog when you are finished. (For the unitinitiated, gamers are even touchier than movie-goers when it comes to spoiling the ending.) But also be warned, this is one of the most difficult games I have ever played, so I would ward off inexperienced gamers. With those warnings in place, let's begin.
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The World Ends With You
(すばらしきこのせかい - It's a Wonderful World)
Developers: Square-Enix, Jupiter
System: Nintendo DS
English Adaptation: Square-Enix

The game begins as the protagonist, Neku Sakuraba, wakes up in the middle of the Shibuya crosswalk. Annoyed by people in general, he puts on his headphones and tries to get out of sight. Unfortunately, his headphones don't seem to be blocking out anything. Instead, Neku finds that he is not only able to hear people's words, but also their thoughts. Just what he needs. As he is trying to figure out why he has this ability, many things happen in rapid succession: he recieves an email on his broken cellphone that gives him a mission telling him to make it to the 104 building in 60 minutes or face "erasure", a timer painfully appears on his right hand, frog noise appear out of nowhere and start attacking him, and a cheerful young fashion designer named Shiki forms a pact with him that saves both of their lives. All of this, and the bystanders don't even bat an eye.

As events unfold, Neku slowly learns that he is involved in "The Reaper's Game", a sadistic underground game that takes place in a parallel dimension, allowing him to be invisible while reading and eventually making imprints on the thoughts of others. He and his partner, Shiki, are fighting towards the ultimate prize, which will be awarded to the winners at the end of seven days. Both of them gave up the thing most valuable to them in order to participate, which will be lost forever if they are erased. For Neku, it was all of his memories before waking up in the crosswalk, and, by inference, his identity. For Shiki, it was her appearance, as she now looks exactly like her best friend whom she had been jealous of for years. Oh, and one more thing: they're dead. The ultimate prize is none other than being restored to life.

Most of the missions include clearing areas of noise, which are the physical manifestations of negative emotions and distractions. Oftentimes these noise will be hindering a person's relationships or business. By clearing them, you are restoring friendships and helping people to succeed. In short, you're making the world a better place. But in the meantime, you are being hunted by reapers, who can survive only by erasing you.

Fast forward. Many events happen, and Neku and Shiki end up winning the game after Neku opens up and makes his first friend (Shiki). Shiki deals with her own jealousy, which had been eating her up. But there is a twist. Only one can be restored to life; the other must play again. Neku is forced to play again, and his entry fee is none other than his previous partner--the only person he had ever let inside his emotional walls.

Fast forward again. Neku ends up playing the game a total of three times, partnering second with a self-possessed boy named Joshua who entered the game illegally while still alive, and third with a hot-headed boy named Beat, who gave up his status as a reaper in order to help Neku proceed through what he percieved to be an increasingly unfair and malicious game. Both boys, Joshua and Beat, are obsessed with taking down and replacing a man named "The Composer"--the creator of Shibuya and the Reaper's Game. They see his creation as deeply flawed and in need of renewal. Neku, in addition to completing his missions, helps them on their quest, as he knows that he can't survive without them.

The story continues to progress, and we discover some startling things. Mainly, that the composer is absent, and the game is being run by his proxy, The Conductor. The Conductor has his own plans for "saving Shibuya," which include eliminating everyone's individuality and causing them to think alike. His missions have been slowly building to that crescendo, and Neku has been helping him reach that goal without realizing it.

When the game reaches its final showdown between Neku and the Conductor, we are still in the dark about why all of this is taking place. Why is Neku in the game, and what is its true purpose? Upon defeating the Conductor, all of the loose ends are tied up. The Composer was disgusted by the depravity of his creation, and had plans to destroy it. The Conductor stepped in at this point and proposed that the two of them play a game to decide the fate of Shibuya. (The Conductor was playing for his own gain, as he really wanted to become Shibuya's Composer.) Each side had limitations placed on them. The Conductor had 30 days to complete his assignment, and the Composer was not allowed to play directly. He chose Neku to play as his proxy, knowing that Neku would go through untold suffering, but also knowing that Neku could win in the end. In the final moments, Neku finds out that the Composer was none other than his second partner, Joshua. Having won the game, he has given Joshua the right to destroy Shibuya. Worse yet, as his memory returns, he finds out that in order to make Neku his proxy, Joshua killed Neku in the real world. Everything, from a limited understanding, points at Joshua as the bad guy. Thankfully, Neku doesn't have that limited understanding, and he realizes that though Joshua was sometimes harsh, he always helped people whenever he could. Even his sharp demeanor was there to goad Neku into making the right decisions (Joshua confirms this in Mr. Hanekoma's secret journal entries). So, at the last moment, Neku realizes that he cannot be the Composer, and decides to trust Joshua, even if he doesn't fully understand. As the story wraps up, we discover that Joshua not only decides to sustain Shibuya, but also to restore people's individuality. As a parting gift, he restores Neku, Shiki, and Beat to life.

Phew. Compressing 20 hours of plot into one page is tough. I am scared that I've done nothing but make your head spin, rather than communicating the depth and humanity this story contains, much less its spiritual relevance. Those that have played the game will hopefully have their memory jogged by this synopsis. (My apologies for leaving out the subplot with Mr. Hanekoma and Sho Minamimoto, but adding in their "wild card" status would have made this post surely incomprehensible. Hopefully, I will be able to include Mr. Hanekoma in a future post about the role of the "sin-bearer" in anime, manga, and video games.)

The story borrows elements from many Biblical stories. Certainly you can see the presence of Abraham and Lot as they pleaded for the salvation of Sodom and Gomorrah. You may have even seen Moses pleading with God on top of Mt. Sinai to spare the Israelites. For me, it is Job who stands out most clearly. Job was a man in the Bible who suffered in untold ways for very unclear ends, only given the assurance in the end that God was sovereign and good. The whole time, he is told to curse God and die, but he remains faithful, and in the end, God restores his life in such a way that he has more than he did in the first place. It is a story about God's sovereignty, and his right to direct our lives not only for our own gain, but for the gain of everybody. This is reflected in the character of Neku, who suffers physical, mental, and emotional strain from three weeks straight of playing a game where he could be killed at any moment. He gives up his memories, his only friend, and even the potential of making more friends and allies, all for the purpose of proving the Composer's right to create and destroy as He pleases. In the second playthrough, Joshua, the Composer, explains that the purpose of taking away the things most valuable is not to make people suffer, but to free them from things they are hanging on to in order to mold them into better people. In the end, Neku chooses to trust the Composer rather than taking matters into his own hands, and the Composer not only restores everything he had previously, but gives him everything he gained during the struggle--mainly, the ability to feel, empathize, and have friends, which he had previously lacked.

On a more philosophical note, we have the intriguing character of the Conductor, who is more than a stand-in for the role of Satan. I find it extremely interesting that his idea of salvation was to "snuff out" individuality and make everyone part of the Universal One. It's intriguing because, at the heart of it, that is the goal of Buddhism, the main religion in Japan. Yet here, we have a story that portrays that idea as a half-measure compared to the real salvation. Whether the creators meant to put it in or not, the message is clear: loss of desire and individuality is not something to hope for, but something to be avoided.

Finally, we have the character of Joshua. The name in iteslf should be a dead giveaway of this spiritual bridge, as it has the same meaning as Yeshua (Jesus). His decision to make Neku a proxy caused Neku suffering, but Joshua didn't leave him to flounder for himself. He, in a sense, "incarnated" himself (he entered the Reaper's Game) to impart to Neku the knowledge that he needed (the existence of the Conductor and Composer, and where to find them), and to make sure that Neku wasn't alone. I'm am not partial to Joshua's portrayal as an apathetic and annoying individual, but the seed of truth is still there. I am very interested in the fact that after his "ascension" back to his original place, Joshua decides to show mercy and speaks as an advocate for the people that he met. Connect that with Hebrews chapters 4 and 5, which talks about how we have an advocate (High Priest) who can sympathize with us.

As you can see, the spiritual truths are abundant. They are unintentional, and a little bit murky, but they are there. And as this is one of the highest-rated games on the Nintendo DS, people who have played it will know what you are talking about. They will have something concrete to latch onto in order to understand the ideas of why suffering is necessary, and how God can still be good in those circumstances.

View Mujo No Kaze Online Here

2008-11-13T21:42:00.008+09:00

Mujo No Kaze (MNK) is the first film that I produced. It was an enriching experience that I enjoyed a lot. MNK was shot on location in Tokyo two years ago when Biola teacher Dean Yamada brought twelve students from Biola University as our production crew.

At this time, I am working on producing our second film with Biola; a group of fifteen will come in Jan 09 to shoot "Jitensha" on location here in Tokyo. It promises to be an excellent film.

Please let us know what you think about Mujo No Kaze:

Mujo No Kaze Movie from Studio Re: on Vimeo.

Japanese Black Gospel Choir & Taiko Troupe in a Music Video?

2008-11-06T18:37:00.049+09:00

Almost all the singers in the 300+ member black gospel choir are Japanese; the director is Filipino, the three guest artists are Jamaican, American and Filipino. Then, after the intermission a taiko troupe (Japanese style drum team) joins the unusual choir for one number.

The camera crew is ready, the lights get bright, and with alternating strokes, the drummers pound as if harvesting the very tones. As the rhythm flows, other drums—smaller ones—join in. Suddenly the choir sings “RIDE ON KING JESUS! NO! MAN CANNOT HINDER ME!”

“Wait a moment,” you may ask. “Taiko and Gospel Music? Those two don’t go together.” And you would be right, because, to the best of our knowledge, nobody has ever done it before. But we believe the time is right. Both forms have similar roots, not among the upper-class, but among the lower-class. Both inhabit the world of pop culture. Wa-Daiko, or Group Taiko, is influenced by Jazz music, which grew out of gospel music. Most importantly, however, both forms are part of the folk/pop music culture of Japan.

Hard to imagine it? Then take a few moments to watch the following two videos

Video Below is of the Sendan Taiko troupe from Fukushima Ken, Japan (Scot Eaton, who writes for this blog, is playing the large drum on the left, in the back row)

Video Below is of the Hallelujah Gospel Family (HGF), based in Tokyo, this network of 30 choirs is lead by Ken Taylor. The soloist on this song is Ray Sidney from LA

The black gospel choir/taiko music video will be a fresh presentation of the gospel for Japan and show that Christianity is not just a Western import with no roots in the culture. That is the main reason we are making this music video; to demonstrate, not by preaching, but visually and musically that Jesus is indeed for Japan, as well as the rest of the world.

Further Information:

The shooting for this music video is planned for June 20, 2009 at Rune Kodiara (ルネ小平) hall in Tokyo, admission is free of charge.
The HGF choir is booked and we are in touch with a taiko troupe interested in participating.
This music video is a collaboration between HGF, CAN, and Studio Re:
Our goal is to produce a high quality music video. We are seeking a skilled music video director and $10,000 funding. If you know of anyone you think might be able to help, please write to the following eMail address: pnethercott (at) mac (dot) com

Teresa Wilson's Response to "Mujo No Kaze"

2008-10-07T23:15:00.003+09:00

"Mujo No Kaze" is a short film we made last year in collaboration with Biola University. I loaned a copy to Teresa Wilson (see photo), who lives near Tokyo and is a member of Mission to the World (MTW). Here is her response to the film:

"I'll tell you honestly, we started watching the film weeks and weeks ago and I had to stop because it elicited such strong emotions for me. It really made me remember so keenly some of the feelings I had when I was planning suicide myself, when I was so depressed during my 20's. And I can certainly say that it captured some of the grave, desperate feelings and just FUINKI (mood) of that desperate state. It (Mujo No Kaze) is very moving, very troubling, actually. It makes me want to share the hope of Christ more with people. Like I said, it did remind me so much of the desperate feelings I had at one time, and it's so very sad to think about so many people having that experience and having nowhere to turn. I can see how it can really elicit some great thought and conversations. Great job! Congratulations on such an excellent start! I pray God will continue to bless and use you all mightily as you use that film for good conversation and as you continue in future film-making projects. God bless you all for capturing such a gaping problem in Japan and spurring on many to think about the hope we can have in Christ. Drama is SO very powerful; it's wonderful to see you all using that powerful tool for the gospel. God bless your present and future work in bringing many, many more projects like this to fruition."

It is great to get feedback like this, very encouraging. Our vision is to make films that will touch the lives of Japanese, to make films that lead Japanese to discover that there is more to life, much more. Right now we have one short film in post-production, and two in pre-production. We also plan to make a taiko/black gospel music video in June of next year (Scot and I discussed this very exciting project this morning, we will be doing a detailed post on it soon but briefly it will feature the taiko troupe that Scot is a member of and Hallelujah Gospel Family --- a large network of black gospel choirs led by my good friend and colleague Ken Taylor).

As soon as I am done with this post, I am delivering a copy of Mujo No Kaze to a friend who teaches at a local Japanese school where a student committed suicide a few months ago

You can watch a trailer for Mujo No Kazw at www.mnkmovie.com

In the near future I think we will be posting the entire film online

Missional Art - Lamp Post Graphic Novels

2008-09-24T11:06:00.006+09:00

Welcome to a new series entitled "Missional Art." In May, Paul (along with a group of facebook friends) created an article that defined and demonstrated Missional Art. You can access it HERE. This series will be written by both authors of this blog, plus a few other writers. This series will include a diverse array of examples that illuminate how God creatively communicates his love for the world through art.

We're really excited about it -- if you are interested in participating (as a writer) let us know by leaving a comment on this post.

Three weeks ago, I, Scot, was contacted out-of-the-blue by Brett Burner, owner and chief writer of Lamp Post, Inc.--a publication company based in San Diego that specializes in e-books and graphic novels. Some of their graphic novels show stylistic influences from Japanese manga, and easily fit into a new category that has arisen in the past few years: OEL (Original English Language) Manga. Though mainstream publisher Tokyopop is the leader in OEL Manga, a few Christians have added their voice to the mix. That's not surprising. Christian media has a long history of imitating mainstream media, though it's usually a few years behind and is usually a pale imitation.

That's where Lamp Post is so different. Their works surpass the "Christianized Imitation" paradigm and raise the bar for a new generation of graphic novel creators. It is no exaggeration to say that their products are the best Christian graphic novels I have ever read, and believe me, I have read a fair share of them. I can easily see Lamp Post, and Brett Burner in particular, as being for the Christian graphic novel industry what D.C. Talk was for the Christian music industry: a good product with promise of even better things to come.

[Edit (9/27/08): After talking it over with Paul, we agreed that the term "Christian Graphic Novel" and "Christian Music" were vague and potentially misleading, since the sacred/secular divide is more of a fallacy than anything. In this article, whenever I use "Christian" in regards to media, I simply mean media that is marketed towards a Christian subculture, rather than a mainstream audience. There are many reasons that many Christians choose to do this--sometimes spiritual and sometimes financial. We won't go into that here, but just to clear it up, neither Paul nor I believe that anything except people can be "Christian" in the truest sense of the word.]

When Brett contacted me, it was in regards to licensing and translating Japanese Christian manga. After establishing that such a thing doesn't exist (aside from the already-published Manga Messiah series), the focus of our conversations shifted, and I am now interested in reversing the process and bringing his products over to Japan. I think that something like this could spark a lot of interest and ideas among Japanese Christian Youth, who have no access to anything like this. A few weeks ago I finally received some copies of the Japanese versions of Manga Messiah and Manga Metamorphosis, and put them in my English School's lending library. We haven't been able to keep them on the shelves, and both students and parents have exclaimed how they finally understand the story of Jesus. We have had a lot of people asking questions about faith recently. Praise God! We need more examples of this.

In the following paragraphs, I am going to highlight three of Lamp Posts works, all written by Brett Burner. Please think about the possibilties of bringing such things to Japanese shores.

