Rev. Lonnie Dufty and wife Cindy are missionaries serving in Funabshi Shi, Chiba Ken. A graduate of St. Paul Bible College (Crown College) and Bethel Theological Seminary, Lonnie Dufty received ordination from the Christian and Missionary Alliance. He is Japan field director for Mission To Unreached Peoples, a Seattle