Holy Scrolls - The Origin of the Dead Sea Scrolls

This is a charming 36-page graphic novel about a boy who is stuck all day in a musuem with his parents. As he is about to pass out from boredom, a quirky old man sits down next to him and tells him the unlikely story of the Dead Sea scrolls. He awakens a love for history in the boy and tells the truth about documents whose existence has been used to make many false claims against Christianity. It's a well-drawn and cleverly written collaboration between Diego Candia (artist) Brett Burner (writer) and Dr. Pam Fox Kuhlken, a well-respected Dead Sea Scrolls scholar. But don't take my word for it. Head to this website to read the e-book version: http://www.wowio.com/users/product.asp?BookId=3287

This graphic novel series, currently up to Volume 4, details the portion of the Bible that tells of the Babylonian captivity through Nehemiah. Told through the point of view of the prophet Zechariah and his father and grandfather Berekiah and Iddo, it breathes life into a portion of the Bible that many people skip over. Of all of the graphic novels published by Lamp Post, it is the one that is closest to the Manga Messiah series, so those who liked Manga Messiah and Manga Metamorphosis should also be interested in this. I have included a video preview below:

Above anything else, I believe this to be the defining work of Lamp Post, and it is the one I am most interested in seeing brought over to Japan. The story is an incredibly engaging take on the Superhero genre. Throughout the Bible, the name "Morningstar" remains ambiguous. Sometimes it refers to Christ, though at other times it is used to refer to Satan. That ambiguity is at the heart of this series, as the concept of "hero" and "villain" get turned on end.

The series begins with a group called "Hand of the Morningstar" who have all been granted superpowers by "the Morningstar" in order to relieve suffering in the world and bring honor and glory to the name of the Morningstar. And they do many good things from healing overfarmed land to saving the president from terrorist attacks. In the course of the first book, they meet a superpowered eco-terrorist named "The Tempest," who uses the powers of a storm (rain, lightning, and wind) to violently attack oil rigs, deforestation projects, and other things around the world which exploit the earth. Nevermind that he often does more harm than good. Titan, the group leader of the Hand, defeats him and leaves him for dead. This, despite being at the end of Volume 1, is where the true story begins.

The Tempest, aka Michael Tempe, washes up on the coast of Argentina, near-dead and powerless, or so he thinks. He is nursed back to health by a missionary and his daughter, and in the process becomes a follower of Christ. During a hurricane, he rediscovers his powers and starts using them for good.

The thing that makes this series so good and so relevant is the two portrayals of "good." One, used by the Hand of the Morningstar, embodies countless Christian stereotypes. This is juxtaposed with the vey real and personal faith of Michael Tempe, and it makes for a striking contrast. The following is an excerpt from an interview that Burner did with The Christian Manifesto:

Mike [the artist] says, “We need a BibleMan!” I said, “No! We need the opposite!” Whenever I see a “Christian-Superhero” story, the premise is always (I will say “typically”, but to date I have never seen otherwise) that the main character is somehow endowed with super powers by God and sent off on a mission of righteousness with these powers. My view is that we ALL are given this mission—“…to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with my God,” Micah 6:8. So how does that translate to a superhero such as Spiderman, the Hulk, or the Fantastic Four? Take a guy that happens to have super powers, then make him a Christian. How does he act?

And the results are great. I cannot recomment it highly enough. It has honesty, it has humanity, and it has hook. This is a perfect example of Missional Art, and I look forward to more. The Hand of the Morningstar is currently 5/8 of the way through publication. Brett assures me that the climax of the story will cover the majority of books 6-8, which will be published within the next two years. Personally, I can't wait.

Below is another video promotional. If you follow the link above to the Christian Manifesto, you can also see some high-quality images from Volume 5. Enjoy and feel free to leave comments.

Stephen Shores Explains How to Join mixi

2008-09-21T22:20:00.008+09:00

We have a couple of posts on this blog that refer to mixi (the huge Japanese social networking site) and we have offered to send an invitation to those who asked for one (mixi requires an invitation to join).

Well, there have been many requests but those living outside of Japan are having a very difficult time getting a mixi account set up. My friend Stephen recently wrote an excellent post on his blog explaining how it can be done. Click on the following title to read Stephen's post:

How I Got On Mixi, and The Only Methods I Know For Non-Japanese To Get On Mixi

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edit: Stephen here. I found out that Mixi now requires a Japanese cell phone number for any email address, so getting in to Mixi requires a friend in Japan who's willing to let you use his cell phone.

Japanese Pop Culture: The Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge

2008-09-12T22:19:00.001+09:00

Scot's good article several months ago "The Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge" received several great comments and just got another one today. I realized that they deserve to be featured in a post so will re-post the original article and include the comments at the end.

Please leave your comments, adding value to this post. And, I invite you to go to the bottom of the column on the right and subscribe by email. It is VERY easy, just put in your email address and hit "subscribe." Your email address will never be made public. When you subscribe, new posts will automatically go to your email account.

Original Post <><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

I (Scot) am in the midst of preparing the next "Spiritual Bridges" entry on Eureka seveN--a series released roughly two years ago which unfortunately was never really given its due (I suspect it will only grow in popularity as people discover it in DVD form). Anyway, one of the bridges I was going to write about was the presence of a strong icon in the anime: a tree of knowledge. However, I also recently finished the incredible Gonzo anime Romeo x Juliet (*very* loosely based on Shakespeare's original play) where there were two trees named "Escalus" which held the sky continent of Neo Verona (I said it was loose) in the air. Which in turn got me thinking about Miyazaki's "Laputa - Castle in the Sky" which had the presence of a similar tree. As I started reflecting, I realized that the concept of a special "centralized" tree is present in a LOT of Japanese media. Oftentimes, this tree can represent life or centralized knowledge. Here is a quick list off the top of my head of places I have seen this symbol (feel free to add more in the comments section):

*Eureka seveN (anime series) - the collective consciousness of the Coralians is represented as a tree (knowledge).
*Romeo x Juliet (anime series) - the twin trees of Escalus hold the sky continent in place and give it life (knowledge and life).
*Laputa: the Castle in the Sky (anime movie) - the mythical city of Laputa is built on the foundation of a tree (life).
*The Twelve Kingdoms (Juuni Kokuki) (anime and light novel series) - children, animals, and grasses are all borne from the fruit of white trees, not from mothers' wombs (life).
*Final Fantasy IX (video game) - the Lifa tree. Self explanatory (life).
*Neon Genesis Evangelion (anime series, anime movies) - among other randomly placed symbolism is the tree of knowledge covering a huge section of Ikari Gendo's office (knowledge).
*Okami (video game) - in each region, you must restore life to a Sakura tree. Doing so restores life to the entire region (life).
*Death Note (anime series, manga series, movie series) - though the trees are not present, the apple has very strong symbolic meaning, representing Light's ambition to become a God (knowledge).

And the list escapes me. I have never really watched for this particular symbol before, so though I have vague memories of it popping up elsewhere, the details are hazy. Even so, it seems that the "tree" has a very important place in Japanese spirituality.

Anyway, I am wondering where the basis for this is. Is it a symbol contained in Japanese folklore, or has it crept in along with other Christianized things?

If this is contained in Japanese folklore, I can see a potentially strong opportunity to use this as a bridge in more than just media-based conversations. I myself have been intrigued in the past year or so to see how often the symbolism of the tree of knowledge and the tree of life show up throughout the Bible. I'm also intrigued by the fact that according to Revelation, the Tree of Life will be in the center of New Jerusalem, and it will grow on either side of the River of Life. [I tend to take the Bible literally whenever possible, so I really do believe in a New Heaven and a New Earth, and I take the Tree of Knowledge and the Tree of Life to be more than just symbols; I take them as history. Feel free to disagree with me on this.] What intrigues me most, though, is that Adam and Eve's choice between life and knowledge was not simply a face-value decision, but a decision of whom they would worship. More on that later...

For now, I'm asking from comments from the hundreds of people who come through this site without ever leaving any. Where else have you seen this symbol emerge? For those of you more versed in Japanese folklore, is there a basis for this symbolism aside from Western influence? What strengths and weaknesses do you see arising from using this symbol as a spiritual bridge? Thanks in advance, and sorry for my rambling in this post.
~Scot

Yu Shibuya said... Thanks for investigating a fascinating symbol! Here are some random notes to add to your research:

The tree in "Okami" is a reference to "Hanasaka-Jiisan," a famous Japanese fairytale. More here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanasaka_Jiisan
Two more games that feature the World Tree are: "Seiken Densetsu" and "Sekaiju no Meikyu."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mana_%28series%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etrian_Odyssey

I agree that the image repeats in Japanese media, but I'm not sure if it's our own. The obvious one that comes to mind is Yggdrasil in Norse mythology, and perhaps its assigning of mystical energy to a tree resonates with the Japanese Shinto belief of worshiping nature.
Ultimately, I think any tree in mythology is man's rendition of Eden, since mythology is, for the most part, man's attempt to rewrite scripture, whether he knows it or not.

Blogger Robin said... Have you guys ever heard the theory that the Japanese are descended from one of the lost tribes of Israel? Or that the Jews at least visited Japan long long ago? There are a number of other parallels between Japanese religion and Judaism. I wonder if this could be one of them.

Blogger Jose Gabriel said... Hey Scott...
I wonder if its better to use "cultural bridges" instead of "spiritual bridges". I am actually doing a research on Islam and I am using the concept of spiritual bridges to propose an evangelistic approach...
Just in case... you can see the use of spiritual bridges in the Bible when Paul talks in Athens quoting Greek poems originally applied to Zeus, or when Jesus talks to the Samaritan about the Taheb (Samaritan mesiah) and the living water (that was one of the mayor doctrinal believes of samariatan people). "Living water" was not a common concept in Jewish terminology...
Great work...
God bless...

Blogger Scot Eaton said... Jose, Actually, the moniker "Spiritual Bridges" was very intentional. I have little interest in bridging the gap between two cultures, such as Japan and Midwest America. I DO, however, have a rather large interest in bridging the gap between God and man using cultural forms that are already existent.

Too much "Missionary Culture" has been transmitted in the past here in Japan, and I feel the aftereffects of that every time I go to church. I would like to see what happens when God is understood within Japanese culture and expressed through it.

So, "Spiritual Bridges" was chosen. Actually, it was from a book on Islam (which you are probably reading) that I originally got the term.

Anonymous said... The idea of a "world tree" is found in many cultures, mostly in pagan myths that tell of a "world tree" or "cosmic tree" in the middle of the earth that connects to the underworld with its roots, to the earth with its trunk, and to the heavens with its branches, and is seen as a pathway between earth and heaven.

Also, the "tree of life" is central in the teachings of the Kabbalah, which has a very gnostic and occult worldview. Just as we see pagan and secular stories about gardens reflecting a long-past knowledge of the loss of the Garden of Eden, so we see these trees in non-Christian stories as possible echoes of the Tree of Life and Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden.

iDiscipleship

2008-09-02T00:41:00.002+09:00

In the comments to Paul's post on iMissions, I left a comment about webcam Bible Studies. My motivation is this: a lot of Japanese young people move to the cities in their 20's for college and jobs, and they encounter Christ there. However, when they move back to the countryside, they become spiritually isolated, living in an area where there either is no church, or the church is completely different from what they experienced in the city. In some extreme cases, they move back into a family system that is hostile to Christianity, and their parents actively prevent them from going to church. They become Spiritually Isolated Christians, and where they could be a light to their community, they instead drift into survival mode.

I have lived through this first-hand, and right now I personally know no less than 4 friends who are going through spiritual isolation right now (3 American, 1 Japanese). In addition, I know 2 Japanese men from my church who are separated from their local congregation (and families) 5 out of 7 days a week because of jobs that require them to work and live in a different prefecture. And for all 6 of these people, I see the strain that it causes. The fact is that God never meant for us to live the Christian life alone, and yet in this age of fast-paced travel and rapid relocations, that is exactly what is happening.

However, this age has also equipped us with new tools to deal with the faster pace. Namely, the Internet. It is now possible to hold conference calls with 10 people in 10 countries for no charge at all. Some programs even allow video to go along with this.

So, my vision is simple: set up a network of Bible studies that spiritually isolated Japanese Christians can plug into for mutual support and encouragement. It can also be a great help to city churches, as the flow of ideas in city churches tends to be five times faster than their rural counterparts. It can connect urban Japanese with the countryside so that they have a greater understanding of how much impact their new ideas are having on the greater whole.

Now, the reason for this post: I am starting this idea with myself. Though I attend a wonderful church in Fukushima prefecture, my level of Japanese doesn't currently allow me to hold any conversations of real depth. I also have a friend and fellow missionary living in another country who is about as spiritually isolated as one can get. So, starting in 3 days I will be doing a test-run of my "iDiscipleship" International Internet Bible Study, hopefully working out some of the glitches and bugs that will inevitably come up. The Bible Study will run for a period of 13 weeks, and at the end, I will post about my experiences here. Please pray for me and my friends as we try this out with one another.

Also, if you are interested in being involved as a Bible Study facilitator, or you know someone who might be, please leave a comment below. Thanks.

Looking For a Fun Way to Learn Japanese?

2008-08-25T15:05:00.005+09:00

Learning Japanese often feels like an unending marathon with lots of effort but little to show for it. Over the years I have found that comic relief is essential and really does help with learning the language.

Here is a clip that we usually watch when we have visitors from outside Japan, if you have studied Japanese at least a little you will probably get a lot of enjoyment out of it:

A Group of Cats Learning Japanese (you will need flash installed to view this clip)
SHIMBASHI - The Yamanote Line
CHIBA - Japanese Prefectures (Thanks to Stephen Shores for the tip)

[Scot's note: these are both done by the comedy duo "The Ramens", who also did the video series I posted a little while ago]

If you have found a fun way to learn Japanese that works for you, please leave a comment.

A Great Communion Celebration -- an example from TEAM mission meeting in Japan

2008-08-21T17:25:00.011+09:00

One of Nancy Nethercott’s passions is celebrating Christian communion… she also thrives on planning communion services for both large and small groups. Below is Nancy’s description of the Christ-centered communion service she recently planned for our mission here in Japan.

We had a wonderful morning (final session) on Saturday of our mission annual conference, celebrating communion in a way that made it fresh and memorable. Our theme for the week was from John 10:10 "Life...to the Full." So, I had ordered large loaves of light rye bread from the local bakery (Asanoya) which Tom & Nancy Edwards cut it into large chunks. Tom and Nancy also prepared much larger than usual glasses of juice. After a time of worship through music and Scripture, Steve Baughn shared a short devotional. The people came down the center aisle of the chapel to receive the elements and then fanned out around the outer edge of the chapel in a circle holding the elements until we were all served (there were around seventy people in attendance).

Then, Steve broke a large loaf of bread as he said, “The body of Christ given for you;” and poured juice from a large pitcher into a clear glass as he said, “the blood of Christ shed for you; remembering the lavish sacrifice of Christ, partake with thankfulness in your hearts.” We ate and drank for an extended time savoring the "abundance,” and "fullness" of the provision of Jesus Christ - it was quite special. We closed with singing the traditional “Doxology.”

I got many comments afterwards about how meaningful this time of communion was. People entered into singing the songs and seemed to appreciate the "Scripture Tapestry" reading that Karyn, Gerald, and I presented. It was a Scripture reading focusing on Christ (from John 1) with related verses woven in (this reading is from Reformed Worship magazine June 2008 issue, pages 32-33). The larger than usual servings were a visual reminder of just how big and lavish the love of Jesus is.

Instruments included two guitars and one piano -- Mike Gray and Paul Nethercott played guitar with Tim Johnson and Rita Schellenberg taking turns on the piano. Nancy Nethercott, Angie Carter, and Tim Johnson were the lead singers.

Communion Service for TEAM Japan Annual Conference
Karuizawa, Japan August 16, 2008

Order of worship:

Song: Lord, Reign in Me (by Brenton Brown)

Song: Jesus, Hope of the Nations (by Brian Doerksen)

Scripture Tapestry: Read by Nancy Nethercott, Karyn Zaayenga and Gerald May
(This group practiced several times, they were well prepared which was an important aspect of the effectiveness of this reading)

Song: Here I am to worship (by Tim Hughes)

Recognition and prayer for several members of TEAM (this took about 40 minutes)

Song: How Deep the Father’s Love for Us (by Stuart Townend)

Prayer from “The Worship Sourcebook” (based on 1 Timothy 1:15; 1 Peter 2:24)

All pray:
Awesome and compassionate God,
you have loved us with unfailing, self-giving mercy,
but we have not loved you.
You constantly call us, but we do not listen.
You ask us to love, but we walk away from neighbors in need,
wrapped in our own concerns.
We condone evil, prejudice, warfare, and greed.
God of grace, as you come to us in mercy,
we repent in spirit and in truth,
admit our sin, and gratefully receive your forgiveness
through Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. Amen.

Silent Prayer

Leader:
Hear the good news:
This saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance,
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
He himself bore our sins
in his body on the cross,
that we might be dead to sin,
and alive to all that is good.
I affirm to you in the name of Jesus Christ,
you are forgiven.

All: Thanks be to God.

Song: Great is Thy Faithfulness (traditional)

Steve Baughn: Communion Devotional (about ten minutes)

Communion Ceremony

Closing Song: The Doxology (traditional)

NOTE: We used a Power Point presentation that included several photos, the service was on the long side, but it did not seem too long, as everyone in attendance was invested in the TEAM related presentation/prayer for members.

Introduction to mixi -- Japanese Social Networking Site

2008-08-20T16:55:00.000+09:00

Presentation for the JEMA New Media Bazaar
February 18, 2008

I have received numerous requests for an invitation to join mixi, so I will update an older post, and provide some new information.

The bad news is that it appears that few people living overseas have been able to join mixi. For whatever reason mixi has made it extremely difficult to join unless you live in Japan, and have a Japanese cell phone account. I will still be happy to send an invitation to readers who request it though, so if you want to try, feel free to ask.

Anyone who has tips on how readers who live outside of Japan can successfully join mixi, please let everyone know by posting a comment.

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What is mixi?
mixi (pronounced MI-KU-SHII) is Japan’s largest SNS (Social Networking Site). According to Rueters, "mixi is Japan's second most visited Web site after Yahoo Japan's portal site. It has 13 million users, or around 10 percent of the population, and gets 11.8 billion page visits a month."

Important features:

Invitation only -- better security than myspace and similar sites
Blog type diaries -- you can choose the option of only allowing your circle of friends to see your posts
Communities -- a huge number of them, formed by users they can be “open” or by invitation only.
Event promotion -– invite friends to an event, they can RSVP, and post comments
Media -- users can post photos, videos, and links to other sites

Why would you use mixi?

Large numbers of Japanese youth (around 70% of them) are using mixi.
It is a "place" where Japanese youth are “hanging out” -- if you want to “connect” with youth in Japan, this is one way to do it.
To form new groups (Communities).
Improve communication with an established group, i.e. a Bible Study.
Event planning and promotion.
Keep in touch with individuals you work with, see what they are doing, thinking about, what they are eating… (several of my mixi friends habitually post photos of food they are about to eat).
Establish and strengthen relationships.
Media is important, many youth are not responding well to a text-based approach.
It is virtually free of charge – why print and distribute thousands of expensive flyers that get little response, when you can use mixi?

I am sold, so what do I need to know to start using mixi?

Read this site: How to use mixi Guide (in English)
Mixi is a Japanese site; there is virtually no English.
Use “rikaichan” an easy to use, effective, AND free dictionary/kanji reading tool “plug in” for Firefox. Download HERE
If you live in Japan, a cell phone eMail address is required
Outside of Japan you are reportedly not supposed to need a cell phone eMail address, but several readers report being asked for one.
For an invitation to join, post a comment on this blog and ask for one (you will need to include your contact information, which we will not post to the public) OR ask a young Japanese person who you know for an invite -- they are probably using mixi

Relevant Book:
The Millennium Matrix by Rex Miller. This book takes a broad look at the influence of media on how we think and act and examines the monumental changes that we are now experiencing in the “digital era.”

Relevant Movie:
“Train Man” -- Densha Otoko ( 電車男 ) is a popular movie/manga/drama and book that depicts what is said to be the true story of an intensely shy young “geek” who falls in love with a woman he meets on a train. This is relevant because the geek’s friends are ALL unseen users of a SNS. These online friends support, encourage, and give advice entirely via text messages. The theater version of this story (available in DVD rental stores in Japan) is an entertaining, fun movie that also says a lot about the influence of New Media on Japanese society. Be sure to get the theater version, as it is much better than the version made for TV.

Presented by Paul Nethercott, CAN Director
CAN Site: www.japancan.com

Addendum #1 -- John G on why people living outside Japan are having a hard time getting signed up for mixi:

I think I've found the issue here as to why mixi is asking people for a Japanese mobile number in order to register.

It appears that as of April 7th, mixi is attempting to block non-Japanese IP addresses from registering on mixi. The below is taken from a forum I found:

"As of April 7, Mixi requires a valid (Japanese) cellphone e-mail address in order to sign up for its membership. The only exception is when your "regular" e-mail address belongs to one of the ISP's recognized as "safe" by Mixi. As usual, Mixi will not publish the list of those "safe" providers.

The effect of this new requirement is that people who live abroad will not be able to register for Mixi anymore. It's highly unlikely that those who live abroad have e-mail addresses from those "safe" ISP's in Japan, let alone Japanese cellphones. I tried to see if big names in the U.S. like Comcast and Verizon were possibly included in the safe ISP's list. The answer was "no."

Existing members who live abroad are *probably* safe for now, but who knows? Being as crazy as they have been lately, Mixi may require us to re-register, at which time a valid cellphone address must be entered, or something like that. I don't want that to happen. I hope you share my concern."

It also appears that using the mobile address of someone in Japan will do the trick, according to some forum users.

Addendum #2 -- Gary W. on how to register without using an eMail address (for those living in Japan):

I have discovered that if you try to register with Mixi using any of the "free" email providers like "Yahoo" or "Hotmail," "gmail," etc. then, yes, we are stuck with needing a mobile phone address as Mixi will make that demand.

BUT, if you try to register using an email address that you pay for, like "jcom.home.ne.jp" etc. one that is a contract provider, THEN Mixi doesn't require a mobile phone address!

Just thought it'd be good for you to know in case other people ask you the same question. I've just successfully joined Mixi this way without a cell phone! Keep smilin'!

Anime/Manga 101: A "What's What" and "How To" Guide from a Christian Perspective - Manga Formats

2008-08-10T12:00:00.002+09:00

In the last entry to this series, we looked at Anime Formats, where we talked about anime movies, OVAs, and TV Series. In this entry, we are going to look at Manga Formats. The series is going to be reordered and renamed to the following:

Anime/Manga 101 - A "What's What" and "How To" Guide From a Christian Perspective
I. Anime Formats
II. Manga Formats
III. Genres
IV. Vocabulary
V. Common Themes

The previous entry to this series has been updated accordingly.

2. Manga Formats

Manga is a printed media, rather than its audiovisual counterpart, anime. Therefore, it doesn't suffer from the same time constraints. Though anime always has to be 23 minutes long and broken into chunks of 13, manga can really be as long or short as it needs to be. So, as we talk about manga formats, understand that the numbers are much more approximate than the numbers we used last time.

Manga exists in four major formats pertaining to when and how the manga is published. Most manga exists first in a magazine that can be bought at a convenience store. They are phonebook-sized, quite heavy, and very cheap (from 250-600 Yen apiece for a 300-700 page magazine). The ink that is used is low quality, and the paper is akin to newspaper. After a certain number of chapters are published, they will be collected into a tankoubon (aka. Trade Paperback, volume), which uses acid-free paper and high-quality ink. The number of chapters in each paperback depends on the publishing format. Let's take a look.

Unserialized/ Volumes - This is the rarest type of (popular) manga. It is not serialized in a magazine at all, but is released in whole volumes. Sometimes, these have chapters, and sometimes they just read straight through. Many non-Japanese manga (specifically Original English Language [OEL] manga from Tokyopop) use this format. New Life League Japan's manga series also uses this format.

There is a subsection of this format called doujinshi, or self-published works. This is a wide category that can include fan works from pre-existing series (akin to fan fiction), original manga from popular artists that they don't want to sell in the mainstream, and original works from non-professional authors. However, be careful searching for the word "doujinshi" on the internet. Though it isn't the case in the actual world, a majority of internet doujinshi that's posted is pornographic in nature.

How to Read: in general, series that are published this way tend to be much shorter, often less than five volumes. However, these volumes tend to be spaced very far apart; often up to a year or more. Therefore, it is good to read the volumes as they come out and then re-read the previous one before you move onto the new one. For me, a manga volume takes a little over an hour to read. I often read it in multiple sittings.

Monthly Mangas - These manga, as the title suggests, are published monthly. Many monthly manga magazines exist in Japan, including Shounen Ace, Shounen Gangan, and Jump S.Q. Monthly magazines, because of their release schedule, tend to have much longer chapters than weekly manga. Oftentimes, a chapter is between 30 and 50 pages, though I have seen some that go up to 60. This also means that there are less chapters in each paperback volume. Paperbacks from monthly mangas range between 4 and 6 chapters per volume, and are generally released about 2 months after the last chapter is finished, meaning that the magazines are often 6 months ahead of the books.

Similar to monthly mangas, but much rarer, are bi-monthly mangas. These are exactly the same except for their release schedule.

How to Read: unlike the mangas published in volumes, it is a little bit easier to remember the story from month to month. I would suggest reading these chapters as they come out, and then once every six months or once a year, re-read everything again.

Weekly Mangas - These are manga series that are published every week, with the exception of certain holiday weeks. Some of the most famous manga in history are weekly mangas, including Dragonball, One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, Slam Dunk, Death Note, and far too many more to list. Many weekly magazines exist, but none of them come close to Weekly Shonen Jump, which sells 3 million copies a week in Japan, and is even published in America. Because of their frequent releases, weekly manga tend to be much shorter; usually 15-20 pages. This also means that in their bound form, there are more chapters per volume. Each trade paperback has about 8-12 chapters in it, and they are released much more frequently than the tankoubon for monthly mangas.

How to Read: Read these as they come out. There should be little reason to go back and re-read chapters, as the weekly releases keep your memory fresh. Even if you are only reading these in trade paperback format, the more frequent release schedule makes things much easier. Also, because of the frequent releases, weekly manga tend to be less "dense" in terms of story (with some notable exceptions).

One-Shots - One shots are manga stories that are contained within a single chapter. They appear in both weekly and monthly magazines on a regular basis, usually when one of the regular artists is taking a break. One-shot mangas sometimes operate as a standalone story, and sometimes they are simply pilot-chapters that an artist uses to sell a new idea; if it gets good ratings, they may get an offer to turn it into a series. One-shots are usually a first step into the business for young artists, though establish artists are also known to try out new ideas in this format. Some magazines even hold one-shot competitions. Unlike the other three formats, one-shots rarely make it into trade paperbacks, because of their size.

How to Read: Read it straight through. If you like it, you may want to physically cut it out of the magazine you read it from and keep it in a file.

Looking for Great Photos of Japan?

2008-08-09T11:35:00.011+09:00

Photos of Japan are easy to come by; good photos of Japan are a little bit rarer. I have spent time slogging through different websites out there looking for great photos of Japan, and have found some gems -- several that belong to friends of mine. So, enjoy browsing through their sites. If you use any of these pictures, please give credit to the photographer!

Andy Gray - Japan Window (Various) : Andy has a tremendous collection of very good photos on his site -- this is a rich resource for photos of Japan AND for commentary on life in Japan. Andy and his family (he has three cute little girls, two of which are twins) lived next door to me for a couple of years. At that he was just getting his web site established but now, he has almost one thousand photos, organized in easy to navigate categories. A number of Andy's photos feature one or more of his daughters. [http://japanwindow.com/]

Andy Gray just sent me the following wonderful photo, and wrote "these days I'm posting more at www.photosensibility.com rather than at JapanWindow.com

For several more amazing people photos by Andy go HERE

Tim Crowson - Tim Crowson Photography (Scenery and Black Gospel Concert): During the two years Tim lived in Japan he took some exceptional photos. Many of his scenery shots are stunning, and he also has an album of photos he took at a black gospel choir concert (with mostly Japanese singers!). [http://timcrowson.smugmug.com/]

Robin White - Outlook on Japan (City Shots/Everyday Life): Robin lives in Nagoya, so he has lots of opportunities to get shots of people going about their daily business. [http://outlookonjapan.com/index.php?x=browse&pagenum=1]

Here are a few more options from people that I don't know:

TREK EARTH Trek Earth (Locations): a huge collection of photos organized by location. If you are looking for shots of a particular place in Japan, this is a great place to start. [http://www.trekearth.com/gallery/Asia/Japan/]

Chuck Neel (aka Slug) - Japan Photo Gallery by Slug (People): Lots of people shots, primarily in and around Tokyo. [http://www.pbase.com/slug/japan&page=all]

Eric Lafforgue's Flickr Page (Close Ups of People): a good site for closeups of people of all fashions (ancient and modern) and ages. You'll find everything from standard to sumo to kabuki to the street fashions of Shibuya and Harajuku. [http://flickr.com/photos/mytripsmypics/sets/72057594066310184/]

"ENGRISH" Site (Humor): Engrish.com is a classic site chronicling badly used English in advertisements, signs, and translated media. Not all of it is from Japan, but a good portion is. This site is great for a laugh. [http://engrish.com/]

I hope you enjoy these pictures. Do you know of any more great sites? Do you want to put in a plug for your own photos of Japan? Leave a comment!

Thanks to Scot Eaton for his excellent editing help on this post.

Anime/Manga 101 - A "What's What" and "How To" Guide From a Christian Perspective: Anime Formats

2008-07-27T23:35:00.012+09:00

In conjunction with the Spiritual Bridges series, I've decided to give a little introduction to the Japanese mediums of Anime and Manga. Why? Because Spiritual Bridges is not simply meant for people who are already fans of anime and manga; it's meant for people who are actively sharing Christ's Gospel with Japanese youth. So some of the people I am targeting with this series might not know how to approach these mediums. I don't know exactly how many entries there will be to the Anime/Manga 101 series, since I plan to alter it based on feedback, but here is what I am envisioning right now:

I. Anime Formats
II. Manga Formats
III. Genres
IV. Vocabulary
V. Common Themes

Let's begin.

1. Anime Formats

Anime exists in three basic formats: Movies, OVAs (Original Video Animations), and Television Shows. Each of these formats is paced differently and needs to be approached differently, just as you would read a short story and a novel in different ways.

Movies - These are the most easily accessible format for anime newcomers. Movies sometimes are released in Japanese theaters, and they always come to DVD. These movies have similar pacing to Western movies; all of the characters and plot points are introduced, developed, and resolved within one to two and a half hours. There are many famous anime movies in existence. Studio Ghibli is the most famous anime movie producer by far, having given us films such as Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Gedo Senki: Tales from Earthsea. Other famous anime films include Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Ninja Scroll, Beyond the Clouds - The Promised Place, Evangelion 1.0 - You Are (not) Alone, and most recently, Paprika and Tekonkinkreet.

Some anime movies are not as they seem though. Oftentimes, a movie is tied to a television show. Sometimes the movie is a prequel or sequel, sometimes the movie is a gaiden (side story that takes place during the timeframe of the original), and sometimes the movie is an abridged retelling of the show. For the prequels, sequels, and gaidens, you will probably not understand the movie without seeing the original work first. The abridged retellings, though rare, are a good way to preview a series.

How to Watch: Watch anime movies in one sitting. Pay special attention to any flashbacks that are shown, as they almost always are directly related to the conclusion.

OVAs (Original Video Animations) - sometimes called OAVs (Original Animated Videos). These are short series of an undefined number of episodes that are meant to tell a story. However, rather than a movie, which tells the story at the same time, the OVAs are released incrementaly. They often include higher production values than television anime, and they are often much shorter. These are also fairly accessible, since the episode format allows you to take the story in small sections. Recently, there have been some variant and hybrid formats that would fall under the category of OVA. The first is the ONA, or Original Net Animation, which is a series of short episodes streamed online. The second is is a hybrid between the movie format and the OVA format where a series of movies are released to theaters, each following the previous one. Kara no Kyoukai is one example of this. It is a series of 7 hour-long movies that is currently about halfway finished in the Japanese cinemas.

I also want to give a special note here. Oftentimes, OVAs include material that is inappropriate for television, including gratuitous violence and sex. This is not true for all OVAs, as it is simply a format, not a genre, but do be careful when renting OVAs, as it is the preferred format for "adult" series.

And, as before, OVAs are sometimes a prequel or a sequel to a television series. This isn't true for most OVAs, but there are rare exceptions. You should be able to tell these from the back of the box.

How to Watch: It depends on the OVA. If it is a 3-6 episode standalone story, I'd suggest watching one episode a day for 3-6 days. If it is only three episodes, you may even want to watch it all at once. If you are watching the OVA as it is currently being published, your timeframe will obviously be determined by the release schedule.

Television Shows - this comprises the main "meat" of the anime industry. Of the four Spritual Bridges posts that have been done so far, three are from television shows. Anime shows are not like sitcoms or American cartoons, where each episode is separate and can be viewed in any order. Instead, anime shows follow a continuous story from their first episode to their last. When the story finishes, so does the anime (unless a sequel is made). There are benefits and disadvantages to this. The main disadvantage is that anime shows MUST be viewed in order; skipping an episode or two will likely make the story incomprehensible. It would be the same as skipping a chapter or two in a novel. As a compensation, many anime will have recap episodes where a character will review all of the recent events and give their personal interpretation of them. This can help greatly if you happen to miss an episode.

Despite the disadvantages, this format gives a lot of benefits. The reason anime is so popular and powerful is that it becomes like a visual book, with each episode serving as a chapter. Rather than movies, where everything is resolved rather quickly, you may see a character slowly develop in a specific area over the course of ten or twelve episodes. This allows you to really get into their heads and feel each event with them. This relaxed pace makes it so that character development rarely feels rushed. It also allows the directors to throw in small details that create a fleshed-out world.

Television shows, which are aired weekly for their original broadcasts, vary greatly in their length, but there is usually a mathematical format that they follow. Everything is broken down into seasons and half-seasons. A full season is somewhere between 24 and 26 episodes. This is half a year, and allows for one or two breaks so that the network can be flexible with the schedule. Some anime comprise only a half season with 12-13 episodes. Still others go for two seasons, which is 48-52 episodes. Usually, the half-season and season markers (ie - Episode 13, 26, 39) are special episodes with a climax. These episodes also have higher production values, much like a "Season Finale" in the West. Also, if there are any recap episodes, they are likely to occur in the episode after the half-season or season finale (ie - Episode 14 or 27). It's helpful to keep this in mind in case you miss an episode or two. Then, when the final episode rolls around, you know that the storyline is finished. In contrast to American shows, where the show is only really "finished" if it is cancelled, anime usually has it's endpoint in mind from the very beginning of the production.

There are exceptions to this rule, of course. I like to call these exceptions "Interminable Anime", or anime which seem like they will never end. Famous examples of this include Pokémon, Detective Conan (aka. Case Closed), Dragonball, One Piece, Bleach, Inuyasha, and Naruto. For example, at the time that I am writing this, Naruto has 287 episodes, 4 OVAs, and 5 movies. The story isn't anywhere close to being finished yet. (Special Note: I will probably never cover an Interminable Anime in Spiritual Bridges. I just don't like dealing with them)

That being said, many great anime exist in Television Show format. DVDs usually include 2-4 episodes, though in America, boxsets are becoming increasingly popular.

How to Watch: It really depends on the show, whether you are watching it as it is aired or whether you are watching it on DVD, and how long the show is. If you are watching it as it airs, then you will obviously watch one episode every week. If you are watching it on DVD, approach it like you would approach a book. Very few people that I know read a book through in one sitting, or even in a few dedicated sittings. They usually take a chapter at a time and slowly work through the book until they are at the end. Treat anime the same way. Watch an episode (23 minutes long) and then go about the rest of your day. Over time, you'll eventually get to the end. If it helps, think of half-seasons like novels in a series. Watch 13 episodes, move on to something else for a while, and then come back. Unless your viewings are so far apart that you can't remember the previous episode, the more time you spend with an anime, the more you'll grow to appreciate it.

[With Interminable Anime, you really have to watch it as it comes out. Otherwise, your backlog becomes too large.]

That's all for today. In our next episode we'll look at genres (update: this will be part 3). I'll help you to understand why one show has pink cat-dogs and the next has 20-meter-tall robots hacking at each other with swords.

"The Luminous Sky" Japan Tour

2008-07-26T11:56:00.006+09:00

The band has traveling extensively through Europe, Central America, Asia, New Zealand, Australia and the USA, playing at churches, youth events, high schools, conferences, music festivals, cafes, bars and more. The bands original songs carry relevant messages for this generation with the use of impacting visual media behind each song. Natalie, the lead singer, is an accomplished singer, songwriter, speaker, author and model. They are passionate about God and giving him opportunity to impact this generation internationally and would love to partner with you in your vision for your city.

Dates: 17 September - 13 October 2008
Location: Tokyo (and surrounding areas)
Band Press Kit Link: www.sonicbids.com/theluminoussky
Website: www.myspace.com/theluminoussky
Promotion Clip: www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7o27qmbmIw

Please contact me about possible bookings (for the Japan Tour) as soon as possible!

Kind Regards, Beck Waye (manager)

Spiritual Bridges in Anime - Eureka seveN

2008-07-21T22:51:00.004+09:00

Good day to you all. After a long hiatus, Spiritual Bridges is back in full force. We were pleased to have Robin White’s excellent post on “Gedo Senki: Tales from Earthsea” last month, and we look forward to including more guest writers in the future. Please let me begin by writing a note about the name of this series. The series name is “Spiritual Bridges,” not “Spiritual Bridges in Anime.” So far, we have covered only anime shows, but future projects may cover manga, light novels, and even live-action movies. I was also recently asked why I didn’t name it “Cultural Bridges.” The answer is that I am not trying to bridge any cultures. I could care less about bridging Japanese culture with Western culture. There has been far too much of that already, which is one of the reasons why people are confusing the message of Christianity with elements of Western culture. For example, look at how Christianity is portrayed in anime. Most of the examples I can think of are either from the vampire genre or include demon-hunting catholic priests/nuns. This is what results when spiritual bridges are confused with cultural bridges. So bridging cultures is pretty low on my list of things to do. Rather, I seek to highlight elements that already exist in Japanese culture to bridge the gap between them and God. A lot of Western anime fans will find things in this series that apply to them, and that’s great. However, that is a secondary goal, not the main one. My main goal is to spark dialogue between Japanese youth and Christ’s ambassadors.

I have been very pleased at the number of positive responses this series has been getting. A little while ago, Paul informed me that we were linked on the Adult Swim forums for the show Death Note. [note: Adult Swim is the late-night block of time on the American Cartoon Network where Death Note is currently airing.] Praise God!

Today, we will be looking at another anime that recently aired on Adult Swim (the original run was in 2007). I first saw this series when I lived in Korea. I didn’t have high hopes for it, but when I read that it was scripted by Dai Sato (Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, Wolf’s Rain) and animated by BONES (Fullmetal Alchemist, RahXephon, Escaflowne), I decided that I would at least give it a shot. Well, in the end, I watched all 50 episodes in a matter of two weeks, and I currently list this anime as my favorite anime of all time. So, please excuse me if my love for this series gushes forth.

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Psalms of Planets: Eureka seveN (交響詩篇エウレカセブン)

Series Composition and Direction: Dai Sato (佐藤大) and Tomoki Kyoda (京田知己)

Animation Company: BONES

English Licensor: Bandai Entertainment

So, what is Eureka seveN? It’s a 50-episode anime series in the Mecha genre. However, it has multiple spinoff projects, including a 6-volume manga series that re-tells the story in a different way, two Playstation 2 video games that operate as a prequel story (and have two manga volumes themselves), and a movie which was recently announced in the Japanese Newtype Magazine. It has also won 8 awards at some fairly prestigious conventions.

Though the name of the story is taken from the female heroine Eureka (pronounced e-u-re-ka, not yu-ri-ka), the main character is 14-year-old Renton Thurston. When he was a young boy, his father sacrificed himself to save the world, and his sister, who was convinced that their father was still alive, disappeared while looking for him. So Renton has grown up with his grandfather, while everyone expects him to act the hero, just like his father. That’s not his dream though. His dream is to join a professional sports group known as Gekko State and become a famous lifter. [Lifting being an offshoot of surfing where the rider reflects off of concentrations of “transparent light particles” in the air. As a special note, there are no oceans on this world.] Then, in the middle of the night, Eureka literally crashes into his house. She has been sent from Gekko State to have Renton’s grandfather repair her giant mecha (LFOs in this series), known as the Nirvash typeZERO. The machine is missing a vital component, and has ceased responding to her. She and Gekko State think that the missing part is a special piece that Renton’s father created; however, they soon discover that the missing part is actually Renton himself. So Renton’s dream comes true, and he is officially invited to join Gekko State.

What follows is a classic coming-of-age story. Renton quickly learns that his dream of joining Gekko State is a mixed blessing at best, as he spends the first part of the series as an errand/shop boy aboard the ship. In this time, he also learns that people are not always as they appear, and he begins to see the flawed people around him in an adult manner; he sees all of their flaws, but learns to love them for who they are. In return, people discover that Renton has a very special ability: He can make people smile, and he can disarm even the grouchiest and bitter people he comes across. He even manages to break open the shell of Eureka’s emotions, which she has never been taught how to express.

In one very powerful scene in the first half of the series, Renton learns from Eureka that she was trained as a child soldier, and that she has killed many people. Renton, having no idea what to do, simply accepts her for who she is and doesn’t hold her past against her. This freedom allows Eureka to weep for what is presumably the first time in her life, and emotional healing begins in her life. With this emotional healing comes the ability to think for herself and make her own decisions. This becomes our first unlooked for spiritual bridge: the power of confession for healing. Confession is not a very popular subject in Protestant Christianity, as it brings to mind the very penance and indulgence system that Protestants tried so hard to break away from. However, confession is a very Biblical principle, and it almost always leads to healing.

Now, let’s look at Renton’s ability a little bit more. Renton’s ability stems from what I consider the main spiritual bridge of this series: unconditional love. In Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian church, he talks extensively about love. He says the following: “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” Never have I seen this so clearly portrayed in any modern medium. Renton loves and forgives everyone around him, but no one more than Eureka. This series does what I have never seen an anime series do before: partway through the series, the beautiful female lead is injured very badly, and she becomes rather ugly. She has scars all over her face, her eyebrows have fallen out, and her hair has been lost. Throughout all of this, Renton continues to love her. Even after he learns that she isn’t completely human (more on that later), it doesn’t change the way he looks at her. His love extends even to his enemies, as later in the series he devises a way to fight his enemies and disarm them without harming them. Because of all of this, Renton provides a very unique role model in the world of anime. Though he makes mistakes while learning to love unconditionally, he learns from them and grows.

Let me give one more note about the love portrayed in this series. It is distinctly split into two parts. In the first half of the series, Renton and Eureka are in the process of falling in love and going through all of the growing pains associated with that. However, when the credits roll for episode 26, that thread of the story is resolved; Renton and Eureka are together. Happily ever after, right? Not quite. The second half of the series depicts how they learn to live with each other; how they argue and reconcile; how they learn to think and live as one. As they do so, they slowly uncover a way to save the world, but it requires both of them to give up their pride and themselves. It is a beautiful depiction of some of the elements that I believe Godly relationships are built upon.

There are many, many more spiritual bridges in this anime, but I’m only going to mention one more: the character of Eureka. As I mentioned before, Eureka is not entirely human. On the planet where this takes place, there are two main forms of sentient life: humans and Coralians—a kind of living coral. The Coralians have a hive mentality, where one thought is shared amongst them all, essentially making Coralians one personality. Humans are trying to destroy the Coralians, but the Coralians are simply trying to understand the humans and form a relationship with them. As a result, they fashion a Coralian with a human body, Eureka, and give her a distinct personality. She is to learn all that she can about the humans and then rejoin the Coralian entity. She is likened to a “blank page” that humans can write anything that they want on. Depending on what is written on her “page”, the Coralians will either sacrifice themselves to support human life, or they will destroy the humans to save themselves. Though it is not a perfect bridge by any means, this can lead the way into a discussion about Christ from the book of Hebrews, where He is presented as High Priest and Mediator, being our perfect advocate before God because He understands everything that we have gone through. Though Eureka is not perfect, she represents the hope associated with incarnation, and it is powerful.

As I said, there is a lot more to cover. This series also touches on racism, the importance of father figures, facing problems instead of running away from them, disciplining in love, and much more. It is not my favorite anime for no reason. How can you get ahold of it? In Japan, it should be available in pretty much every rental store in the country. In America, it stands a high chance of being in rental stores, though Netflix is always sure to have it. Unfortunately, no box sets have become available yet, so the price for purchasing it is still really high. Still, I doubt you will be disappointed.

Here is a trailer from the series, made by a fan.

Introducing (and thanking) Web Site Designer Yuin-Y

2008-07-15T01:23:00.011+09:00

We want to acknowledge, and thank, Yuin-Y for her much appreciated artistic contribution to this blog. Yuin-Y is the talented artist who did the banner art work and color scheme for us. Few blogs have a custom design, so we are thrilled with the special contribution of Yuin-Y to this blog.

In one of those "you never know who you are going to meet where" experiences, I met Yuin-Y when my family was on vacation in Malaysia and we were invited by her parents to take part in their church related cell group. Yuin-Y is not only a good artist, she is a delightful young woman with a great attitude.

Yuin-Y's Profile: "I am a classic case of anime-bait, my interest in Japan being first stirred by watching anime several years ago; although now my interest has expanded to manga (translated into English, of course), J-dramas, and a little of the J-pop scene too.

I attended Multimedia University in Kuala Lumpur, with a major in Film & Animation. Since I finished school, I have been working for an advertising firm in Malaysia. I also do lectures on multimedia.

Literature, art, and film, are all a joy to me, and I am very much intrigued by the work that CAN is doing, using media to reach people for Christ. While I can't be in Japan to help them out directly right now, I am glad that I can be involved a little bit from where I am in Malaysia!

Please check out my blog: Ind Elwen Tinuviel, which has evolved into more of an art blog, though it began as a typical what's-going-on-in-my-life blog."

Scot Eaton also contributed a lot to upgrading this blog by giving invaluable artistic input, and by doing the coding -- which was a big job. Thanks Scot for being a part of this effort!

Scot -- this blog's co-author -- lives in Japan, where he is teaching English, editing Manga for the US market, and also finishing his MA in Ethnomusicology from Bethel University in MN. Scot is a good percussionist and is making the most of that talent by connecting with Japanese in his community through joining a local Taiko troupe.

Embracing Accusation

2008-07-10T23:13:00.002+09:00

This song is incredibly powerful. I first heard it in December, and it's not lost any of its power since then. It's from Shane and Shane's album "Pages." Shane and Shane have always had a history of putting out incredibly Biblical songs, and I highly respect them.

Mujo No Kaze Wins Inigo Film Festival Award

2008-07-06T00:04:00.012+09:00

Mujo No Kaze, The film CAN produced in collaboration with Biola University has won an award!

Inigo Film-Festival in Sydney Australia has chosen our film to receive a significant honor — details will be announced later (we know what the award is, but want to honor their right to make the announcement first). But our film is listed on their site, and we have been told that actress Cate Blanchett is slated to be in Sydney for the awards ceremony on July 18, 2008.

Biola professor Dean Yamada wrote, “I think this is an auspicious start for Studio Re: (the CAN Film Project) and I hope it’s just the first of many great collaborations.”

Right now, I am in the US (Minnesota to be exact). I checked into going to Sydney for the July 18 awards event but the price is around $3,000!! So, as much as I would love to be there, I gave it up. Dean Yamada, and one or two Biola students, are planning to attend.

You can view the trailer below:

Or, a higher quality version here: MNK TRAILER

Our next Biola/CAN film project is in the "pre-production" stage -- which involves what has to happen before you shoot a film including: setting a budget, choosing a script, choosing staff and assigning roles, gathering equipment, and making sure all logistical issues are taken care of. Then, in Jan of 2009, Dean Yamada will bring a group of twelve Biola film majors to Tokyo to shoot our film.

Spiritual Bridges in Anime - Tales From Earthsea

2008-06-28T23:15:00.004+09:00

Well, after a long hiatus, the Spiritual Bridges series is back, and this time with a guest writer. Expect to get more in this series in the next two months. I have one post that is almost done, and we have another guest writer working on a different piece right now.

Let me tell you a bit about today's entry. It is written by Robin White, the author of the Japan Log blog and the SkitZo MaN comic. We met through this blog, when he left comments on my post on Manga Outreach. He is a missionary based in Nagoya, and he shares a very similar vision to Paul and me. It's a priviledge to have him write for us. When we were talking about which series he would write about, we decided to have him write about an easily accessible one--a movie. I, for one, think he did a very good job. So, let us begin.
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Tales From Earthsea:

Japanese title: “Gendo Senki”, ie “Ged’s War Chronicles”

(Very loose adaptation of Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea novels)

Director: Goro Miyazaki

A Studio Ghibli film

For more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tales_from_Earthsea_(film)

Studio Ghibli’s Tales From Earthsea is the directorial debut of Goro Miyazaki, son of the more famous Hayao Miyazaki. Reviews for the film have been mixed at best: Fans of the novels were disappointed that it’s such a loose adaptation of the books, while Studio Ghibli fans can’t help but compare it to the studio’s other movies -- which form a pretty impressive list. Let’s face it, Goro’s got some pretty big shoes to fill. So let’s not be too hard on the guy.

I can’t compare it to the books, since I’ve not read them, but if any readers want to chime in on that aspect, feel free to leave a comment. I can compare it to other Ghibli films, however, as I am a big fan of them. Earthsea is missing a lot of the fun and whimsey of previous Ghibli films (in fact, I don’t remember any comic relief at all). And it’s a more “typical” kind of fantasy story (with wizards and dragons, etc) than the others. Another weakness is that there are parts of the plot that don’t seem to have been fully explained.

But the animation is still classic Ghibli, while the characters are interesting and the story is engaging.

There are also some great spiritual bridges. But let’s talk about the story itself first.

Tales From Earthsea opens with a storm at sea and two dragons doing battle. We soon learn that this is a bad omen, a sign that something is wrong with the “balance” of world. Soon after, we meet the main character, Arren, who in his first appearance kills his father, the king. After murdering his father, Arren is on the run. He meets up with Sparrowhawk the Archmage, and ends up accompanying him on his journey.

Sparrowhawk, as it turns out, is searching for the cause of the disturbance in the balance. What we eventually find out is that the very thing causing the darkness within Arren, and from which he is running, is the cause of the disturbance: Lord Cob, an evil wizard searching for the key to eternal life.

The other main characters in the story are Tenar, a peasant woman whom Sparrowhawk has known for years, and a young girl named Therru, who is cared for by Tenar on her farm. After a run-in with some slave traders, Arren and Sparrowhawk retreat to Tenar’s farm for a few days. The slave traders, who work for Lord Cob, use Tenar to lure Sparrowhawk into a trap. Meanwhile, after an angsty Arren has run away from the farm, Lord Cob manages to capture him.

And this is where the spiritual bridges come in:

Before running away, Arren has a conversation with Therru, to whom he confesses that he killed his father. He talks about the darkness and anger he feels, and how at times he feels like there is “someone else” inside him. What a perfect bridge for talking about our sin nature. In this fallen world, sin comes naturally to us. Outside of Christ, while we still have the freedom to choose, we have something else inside us always drawing us toward sin. Thankfully, because of God’s grace, we can be saved from our sins.

In Earthsea’s mythology, everyone and everything has a “true name”, a secret name. The key to magic is knowing that name and how to use it. I’m told the author of the Earthsea books, Ursula K. Le Guin, is the daughter of an anthropologist, and that this idea of our true names was influenced by a concept found in the belief systems of various tribal peoples (such as the Motilone of Cambodia). As we’ll see, there’s also a Biblical parallel.

As I mentioned above, Cob’s quest is to gain eternal life. He does this by delving into a kind of dark magic that is forbidden, and somehow Arren is a part it. There’s a scene where Cob is manipulating Arren into revealing his true name to him. I can’t help but think about the parallels between that scene and the temptation of Adam and Eve in the Garden, or of Jesus in the desert. In the film, Cob tempts Arren by trying to convince him that he’ll gain something in return -- eternal life. He preys on Arren’s fear. This is another great bridge to talk about sin and temptation. What looks good and appealing is often the devil in disguise; what we think will bring us life leads to death.

It is through Arren and Therru’s revealing their true names to one another that Arren is saved and Cob is finally defeated. The message here seems to be about being true to yourself -- your true self. The Christian could take this message a step further: it’s only through a relationship with God through Jesus Christ that we can truly know ourselves and be the person we were meant to be. There’s an interesting passage in the book of Revelation that reflects this, where Jesus says He will give His followers a “white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it” (Rev. 2:17). God knows us better than we know ourselves. We’re not really free to be ourselves or live life to the fullest outside of a relationship with Him.

There’s a great quote near the end where Therru says to Arren, “Death isn’t what you fear most -- you’re afraid of being alive!” That’s true of so many of us, I think. We let our fears control us and keep us from truly living life to the fullest. But the Bible tells us that “perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18). And where else does perfect love come from but God?

The most obvious spiritual bridge, of course, is on the subject of eternal life. In the world of Earthsea, we find out, there is no possibility of eternal life. Instead we should live our only life to the fullest and be true to ourselves, and in doing so find real life. While the Christian would disagree, and say there is indeed eternal life, there’s also a kernel of truth here: It’s not in selfishly grasping for life that we find it, but in giving our lives to something -- someone -- greater than ourselves, someone who gave His life so that we can truly live -- and yes, live eternally, too!

Jesus said “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?” (Luke 9:24-25)

It’s only in Christ Jesus that we can really know ourselves. It’s only in Him that fear can be driven out of our hearts completely. And it’s only through Him we can truly live.

Arren starts out as a murderer, running from his past -- from himself, really. Eventually he comes to terms with what he’s done and who he is. Tales of Earthsea, while not Ghibli’s best offering, is nevertheless an engaging story of redemption. But even better, it can be used to point the way an even better story of redemption: the true story of the Gospel.

iMissions: internet based collaboration

2008-06-15T17:00:00.006+09:00

I did a post recently called "Missional Art" that was a collaborative effort utilizing the social networking site called facebook. We used a feature on facebook that allows those who are connected as "friends" the option of sending a message to multiple individuals. On facebook my "friends" are all those individuals who I have permitted access to my profile, photos, and other information (and I have access to theirs).

Here is a step by step explanation of how our collaboration worked (all messages were exchanged using facebook):

1. One of my facebook friends, Jon Hirst, encouraged me to expand on an idea about art being missional that I had mentioned to him in a personal message.

2. Jon also sent me several good questions, that really helped me get moving on the article, and he also gave me a deadline -- deadlines REALLY help!

3. I wrote a rough draft, with most of the main ideas, but there were many spelling and grammatical mistakes, the flow was not good, and it needed clarity.

4. I posted a rough draft to a select group of my friends on facebook -- I chose people who I thought would have something to contribute, and/or would benefit from the discussion. The majority of the group I chose are younger than me (I am 52). Actually, I think ALL of them are younger than I am, most by about 25 years. This group included people living on three continents -- N. American, S. America, and Asia. Geographic location made no difference in terms of the ability of members to be involved.

5. Every time one person posted a message, everyone got a copy via eMail AND we could all see every message sent by everyone involved using the inbox on facebook. So, it was easy to keep track of everything being contributed by members of the group.

6. About half the group of twenty did not respond at all, while five members contributed at a significant level. One other person (my wife Nancy) was in this group but contributed off-line. There were just over thirty messages posted, over a period of about two weeks.

I am stopping here. I want to invite others to post comments that explore the broader implications for missions. Scot and I will choose "the best comment" and the contributor will get one copy of one of the following books (the winner can choose):

1. Manga Messiah in English (distributed widely, in English and other languages, via Amazon, etc.)
2. Manga Messiah in Japanese (available only in Japan!)
3. Manga Metamorphosis in Japanese (available only in Japan!)

Deadline will be July 17, 2008

Relief supplies arrive in China from Japan!

2008-06-10T13:36:00.004+09:00

Jonathan Wilson, a good friend and missionary colleague, has established CRASH -- an effective church related relief organization based in the Tokyo area. CRASH has responded to a number of disasters in Japan, but they are now in China where they have a team delivering a thirty ton truck of supplies for the survivors of the earthquake in Sichuan.

For more information, and to give donations, go to CRASH HOME PAGE

Manga Messiah: Expanding Around the Globe II

2008-06-05T18:00:00.010+09:00

As a follow up to a previous post on this blog called "Manga Messiah: Expanding Around the Globe," here are cover photos of various language editions, will add more when I get them.

The first photo is of the Japanese Version of Manga Messiah. The left half of the second photo (middle row) is actually the yet to be published Japanese version of Manga Metamorphosis, while the right side is (I think) the Spanish version of Manga Messiah.

The last photo (bottom row) I am not sure of -- can anyone identify it?

Amie Street and the Cult of Sincerity

2008-06-02T11:05:00.005+09:00

Yesterday, I (Scot) watched an independent film that premiered on Youtube (of all places) called "The Cult of Sincerity." It's about a man who is fed up with how fake everyone is and resolves to live life sincerely, whatever that may mean. It is specifically geared at people currently in college and the group ambiguously known as the "20-somethings" to the point where anyone outside of that age group might not get it. I watched it with another person in my age group, and we were both completely engrossed, but Paul was bored after just a few minutes. Still, for its target audience, it was incredible. I think something like this, with a specific Japanese target audience, could be really powerful. Check it out at http://youtube.com/watch?v=YnsLBEuqsYE or watch the trailer below.

Also, in the first few minutes of the video, they outline a special deal that they have with a website called Amie Street. If you sign up from Amie Street in connection with watching the movie, you get $2 of credit at the site and the movie makers get $2. If you then buy $3 more credit, you get a link for a high resolution download of the movie, and $2 go to a charity.

I did a bit of research into Amie Street, and I've been really impressed so far. Here's the overview. It is a website for independent musicians to get their music heard. They get an account through the website and post their music. To begin with, their music is free. After each download, the value of their songs goes up by a few cents, capping out at $0.98 per song. For the downloader, you are given a certain number of REC (recommendation) points. If you hear a song that you think really has potential, you can give it a recommendation. Then, with every person who follows your recommendation and downloads the song, you get a small amount of credit put back into your account. It seems like a really good system.

I am posting it here for all of the readers who either are independent musicians or know someone who is. This could be a great way to share newly-written music, whether the artist is Japanese or Western. One of our friends, Mark Miller, who has posted on this blog before, is on Amie Street. Currently, his music is "free", and only available for purchase in the US. But you can use the media player embedded below to listen to his songs and check out the potential of the site. (Edit: The embedded player isn't working. Sorry. Search for "theothermarkmiller" on Amie Street) If any of you put your music (or a friend's music) on this site, please comment here or email either Paul or I. It would be fun to build a network of artists we know in order to support their music.

Manga Messiah: Expanding Around the Globe

2008-06-01T12:15:00.007+09:00

New Life League Japan's director, Roald Lidal, just sent me the following exciting news about Messiah Manga's spreading global influence:

1. As of the end of this week we have printed a total of 760,000 copies in six languages -- English, Japanese, Norwegian, Spanish, Indonesian and Tagalog.

2. Twelve more languages are in process, most of them being close to completed. These are: French, Portuguese, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Polish, Russian, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, Khmer and Arabic.

This is amazing... a wonderful example of what can happen when Japanese Christians express their faith with authenticity and originality, with art that reflects the beauty of the culture.

PHOTO: The recently published Spanish version.

I would like to post a cover photo of all the published versions of Messiah Manga -- if you can send me a photo, post a comment with your eMail address and I will write you back (we will not divulge your eMail address to the public unless you specifically say that is what you want).

Prince Caspian - First Impressions

2008-05-26T23:55:00.002+09:00

I (Scot) just got back from seeing the movie "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian." I may write a fuller article about this later on, but for now let me give some quick impressions. First, is it any good? Yes, very. I wouldn't rank it with the "Lord of the Rings" movies, but it's definitely on par with the best of the Harry Potter movies. It's worth your time and money.

Also, though the book is a little bit lighter on the Christian themes than the first book, the movie actually has more. Part of this is because the writers re-structured the events of the book in order to add more dramatic tension, and yet, suprisingly, most of the really potent moments come from scenes written only for the movie. (mild spoiler alert) As a result, Aslan doesn't appear to the group. Instead, Lucy has to go off on her own to find him, whereupon the two have an amazing conversation about how Lucy had to take a step of faith and come to him, even though none of her friends and family were willing to do it. That conversation alone is worth taking your Japanese friends for. Also, when the white witch shows up in the movie (you've all seen it in the trailers), we are treated to another amazing moment.

Oh, and the movie has Reepicheep. If that doesn't mean anything to you, it will after you see the movie.

So, after my first viewing, I highly recommend it. Strictly as a movie, it's good. As an adaptation of a book, it shines. As a dialogue starter with Japanese friends, you don't want to miss this opportunity.

Stuffing Humans on Trains in Tokyo

2008-05-26T20:14:00.003+09:00

This video, taken on our train line, is for real. It shows one aspect of what life is like in Tokyo, it happens almost every day of the year, over the years we have experienced it many times.

Tokyo::Passion -- Interview with Jake Jelinek

2008-05-22T16:51:00.009+09:00

Passion World Tour -- Tokyo Event

Among US college students Passion is influential, gathering large numbers of students for events featuring high production standards, quality worship music, and inspiring speakers. Passion is going international this year and will hold Passion::Tokyo on October 13, 2008 at C. C. Lemon Hall in Shibuya. The program plan includes worship leaders and speakers from England and the US.

Passion Home Page

Following is an interview I (Paul Nethercott) did with Passion::Tokyo coordinator Jake Jelinek. Jake, a lawyer in Indiana (USA), will make several short visits to Japan in his role as volunteer coordinator for the Tokyo event.

1. What is the purpose of Passion?

Passion seeks to gather college and university students across the nation and around the world to seek the face of God, asking Him to ignite in our souls a passionate pursuit of Jesus Christ and a desire to spread His fame to everyone on earth.

3. Why a world tour? Why Tokyo?

Passion is off on a crazy journey to the cities of the world in 2008, uniting university students around the globe in a story so much bigger than our own. We will be hosting tour events in 17 major cities around the globe. There are hundreds of thousands of university students in or near Tokyo…there was an indelible sense that God is moving in Tokyo today and Passion could be a part of that movement.

4. Do you have a philosophy of contextualization?

As we embark on this undertaking, we are seeking, in every way possible to speak into the specific culture of each of the cities at which we will host events. However, we also recognize the practical impossibility of significantly altering the program for each of the seventeen tour stops. While we recognize that there will be points of minutia where our style and process diverge from the local culture, we believe fully that the heartbeat of Passion::Tokyo transcends culture and that God will use the Passion World Tour to accentuate the unity of His message.

5. Is the "practical impossibility" primarily related to production issues?

While there are some production issues, our bigger concern is that there would be accountability concerns with utilizing local leaders and worship artists. That is certainly not to suggest that there are not leaders and artists who share our vision and who are trustworthy in each locale but we feel led to utilize the teachers and worship artists who have been integral in developing the Passion vision. We are trusting God to overcome the prospective cultural hurdles inherent in that decision.

6. How will you handle language issues?

Our plan is to utilize subtitles true to the spirit of the worship songs for the majority of the music. We may also integrate some element of music in the native tongue of the venue, Japanese in this case. Recognizing the significant language barrier, our production will rely heavily on imagery -- which transcends language in communicating the message of Jesus Christ and His grace and love.

7. In a nation where most people conceptualize Christianity as foreign, do you think that there is danger that your program could inadvertently reinforce that impression?

We are certainly aware of that danger and continue to prayerfully evaluate how to best avoid that outcome. We are making an effort to ensure that nationals staff our most visible volunteer positions, so that the leaders with whom students are interacting are not Westerners.

8. How do you see the event this fall strengthening the church in Japan?

We anticipate the church being strengthened as a wide cross-section of ministries from across denominational and theological lines unite and work together to make the event a success. Passion’s experience with its events in the United States has been that students leave the events and return to their campuses energized in their relationship with God and committed to reorienting their own lives around the pursuit of His name and renown in every aspect of their lives.

9. Who will be on the program?

We anticipate Louie Giglio and Francis Chan as the main speakers; Chris Tomlin, David Crowder Band, and Matt Redman as worship leaders.

10. What is "success" for this event?

It will be a success if God’s name and renown are made known to the hearts and lives of the students in attendance and those students are inspired and encouraged to live lives radically changed as a result of an encounter with Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God.

Einstein: quote regarding imagination

2008-05-15T20:10:00.001+09:00

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world”

- Albert Einstein

Vincent Van Gogh

2008-05-14T20:19:00.000+09:00

Be clearly aware of the stars and infinity on high.

Then life seems almost enchanted after all.

Vincent Van Gogh

自分らしく生きる

2008-05-14T18:24:00.023+09:00

I taught a class yesterday for a group of ladies who are part of our new CLTC Communities (this is a Japanese site)initiative. The class is called 自分らしく生きる (literally "Being Yourself & Living it Out").

Recently, I have finally become convinced that the traditional approach of imparting knowledge simply does not work. Connected with that, I am committed to avoiding the lecture approach to teaching -- because it is not effective, and getting less so. I want the students to be involved in the process, and to help them integrate knowledge (truths) into their lives (application). So, we did several untypical things for this class that I thought worked well:

1. To start the class I asked the students to make a sketch of where they are at in their life journey. We had large pieces of paper and a basket full of my daughter's colored pens and crayons, they used this stuff to draw the place that they see themselves existing in at this time.

One person asked for an example so I drew a simple sketch on the white board of me jumping off a cliff, heading down, but looking at some nice hills in the distance. This has to do with my plunge into film making, very exciting but scary too. The class "got it" and got to work on their masterpieces -- the results were awesome. Several of the ladies have a lot of artistic talent, but all the drawings revealed a great deal about the person who did them... more then they realized.

Finally, I asked each person to tell about what they drew. So, not only was it a good time of personal reflection for each person, it was also a means of building community by getting to know each other better. Below is a photo of two of the students drawings:

2. Instead of just lecturing about the Bible (I have done way too much of that, although there is a place and a time for it). I divided the class into three groups and asked each of the group to study a section of I Corinthians 12. After they huddled for ten minutes each group reported what they had discovered -- again it worked out very well. Instead of me telling them, they found it themselves, and they did a good job, probably better than I could have done in terms of content. And, I think they are far more likely to remember what we covered and apply it to their lives.

3. We also watched a section of "Walk the Line" a movie on the life of Johnny Cash. I used this movie because there is a scene early in the film that shows young Cash struggling to make a go of it as a singer. His wife doesn't believe in him, they have no money, but he wants to sing so he tries to find a way to make it work. He goes to a recording studio, hoping to get a contract but he is told that the gospel music he is singing sounds stale. Johnny finally plays one of his original songs, with honesty and conviction, and he lands his first recording contract.

Cash had a rough life, complicated and full of problems but he eventually met God and became known as one of the most authentic musicians in the industry, and was deeply respected for it. For the class we discussed the obstacles he was dealing with, and how he found his genuine "voice" or way to express himself -- something it is so important for all of us to do. The students seemed to connect with this, one them talked with me after class about how difficult it is to figure out what her gift is and then how to use it. She expressed her frustration with the realities of having to make money and dealing with the expectations of others, struggles I am sure most of us can relate to.

Two weeks before Cash died, he recorded a moving music video. It was a cover of a song by Nine Inch Nails called Hurt. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend taking a few moments to view Johnny's incredibly authentic rendition of this song.

I want to acknowledge coach trainer Keith Webb, who contributed a lot to the way this class was taught. In other words, I blatantly stole ideas from him. I attended a coaching workshop in Tokyo that Keith facilitated. Not only did I get to learn a lot of great stuff about coaching, Keith used "interactive discover-based training" methods. It was wonderful -- a creative and highly effective way to teach. It is also a lot more fun than typical approaches. I highly recommend Keith, his web site is Creative Results Management.

Aesthetic Changes

2008-05-14T02:23:00.003+09:00

Just a quick note. I (Scot) am doing some work with the template and graphics in order to make this site look more pleasing and feel more professional. So, in the next few days, you are going to see a lot of *ahem* different things around here. Unfortunately, blogspot forces me to make the changes incrementally, instead of being able to make them all at once. So, you'll see graphical errors, color errors, and the like. Please ignore them. I promise, in a week it will all look pretty.

EDIT: It's finished. How do you like it?

Manga Outreach + A Sneak Peak at Manga Metamorphosis and Manga Mutiny

2008-04-19T20:58:00.020+09:00

I [Scot] don't know how many of you who frequent this site read the comments, but I'd highly recommend doing so. We don't get many of them, but the ones that we do get almost always add something really important to our ongoing discussion of Worship and the Arts in Japan. Anyway, I found this following cartoon in a link from Paul's Febr uary posting about the Channel of Hope. It shows, in a sardonic way, the potential for "New Media" outreach in Japan (New Media includes, well, new media, like youtube, animation, manga, or whatever was just released yesterday).

Anyway, it was taken from the "Internet Evangelism Day" website, and the article as a whole is so good I'm tempted to quote it verbatim. But, as it is, I'll just give you the link:
http://ied.gospelcom.net/japan-web-evangelism.php

Manga outreach is something that I am personally very interested in. Manga became popular in the USA during my college years, and to this day, there are six separate series that I follow in their weekly and monthly incarnations (this doesn't include series that are already finished that I have read through or am reading). I think this, in a way, is directly related to my childhood dream of becoming a comic book artist. I realize now that God has given me a different skill set, and that I will probably never become an artist, but my love of the medium has never waned. And every time I step outside of my house, I'm reminded of how widespread this interest is in Japan. I mean, even Lawsons and 7-11 sell the latest volume of several manga series. Think about that for a moment and let it sink in. First, that the manga series have several volumes. Second, that these volumes are sold in convenience stores. A few years ago in America, graphic novels took up a fifth of a bookshelf in smaller stores, and whole shelf in larger stores. Finding the graphic novel that you actually wanted was a near impossibility. I'm STILL searching for Spiderman's "Maximum Carnage" arc--a search I started in Middle School. If you lucked out and the graphic novel was still in print, your only option was to special-order it from a big chain like Barnes and Noble or Borders.

And last month, in Japan, I picked up Fullmetal Alchemist Volume 19 in a convenience store in Yonomori--a town which doesn't even have its own post office.

So I am very glad that people are starting to do manga outreach in Japan. We have posted many times on this blog about Next, a division of New Life League Japan, who is publishing manga based on the Bible. They released Manga Messiah last year, which covered the gospels, and they will be releasing Manga Metamorphosis later this year, which will cover Acts.

Back in December, Next hired me as an English proofreader/ Quality Checker. As such, I have seen and edited the first 150 pages of Manga Metamorphosis, and I can tell you that it is quite a bit better than Manga Messiah. Here are a few pictures to whet your appetite. Posted with permission of course. Click on the images to see a higher resolution.

The Great Comission

Pentacost

I also had the chance to visit Next and New Life League Japan about three weeks ago. I was very impressed with what I saw. Manga may be a new step for them, but printing is not. They print Bibles for so many languages that I stopped counting after 20. They also print calendars, books, and pretty much anything else that combines paper and ink. In their staff of about 50, eight different nationalities are represented. The highlight of my visit though was the chance to preview the art of Manga Mutiny, the tentatively-titled third volume in the series that covers the book of Genesis. Next had decided from the very beginning that they were going to have different artists for the Old and New Testament, and it shows. My two main concerns for the art in Manga Messiah and Manga Metamorphosis were that the art seemed to be aimed at young children, and that there were way too many panels on every page, which made it feel cramped and rushed at times. I understand the reason for this, as they are trying to fit a whole book into one manga volume, but I miss the full-page splash images that are so prevalent in manga. It just so happens that both of my concerns were addressed. The art feels much more mature in the third volume, bearing a slight shojo style, and there are some BEAUTIFUL splash pages. They are without any text right now, but I think these pictures will speak for themselves. Click for a higher resolution (my apologies that the only camera I had on me was my cellphone camera).

Creation

The Garden of Eden

Babel Tower and Abram

Lot's Wife

So, things are looking good. Thanks for reading and thinking about this New Media outreach. It could have profound effects.

Passion::Tokyo -- details

2008-04-10T21:45:00.012+09:00

I attended a meeting in Tokyo on April 10 where I got the following information directly from Jon Ackley-Jelinek, Angela Presley, and Jake Jelinek -- the three coordinators of Passion::Tokyo

The Passion Tokyo event will be a one day meeting on October 13, 2008 with one afternoon and one evening session.
Program details are pending but they did say that Louie Giglio, leader of Passion, plans to be there and that the program will include several of the well-known Passion worship leaders.
Location is C. C. Lemon Hall in Shibuya (Tokyo). This is a very nice looking, new hall with 2084 seats.
For those of you who use facebook, you can join a group there called "Passion::Tokyo."
The home page for the world tour is here: Passion World Tour Site

This is current information reflecting decisions that have been made since this team arrived in Japan.

Published with permission.

Photo: C.C. Lemon Hall in Tokyo

Where is my security?

2008-04-02T11:46:00.002+09:00

“It’s a good thing to have all the props pulled out from under us occasionally. It gives us some sense of what is rock under our feet, and what is sand.”

-- Madeleine L’Engle in The Summer of the Great-Grandmother

A Little Humor

2008-03-25T12:36:00.005+09:00

This post has absolutely nothing to do with worship or the arts. It's just for fun. I came across a video series called "The Japanese Tradition" by the Japanese comedy duo "The Ramens." And I almost fell out of my chair laughing. It's really understated humor, so not everyone will get it, but for those that do, it will brighten your day. The first two links are understandable by anyone, even if you're not in Japan, and from there they get a little harder to understand without some personal experience. Enjoy!

Chopsticks (3:18) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjuD52s0GBs&feature=related
Origami (6:24) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhSjtXKsSJQ&feature=related
Sushi (8:07) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIb6ZSqal64&feature=related
Shazai - How to Apologize (3:38) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4bMM73-qHo&feature=related
Green Tea [not yet subtitled] (3:00) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLtaVoH0WAc&feature=related

Kosai - Dating (27:10) - This is the best one by far. It's hilarious, but it's 27 minutes long, and requires a bit of Japanese cultural knowledge. It's split into 4 parts.
Part 1 - http://youtube.com/watch?v=PO5IDiYPXPo
Part 2 - http://youtube.com/watch?v=iPa2WIIaVY4&feature=related
Part 3 - http://youtube.com/watch?v=dID_LZwQgmI&feature=related
Part 4 - http://youtube.com/watch?v=YPrvWxittxY&feature=related

Prince Caspian Screening in Tokyo

2008-03-21T16:22:00.010+09:00

CAN got the opportunity to book a group of nine to a screening of Prince Caspian, the second in the series of Narnia films being produced by Disney.

The large theater in Shinjuku was packed with media people, at least six hundred of them. We only got to see around fifteen minutes of footage, and at least half of it was still in the rough cut stage of editing, so there were blank areas, and other anomalies.

But, I was VERY impressed with what they showed us of Prince Caspian. "The Lion the Witch & the Wardrobe," (the first film in this series) was rather disappointing to me, not bad, just not as good as it could have been. So I was pleased to see that this second movie is going to be far better than the first one. Why? There is a lot of action, darker, better acting, a better story, and an important point for me is that Aslan promises to be a great deal more captivating than he was in the first film.

Both the producer, Mark Johnson, and Ben Burnes (Prince Caspian), showed up for the event. We got to hear about 45 minutes of comments from Johnson and Burnes, and then a short Q and A time (one of our party noted that only women were called on to ask a question -- I have no idea what that means).

Quoting Mark Johnson (Producer) :

"Very different (than the first movie), more dramatic, darker, a lot more action... takes place mostly in woods."
"The trees are very, very important in this movie."
Part of the journey of this movie is to bring out the trees, it is through Aslan that the trees are brought back to life.

Quoting Ben Burnes (Prince Caspian)

"A story about bringing the magic back into Narnia."
"I spent the morning praying in a Shinto shrine for the success of the movie."
There are 1,600 effects shots in the movie, only 600 of which are done at this time -- "we will have it done on May 15 and not a day before that."

Prince Caspian will be released in the US on May 16, 2008 & in Japan on May 21, 2008

“Channel of Hope”

2008-03-21T15:19:00.004+09:00

Redemptive Media For Japanese

Photo by Dan Waber

Description:
Produce quality, captivating films, in Japanese, that will “connect” with mainstream Japanese and draw them towards putting their faith in Jesus Christ. We will use the strategy of building bridges to people by telling great stories and by posing the great questions of life. “Channel of Hope” is a “New Media” approach that will allow interactivity and worldwide distribution via the Internet. We will pursue leveraging the “Power For Living” campaign by seeking permission to feature several of the celebrities that took part in that project. We will also network, encourage, and empower a select group of individuals in the art of filmmaking.

There is considerable interest in Christianity in Japan, especially among youth. A comprehensive study of Japanese people and religion - conducted by Gallup - documented that six to seven percent of Youth identify themselves as ‘Christian’. Another research project – ‘Elijah Symposium’ - identified 7% of the youth of Japan as ‘hot prospects’ for the Gospel.

For information on the strategic opportunity for Internet based outreach in Japan, see the Internet Evangelism Day Site.

What We See:

A skilled, dedicated core team with common values & vision.
A small cadre of Christians trained and equipped to become influential leaders in Japan’s film industry.
A partnership with several key churches and ministries.
A large network of churches, groups, and individuals praying for and supporting the project.
A personal connection (via the interactive channel on youtube) between viewers and a believer who will follow up on questions, comments, and provide referals to local churches.
A growing library of award-winning, redemptive films in a wide variety of genres (five films the first year, ten more the second).
A well-funded project with a good business plan that results in long-term financial stability.
A project that benefits Japanese society by addressing social issues such as suicide, depression, and the hikikomori syndrome.

The Tree of Life & the Tree of Knowledge -- A Response

2008-03-15T19:40:00.023+09:00

Thanks Scot for "The Tree of Life & the Tree of Knowledge" post. As you know, Japanese pop culture is saturated with spiritual symbols and themes (it astounds me how often I hear someone label Japan "secular" -- using the word to mean that there is a very low interest in the metaphysical).

You posted your article about the tree being an important symbol in Japanese media the day after Jonathan Herring and I visited Meiji shrine in Harajuku (one of the more important Shinto shrines in Japan). Meiji shrine is huge, the biggest I have seen. We entered the grounds and walked along a lovely path with a majestic forest on both sides. This path passes through three large torii (shinto gates) made from massive trees (each vertical post and cross beam is made from a single tree); the gates lead into an alternative world.

After walking for ten minutes we arrived at the main shrine, which is an amazingly ornate and large complex of buildings, gates and fences that took a tremendous amount of skill to build. In the court yard is a very old, stunningly beautiful "sacred tree" that is surrounded by a wooden fence. The fence has a large number of pegs on it where people hang little wooden placards with personal prayers written on them (the placards are sold for 500 yen each, there were well over five thousand of them hanging on the pegs, I will have to go back and find out how often they are removed to make room for new ones).

I was deeply impressed by the size and majesty of this tree, and by the way thousands of people believe that it is a source of power. Well dressed, educated, articulate Japanese (plus a few foreigners) going to a majestic tree to get some help for their problems.

In Japan the spiritual significance of trees (what Scot observes in Japanese pop culture) began long ago when the land was covered with virgin forests full of magnificent trees like the one at Meiji shrine. It must have been awe inspiring to walk in such a forest; I would love to be able to do so.

Thanks again Scot for your excellent article!

The second and third photos are by Richard Eccleston

Spritual Bridges in Anime - Death Note

2008-02-21T02:05:00.008+09:00

So, have you heard about the new Death Note movie? If the answer is “No,” then you probably haven’t been to a movie theatre, bookstore, CD shop, video rental store, manga café, karaoke room, or combini lately. Either that or you don’t live in Japan. The new movie, L – Change the world, has been the #1 movie in Japan since its release just over two weeks ago, and it has seen the release of a novelization, a soundtrack, and a one-shot manga (a story that begins and ends in one chapter) as well as gracing the covers of multiple manga magazines—even ones that never serialized it. So, there’s a bit of hype.

So what is Death Note? It exists in three forms: a 12-volume manga (plus extras), a set of two live-action movies (with a 3rd spinoff movie currently in theatres), and a 37-episode anime series (with two 2-hour remake specials). It’s also the name for one of the most controversial mainstream mangas ever released. In this entry to Spiritual Bridges, I will be covering the anime version for a variety of reasons. First, the movie is not considered “canon,” as it changes some crucial plot details. Second, the anime trims down some of the excess exposition that makes the manga badly paced. Third, it’s beautiful. Whether you are talking about art, music, dramatic timing, voice acting*, or any number of other categories, my personal opinion is that the Death Note anime series approaches artistic perfection more than any other series I have ever seen. I don’t say that lightly.

[*I am referring to the Japanese voices. I have only seen one episode with the English voices, so I feel unqualified to comment on that. However, the English dub is currently airing on Cartoon Network, so many of you may be more familiar with that.]

Now, for the standard disclaimers. I was originally planning on saving Death Note as one of the final entries in this series. This series is about as non-Christian as a series can get, and the themes that are brought up are at once brilliant, powerful, and profoundly unsettling. As such, this may be the hardest series that I will ever work with on this site, but I deal with it because of its great potential. I am dealing with it now because the new movie has brought it back to everyone’s mind.

------------------------------------------------------

Death Note (デスノート)
Original Author/Artist: Ooba Tsugumi (大場つぐみ) and Obata Takeshi (小畑健)
Animation Company: Madhouse
English Licensor: VIZ media

The story begins with Yagami Light, a senior in high school who is quite possibly the smartest person his age in all of Japan. One day after school, he finds a notebook dropped by the Shinigami (death god) Ryuk. But this notebook is special. In it, the following rules are written. I reproduce them in their entirety because they are necessary for understanding the series:

1. The human whose name is written in this note shall die.

2. This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person’s face in mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people sharing the same name will not be affected.

3. If the cause of death is written within 40 seconds of writing the person’s name, it will happen.

4. If the cause of death is not specified, the person will simply die of a heart attack.

5. After writing the cause of death, details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

And thus, Light gains the power of life and death—and anonymity. But Light is an ambitious boy, and decides to not use this power for petty purposes. He decides that he will use the Death Note to judge the world, cleansing it of its criminals, effectively bringing about worldwide peace. He will use the rules of the Death Note to his advantage, making all of the criminals die of heart attacks, so that the world will realize that there is intention and purpose behind the deaths and change their ways. He earns the name “Kira” which is the katakana of the English “killer.” In the end, he purposes to become the God of his new world. But one man arises out of nowhere to stand in his way: a faceless and nameless (read: unkillable) detective known only as “L”. Light must figure out a way to kill L, and L must figure out a way to convict Light. Though each of them knows who the other is, Light is never able to get L’s name, and L is never able to find any evidence against Light. This is the groundwork for our story. You might wonder how we will ever draw spiritual bridges from such a story, but bear with me. First, we need to talk about characters.

Yagami Light, the main character, and the protagonist, is also the bad guy. In many ways, Light is the human embodiment of the principles of Niccolo Machiavelli and Friedrich Nietzsche. He is brilliant, and his brilliance brings him to the edge of criminal insanity. He knows how the world works, and he knows how to manipulate people. He even manages to work his way onto the taskforce that has been formed for the sole purpose, ironically, of catching him. Throughout the series, through Light, we get to see how criminal insanity is formed, and it is very, scarily believable. We see him becoming the very type of person that he originally set out to cleanse the world of. In short, Light becomes evil, in the purest sense of the word. He kills those close to him with little regard or second thought, though those people, unaware, would follow him willingly to their death. By the end of the series, though people love him and follow him, he literally loses his ability to love. There is only one person in the series that he ever comes close to loving, but he ends up killing that man in the worst possible way.

L, in contrast, is the antagonist, but not necessarily the good guy. He is equally as brilliant, but differs from Light in the fact that he doesn’t believe it is right for a human to judge other humans. In many ways, L represents one of the main themes of the series: balance. His brilliance comes from the fact that he can balance logic and intuition, inductive and deductive reasoning, and most importantly, justice and mercy. He suffers from the same pride that plagues Light, but never loses his ability to love. During one episode of the series, he becomes convinced that Light is “Kira”, but becomes completely unable to prove it. We see him standing in the rain on top of a building pondering things. Light, who is on the investigation squad at this point, comes to fetch him, and the two have a very meaningful conversation. L reveals that Light—whom he knows is Kira, but who is also the only equal he has ever faced—is his first friend. As they are drying off from the rain, L, in a completely surprising moment, stoops down to wash and dry Light’s feet. This profoundly affects Light, and when Light draws his last breath, it is to address L. Nonetheless, minutes after this touching moment, Light’s plan, which has been set in motion for months by this point, results in L’s death at the hands of a Shinigami.

This brings us to the third and final main character: Ryuk, the Shinigami. I have mentioned that one of the main themes of this series is balance. Ryuk’s entire purpose in this series is to upset that balance. If Light and L represent order, Ryuk represents chaos, and both of the main characters meet their deaths because they cannot balance order and chaos. L cannot catch Kira (Light) because he is unable to account for Ryuk’s actions. Light ends up killing his only friend and bringing about his own demise because he cannot balance the chaos either. [This, in essence, is a very Japanese way of looking at supernatural intervention. We humans try to live our lives in order and balance, but the kami intervene and cause disorder and disharmony when we fail to honor them. As such, the Japanese worldview is one of passive acceptance of outside forces, all while trying to keep the gods placated and at bay.] Ryuk’s only motivation for his actions in the series is boredom. He has been alive for thousands of years, and his only real purpose has been to supernaturally shorten the lifespans of humans. He has no affiliation with either Light or L, but capriciously helps Light at times simply because he finds Light interesting, and Light provides him with his favorite food (apples). Aside from that, his actions are completely self-serving, and he feels no remorse at the end in abandoning Light, to his death. Ryuk represents the unpredictable, from the first episode to the last.

So, with a series like this, and characters like this, how are we to ever explain the gospel of Christ? As I said before, this is hard, but the result can be very powerful. But in order to build the bridge, we are building more on what is unsaid than on what is said. One thing unique about this series is that it never seeks to answer the questions it asks. For example, it asks, “What is true justice?” but never answers the question, since neither Light nor L represents true justice. It also asks what it would take to change humanity and bring about peace, but never provides an answer. And this is not lazy storytelling; it’s intentional. So now, I am going to try to show how one can go from watching this show to entering into dialogue with people to answer these questions.

One of the most surprising things about Death Note is that the bad guy wins. Halfway through the series, Light succeeds in killing L, and the rest of the investigation squad, still unaware that Light is Kira, elects him as L’s replacement. The story then goes on break, to be picked up 5 years later. Light, Kira, has succeeded in making his new world, and there are those who openly worship him as God. He has enacted justice on criminals, worldwide crime has dropped by over 70%, and people seem to be living in peace with one another. It’s a utopia, right?

No.

Light succeeds in cleansing the world, but not in cleansing peoples’ hearts. Crime has dropped off, but only because of fear. People no longer commit crimes because they know they will be killed; not because they truly want to become better people. In one very telling moment, a man knowingly commits a crime and strategically kidnaps a media spokesperson that Kira has put in place. He fully plans on being arrested and thrown in jail, but the police surround him and shoot him dead without warning him, noting that Kira would have killed him anyway, and they were just saving Kira the trouble.

All of this illustrates in a very clear way the profound human paradox that what people need in the deepest part of their hearts is not justice, but mercy. Justice was given for five years, and the world became clean on the surface and rotten underneath. It is impossible to watch this series and miss that idea. From here, we can guide people on the last step to ask what it would really take to change the world. Would absolute justice truly create a better place? Would people become better if every crime was followed-up on and punished appropriately? Would we, you and I, change our hearts if God always enacted his righteous justice and never showed us mercy? No. No. No. For what truly changes people, whether they be American, Kenyan, Iraqi, or Japanese, is to receive pardon when they know in their heart-of-hearts that they don’t deserve it.

This is a message that Japanese people need to hear. For heaven’s sake, they need to hear it! There is no recovery, no forgiveness, if a large enough mistake is made in Japan. There is no way to regain face or honor, save by a cycle of death and rebirth, where the karma of your mistakes follows you anyway. Something needs to break the cycle. Something needs to intervene if peace will ever be obtained. This series doesn’t directly say that, but it illustrates it in a profound way.

In the end of the series, as Light is dying, Ryuk informs him that when humans die, they don’t go to either heaven or hell. The place that they go is “Mu” (nothingness). And that is the end of the series. That’s the end of the story. It begins in chaos and ends in nothingness. There is no hope; there is no joy. The despair and pointlessness is so poignant that you can almost touch it. And yet, from that point, we as ambassadors for Christ can speak words of hope, words of balance, words of mercy, and words of love.

I could write more, as there are dozens of characters that I didn’t even mention, but I suggest that you invest in this series. Rent it from your local video store if you’re in Japan, watch it on Cartoon Network if you’re in the US, or buy it if you’re in either country. It is not a story of hope, and it’s not a story that is easy to build bridges from, but it is a story which portrays some of the fears and the questions that are in the minds of Japanese youth right now. It is a story that portrays the desperate need for hope and mercy. Most importantly, it is a series that asks good questions—questions to which we have the Answer.

Spiritual Bridges part 2

God A and God B - Brian D. McLaren

2008-02-16T19:54:00.004+09:00

From Brian D. McLaren's book A Generous Orthodoxy. I tried to shorten it, but it lost its power, so here is the section in its entirety, followed by my comments. Italics are his emphasis, bolds are mine.

"The experience of God in Jesus was so powerful that it forever transformed what followers of Jesus meant when they said the word God. What was God like? What was God about? When they thought about what they had learned, seen, and experienced in a few centuries of reflecting on God as revealed and experienced through Jesus (in the context of some major controversies with varied forms of Greek philosophy), the church began to describe God as Father-Son-Spirit in Tri-unity or the Trinity. For them, God could no longer be conceived of merely as "God A," a single, solitary, dominant Power, Mind, or Will, but as "God B," a unified, eternal mysterious, relational community/family/society/entity of saving Love.

"Think of the kind of universe you would expect if God A created it: a universe of dominance, control, limitation, submission, uniformity, coercion. [footnote: Most forms of Islam and certain forms of Christianity reflect belief in this kind of God--"God A"--and this kind of universe.] Think of the kind of universe you would expect if God B created it: a universe of interdependence, relationship, possibility, responsibility, becoming, novelty, mutuality, freedom. I'm not sure which comes first--the kind of universe you see or the kind of God you believe in, but as a Christian who believes in Jesus as the Son of God, I find myself in universe B, getting to know God B.

This is why, for starters, I am a Christian: the image of God conveyed by Jesus as the Son of God, and the image of the universe that resonates with this image of God best fit my deepest experience, best resonate with my deepest intuition, best inspire my deepest hope, and best challenge me to live with what my friend, the late Mike Yaconelli, called "dangerous wonder," which is the starting point for a generous orthodoxy."

~Brian McLaren, A Generous Orthodoxy, Chapter 2: Jesus and God B, pages 76-77.

The God that Jesus revealed, God B, doesn't inspire subservience and control, but rather faith, hope, and love. And the Japanese people could do with a little bit of all three. As we seek to reveal God in the country of Japan, what can we do to reveal God B, when we naturally tend to think of God A? How can we capture the hope and imagination of this people and center them on the One who can make them flourish?

EDIT: I posted this on Facebook also, and my friend brought up a really good question that is worth reposting here. She said, "But... isn't God both (all) at once?" The answer? Of course! And it is just as dangerous to hold exclusively to "B" as it leads to a view of a God of chaos (defined here as the absence of order, rather than the disruption of it), which is a tenant of Shinto, Daoism, and some forms of Animism. So let me requote one sentence with a different emphasis: "God could no longer be conceived of MERELY as 'God A'..." Since we are writing to Westerners though, I think the side of God most often ignored is the "B" side.

Spritual Bridges in Anime - Fullmetal Alchemist

2008-02-06T23:00:00.000+09:00

In my (Scot's) original post on this blog, I gave a list of three topics I planned on posting about. So far, I haven't posted about a single one of those topics. What's more, in the two most recent postings I have given, there has been a relatively negative tone. I stand by what I said, but I don't want to be negative all of the time.

So, I am going to start a new series of posts--a series which will run indefinately, called "Spiritual Bridges", where I will take a critical (but hopeful) look at anime and manga, Japan's biggest cultural export, and attempt to build some bridges between the ideas presented in the anime/manga and the Christian worldview. It is my hope that these postings will allow Japanese Christians and Missionaries alike start to speak the language of this country's youth, telling them about the incredible gospel of Christ in a way that they can understand.

Before we begin, let me get a few things taken care of. First, let me explain the different mediums we will be working with.

Anime is a an abbreviation of "animation," and in Japanese refers to cartoons in genearl. In English, it specifically connotates Japanese cartoons, drawn in a specific style. Anime exists in two basic forms: movies and television shows. Movies are standalone works, and television shows are continuous stories spanning a certain number of episodes (usually 12-13, 24-26, or 50-52, corresponding to the average number of weeks in a season) that must be watched in order.

Manga is the Japanese word for "comic book" which in Japan covers all forms of graphic novels. In English, this word specifically refers to Japanese graphic novels. Like anime, manga tell a continuous story, and each chapter must be read in order. A good number of anime were originally manga (like Dragonball Z and Naruto). Manga is released by chapter either weekly or monthly, and after a set period of time, multiple chapters are collected into a bound volume. There is no standard length for manga. Some stories cover six volumes, whereas others (like One Piece) are in the 40's.

Also, a disclaimer. There is very little manga and virtually no anime from a Christian perspective. None of the pieces I mention here were made by Christian authors. As a result, I urge readers to think critically. There will be parts of every story that we cannot affirm, but that doesn't mean that these stories are morally or spiritually void. Now, without further ado, the first post of this series.

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Fullmetal Alchemist (鋼の錬金術師)

Original Author: Arakawa Hiromu (荒川弘)

Animation Company: BONES

English Licensor: FUNimation

This story exists in two forms. The original is a monthly manga by Arakawa Hiromu, which currently has 79 chapters and is still running. The second is a 51-episode anime + movie (The Conqueror of Shamballa) by Studio BONES. These two forms have the same characters, but are essentially different stories. When the manga finishes, I will post about that. For now, I am posting about the anime version.

The story begins with two young alchemist brothers named Edward and Alphonse who are on a quest to retrieve the legendary Philosopher's Stone. This stone allows the user to bypass the laws of Equivalent Exchange--the first rule of alchemy. Basically, alchemy is a skill which allows the user to break an object down into its base elements and rearrange it however they see fit. Thus, Equivalent Exchange means that the atoms on one side of the equation must equal the atoms on the other side of the equation. A few years before the story begins, the brothers tried to use alchemy to recreate their dead mother. However, they didn't factor in the price of a soul in their experiment, and were punished severely for trying to "step on God's territory." Edward, the older brother, lost his left leg; Alphonse, the younger brother, lost his entire body. In order to save Alphonse, Edward sacrifices his right arm in order to bond his brother's soul to a suit of armor standing in the corner. Maimed, scared, and remorseful, the two set out on a quest to procure the Philosopher's Stone and restore each others' bodies. Edward uses his life savings to buy a prosthetic arm and leg, which their childhood friend (Winry) manufactures.

One of the main spiritual bridges in this anime is the concept of selflessness stemming from love. Neither Ed nor Al are out to restore their own bodies. Each of them feels equally responsible for their mistake, and is working for the benefit of the other. This selfless unity, which places no blame, allows them to work together to overcome overwhelming difficulties along the way.

Another bridge is the value of human life. Never have I seen an anime cover this so thoroughly. Many questions are asked. Since Al is only a soul, without a body, is he still human? Some characters say no, but ultimately, the show illustrates that human worth is not dependent upon human status. It's easy to go from this to talk about how humans have worth not because of our beauty or ability, but because we are made in the image of God. This is explored further too. Many times in the series, the end is in sight. Ed and Al have countless opportunities to accomplish their goal, but not without compromising their moral ground. They hold fast to what is right, even though it is much more dangerous and difficult. In contrast, one character, Scar, compromises constantly, living for himself and being unafraid to kill those who stand in his way. After observing Ed and Al, however, we see a scene that shows Scar's utter emptiness. In the end, he sacrifices himself for the sake of others. The spiritual connections in this should be obvious.

The end of the series is where the most poignant bridge comes in. The story is a coming of age story for the two brothers, and we see them developing through the whole series. In the beginning, Ed is arrogant, boasting that there is no God, and that the science of alchemy makes him the closest thing to a God that most people will ever see. In the end, both brothers are forced to take a grim look at the world and realize its many imperfections. In the process they are forced to look at their own imperfections. The ending itself is imperfect, as the brothers never truly accomplish their objective. They do, however, learn to see beauty in the imperfection, and love the world despite its many flaws. The arrogance is replaced with selflessness, and in the ending monologue, God is acknowledged as being much more powerful and sovereign than the alchemists. More than any Christian production, this show illustrated to me what it means to love despite imperfections. It is a powerful message, and though it may be used as a spiritual bridge, you may want to absorb it for your own benefit first.

If you are looking to use Japanese pop culture to communicate the message of the gospel, this is a perfect place to start. As this is a very popular series, it should be possible to rent one disc at a time, even in America. FUNimation is also releasing box sets of 13 episodes apiece for $30-40, which is a VERY good deal for anime. It's dark at times, and the characters make some very bad mistakes, but we see them grow, and we identify with them. Selflessness, forgiveness, human worth, and love... all illustrated clearly, and all available as a bridge to start talking about what Jesus said on these issues.

Spiritual Bridges part 1

Missions & Filmmaking Converge in Tokyo

2008-02-03T16:55:00.003+09:00

Description:
Produce quality, captivating films, in Japanese, that will “connect” with mainstream Japanese youth and draw them towards putting their faith in Jesus Christ. We will use the strategy of building bridges to people by telling great stories and by posing the great questions of life. “Channel of Hope” is a “New Media” approach that will allow interactivity and worldwide distribution via the Internet. We will pursue leveraging the “Power For Living” campaign by seeking permission to feature several of the celebrities that took part in that project. We will also network, encourage, and empower a select group of individuals in the art of filmmaking.

There is considerable interest in Christianity in Japan, especially among youth. A comprehensive study of Japanese people and religion - conducted by Gallup documented that six to seven percent of Youth identify themselves as ‘Christian’. Another research project – named ‘Elijah Symposium’ - identified 7% of the youth of Japan as ‘hot prospects’ for the Gospel.

For information on the strategic opportunity for Internet based outreach in Japan, see the Internet Evangelism Day Site.

What We See:

A highly skilled, dedicated team with common values & vision.
A partnership with several key churches and ministries.
A large network of churches, groups, and individuals praying for and supporting the project.
A link to a web site that connects viewers of films to a believer.
A growing library of award-winning, redemptive films in a wide variety of genres (five films the first year, ten more the second).
A well-funded project with a good business plan that results in long-term financial stability.
A small cadre of Christians trained and equipped to become influential leaders in Japan’s film industry.
A project that benefits Japanese society by addressing social issues such as suicide, depression, and the hikikomori syndrome.

the indie contingent

2008-01-31T13:16:00.000+09:00

Mark spent a year in Tokyo as an Artist In Residence (AiR) with CAN. He left behind a lot of good friends who miss him, a lot. Thanks Mark for this post, and, welcome to the blog. Come back to Tokyo sometime soon and make my Taylor (guitar) sound really good again. It was great having you here with us for a year! (Paul Nethercott)

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con·tin·gent - [kuhn-tin-juhnt]
–adjective

1.dependent for existence
2.A representative group forming part of an assemblage.

There are several things I've been learning on my journey as an "independent" artist:
1.There is no such thing as an independent artist
2.Artists can not possibly survive independently
3.and for you math people out there I've come up with this little formula A^1=undefined

What am I saying? Am I throwing in the sweaty towel? Chucking my guitar against the wall and walking away? ummmm... here is another equation - NO x INFINITY = ANSWER :)

What the term independent means in music, is that we are free to follow our heart's passion, free to express that passion in our art as we desire, and free to distribute and use our art to benefit others with out being inhibited. But to accomplish this, we are actually very, very dependent - on people like you. A group of people that goes beyond just a "listener" or a "fan", into what I am calling the Indie Contingent.

These are the people who share a common vision with me, a vision of reaching out to the oppressed, seeking healing and justice for the exploited, and loving them with the Love that has been poured into us. Are you willing to merge your time and abilities with me in this?

Morocco Trip:

Many of you have heard me express my vision for loving the oppressed around the world, but only some of you know how we plan to let this vision manifest in the near future. I want to take a small team of people to different countries where significant exploitation is happening for 2 to 3 months. Our goal is to hear their stories so that we can present them in forms of media - songs and other art - to raise awareness and funds to bring aid, practical help, and loving people to the sides of the hurting. We are currently in the planning stages of preparing for the first of these trips - to Morocco, in the summer of 2008. There is a lot that has to fall into place, but we are preparing, brain storming ideas, and planning in full expectation of it happening.
ALL of these positions below aid this, either in actually participating directly in Morocco, or preparing our distribution base back in America and around the world where we hope to share the stories.

These are the talents I am specifically looking for to join the Indie Contingent -

The people we are looking to potentially have come with us to Morocco are listed below...we hope that those numbers can be replaced soon with names :)

1-2 song writers
1 photographer/video documenter
1 translator or translators in country

And maybe you aren't into traveling around the world, or simply can't... Here are several talents that we really need tons of here in America, or abroad

Graphic Design:
-Merchandise (designing t-shirts, wrist bands, and whatever your mind come us with)
-Web Work (design, Flash, and programming)
-Promotional Material (merch layout at shows, promo posters/flyers, CD designs)

Tour Management:
-Venue Scouts (finding interesting, artistic venues to play in and promote our vision)
-Booking Agents (booking shows at venues like art spaces, colleges, churches, bars)
-Local Talent Scouts (finding artists to join the show in their area and bring new people to listen who normally wouldn't be there)
-Promoters (people who spread the word about new music/shows through word of mouth, distributing flyers, writing reviews and notices for newspapers, getting announcements through connections to radio stations, etc)

Visual Art:
-Artists of nearly any medium (I love to have artists performing during the shows to turn the musical and lyrical message into a fresh visual connection)

Are you interested in joining the Indie Contingent, or just wanting more information?
email me at

We sure hope you are, as we are truly impotent without you. Your ideas, hearts, and abilities only make our visions more viable, and its potential reach far greater!

Religious Video Games

2008-01-24T00:22:00.000+09:00

Back in September and October, while I was waiting for my visa to come to Japan, I finally got a chance to play Okami (大神 ōkami in Japanese), an action-adventure game for the Playstation 2 console that was released in late 2006. I was attracted to the game for two main reasons. First, it had a unique graphics engine that made the game feel like a 3D Japanese watercolor painting. Second, and most important for me, it had a soundtrack that fused Japanese traditional music (邦楽) with the Western orchestra.

When I started playing the game, I was in for quite a surprise. The story was nothing less than Shinto 101. You play as the avatar of Amaterasu, the sun goddess and the most important of the kami to the Japanese people. You have been called back to the world by a withering tree named Sakuya in order to deal with a spreading darkness in the world, which through the game takes on the form of Orochi the 8-headed serpent, the Nine-tailed fox demon, and many other characters from Japanese legend. Some of the protagonists include Issun the painter, Susanō, Waka, Kaguya and the Bamboo Cutter, and others. Amaterasu is in a weakened form, as people have forgotten her and are no longer praying to her. Through the game, you help people through their troubles in order to gain their praise, which in turn strengthens you. There are many more blatant Shinto references.

The thing is, the game is incredibly fun. One look at the Wikipedia entry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%8Ckami#Reception) will show you the vast amount of awards and acclaim it has received. It's even getting a Nintendo Wii remake, even though Clover Studios, who produced the game, dissolved last year. It has earned its place on my shelf as a game that I will never re-sell, and will probably play again in a few years. So, on the one hand, we have an incredibly well-made game promoting Shinto.

On the other hand, we have the wealth of well-made Christian games on the market. Their titles include... well... to be honest I can't think of any. I remember Wisdom Tree Publishers back in the days of the NES (Japanese Famicom) and SNES (Japanese Super Famicom), who are famous for publishing the only game, and I mean the ONLY game, for the Super Nintendo to NOT receive Nintendo's official seal of quality. The game was Super Noah's Ark 3D, which was identical to the first person shooter Wolfenstein 3D, except for the fact that the Nazis were graphically replaced with goats. In the days of the original Nintendo, they were famous for a game called "Spiritual Warfare," which was loosely based on the Legend of Zelda, but instead of killing goblins with your sword, you instead shot heathens with the fruits of the spirit in order to convert them. Other games include rip-offs of Super Mario 2 and Candyland.

In fact, every Christian game I can think of is a rip-off of another game. But surely things have gotten better in the last 15 years, right? Unfortunately, no. Digital Praise is the leading Christian games publisher now, famous for making a Christian version of Dance Dance Revolution and a host of PC-based Veggie Tales and Adventures in Odyssey games. A couple of years back, Left Behind: Eternal Forces tried to cash in on the hype surrounding the Command and Conquer series. There have been few other notable mentions.

So why is it that a game promoting Shinto can win game of the year on so many websites, while Christian games barely rise to the surface, and if they do, are generally not worth the time and money it takes to play them? Part of it includes the costs incurred while making a game. After all, games are expensive to make, and they are only getting worse. I think a bigger problem though, is the stigma that video games have received from Protestant America. Almost every famous anti-videogame spokesman is a Conservative Christian, and many things have been said to alienate those who like games. Some of my friends have been lectured by their coworkers on how they are breaking the commandment to not kill every time they play Halo with their friends. Some have seen games that include magic and immediately announced them as hethen, ignoring the often strong sense of justice and morality presented in the same games. Others claim that video games rot the mind (a statment which has been proven false on many occasions, as playing games includes much more mental interaction than watching television or movies, and has been proven to increase cognitive mapping in children).

In the meantime, we as Christians are missing out on a medium which is rivaling and threatening to surpass the movie industry in terms of revenue. Not only that, but a quality game made and released (through the appropriate outlets) in America/Canada will also likely be released in post-Christian Europe, Australia, Southeast Asia, and of course, unreached Japan. The operative word is "quality." For more information on what some people think of the Christian gaming industry, an editor at RPGamer.com posted an interesting commentary. I would encourage you to read it. Section 3 includes the commentary on Chrsitian games, and section 2 shows some of the ways that video gamers feel attacked my narrow conservative mindsets. Check it out here.

"Cellphone Novels" Huge Hit in Japan

2008-01-20T20:00:00.000+09:00

On the trains in Tokyo I often see young women absorbed in their cell phones, now I know one thing they are doing is writing and/or reading novels! Amazing...

"Thumbs Race as Japan’s Best Sellers Go Cellular" The New York Times

TOKYO — Until recently, cellphone novels — composed on phone keypads by young women wielding dexterous thumbs and read by fans on their tiny screens — had been dismissed in Japan as a sub-genre unworthy of the country that gave the world its first novel, “The Tale of Genji,” a millennium ago. Then last month, the year-end best-seller tally showed that cellphone novels, republished in book form, have not only infiltrated the mainstream but have come to dominate it.

Read the full article on the NY Times Site

TV Program Leads Japanese Youth To Faith in Christ

2008-01-19T10:37:00.002+09:00

As told by Takeshi

I have been working as a carpenter for 4 years, I worked so hard that some times I felt tired mentally and spiritually. At those times I began to think a lot about my life, "For what cause do I live in this world?" or "Does my life have meaning?" I got sick of myself; the feeling of loneliness and emptiness filled my heart.

One day, I saw a TV program called "Unbelievable Wonders", it featured a little girl called Ashley. Ashley has a disease called progeria, and life was really painful for her. Progeria is an accelerated aging disease, in which the aging process of the body accelerates 10 times faster than normal. Most people with progeria die at around 13 years of age. But, at that time, Ashley was already 14 years old.

Progeria made her bones became fragile, made her hair fall out; it also gave her bad headaches and pain in her chest. As she has passed the 13 year limit, she didn't know when she's going to die. At first, I thought, "What a poor girl. What's the meaning of her life?" But as I watched more, I knew that she lived her life so positively, but I didn't know why.

As I finished watching, I was really moved by her. She had hard times much more than me, but she lived so positively. I thought about how my worries seemed so small compared to hers. At the end of the program, they introduced a book by Ashley. I didn't think to go and buy it. But, as I passed by a bookstore one day, I found the book and bought it.

These are her words from the book. "I don't want to show a sad face in front of people. If I smile, everyone will be happy." And, "I want to stay positive." Also, "I want to be someone that can help others. I want to be someone full of love." I realized from the book that she maintains a very positive attitude. I asked myself, how could she be this positive?

When I heard about Ashley, I didn't know a single thing about church, Christ, or God. In the book there were keywords like church, God, and prayer, but I was like, what is church? What is God? However, I was really moved by the book, so much so that I decided in my heart, "I want to live like Ashley!!" But I didn't know where to start.

One day (in Tokyo) as I rode the train on the Seibu-Ikebukuro line, there were a lot of foreigners around. I thought, "Wow, so many GAIJIN!" I found an empty seat in the corner, sat down and slept.

Suddenly, the person next to me woke me up and introduced me to an event. It was sudden, so I was surprised. The event was a concert by Andy Hunter. She told me it was a church event (at Jesus LifeHouse in Tokyo.) She invited me, but at that time I didn't feel like going. So she said, "if you have any interest in going, here's an Email address you can contact."

As I thought about it at home, I remembered Ashley, and I decided I wanted to go to church. So I sent an Email saying, "I want to go to church."

The first time I went was to the church in Higashi Kurume, and I felt warmth. I also went to the Akasaka church after that, and I had so much fun. I didn't become a believer the first time, but I went there again and again. A young man named Yuji asked me, "Do you read the Bible?" And I answered "Not at all."

But, as I went to "Life Group" (weekly small group meetings) and talked with people from the church, I was really interested in their attitudes and lifestyle, so I started reading the Bible. And, as I found out more and more, I had conviction in my heart that this is what Ashley believes, so I decided to become a Christian.

Now I really want to say "thank you" to the foreigners in the train, to Fumie (the young Japanese believer) who talked to me, to Ashley, and to God.

Note: Story used with Takeshi's permission

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Takeshi's story is a great example of how media can draw a person towards faith in Jesus Christ. Another Japanese friend of ours, while in her teens, came to know Christ as a result of watching "Little House on the Prairie."

Japan is media saturated and has a very high Internet usage. We have have a tremendous opportunity to share Christ through the use of "New Media." I am involved in a very exciting project that has the goal of putting redemptive videos on youtube.com, in Japanese. We want to "connect" with the large numbers of youth, like Takeshi, who are interested in the meaning of life and are looking for hope but know almost nothing about Jesus. This is probably the most challenging endeavor of my life and it has been a big deal for me to decide to move ahead with it. I have crossed the Rubicon now, I am committed to moving ahead with it. Now, that sounds good, to be "moving ahead!"

CAN Monthly January, 2008

2008-01-14T17:48:00.003+09:00

Every month we (CAN) hold a "CAN Monthly" meeting. We have held a number of "open mic" events over the past year where participants share their gifts and abilities. We have had ballet, traditional Japanese dance, hip hop dance, hip hop music, lots of other styles of music, visual arts, film, and poetry presented. Most participants do original material, with some outstanding talent represented. It has been fun, and very rewarding to be a part of these Monthly Meetings. Our purpose includes networking, encouraging participants, and giving everyone a "safe" place to perform.

Last Saturday (1-12-08) we had our first 2008 "CAN Monthly." Going into it I thought we were going to have around five people show up, I even suggested that we cancel it. That was a really dumb idea as it turned out to be one of our best meetings. Around thirty people showed up and we had dance, music, poetry, and an illustrator who showed and talked about his art.

We met in a wonderful church building in Chiba. Kashiwa Glory Chapel is an old warehouse that the church refurbished into a warm, inviting beautiful church site.

And, the food was absolutely delicious. The pastor's wife cooked us a huge meal that included coffee and desert (see photos).

I am looking forward to the rest of this year, meeting new people, seeing people get excited about what God is doing in their lives and being a part of what CAN connected artists are doing. I plan to do a monthly report on our meetings.

The video below is of three children at our CAN meeting performing a hip hop dance. Their teacher, who was also at the meeting, is a well-known mainstream dancer in Tokyo. Great to see Christians in strategic arenas like the hip hop sub-culture in Japan (which is large).

Christmas dinner -- Japanese style

2007-12-25T18:03:00.000+09:00

An article by AMY CHAVEZ on the Japan Times Site

Christmas in Japan has always left a little to be desired, but you can't blame the Japanese for this -- they're merely importing the parts they like. And why not? They are quite sure God understands this. I imagine the first Japanese importer went abroad to some place like the U.S., held up a Wal-Mart store with a samurai sword and said: "Give me your entire stock of blinking lights and the sparkly trees!" He then took all the decorations back to Japan and set up pachinko parlors.

Read the rest at: Christmas dinner -- Japanese style

Christmas -- Saint Gregory of Nyssa

2007-12-25T17:15:00.000+09:00

"O inexpressible mystery and unheard paradox: the Invisible is seen, the Intangible is touched , the eternal Word becomes accessible to our speech, the Timeless steps into time, the Son of God becomes the Son of Man!"
Saint Gregory of Nyssa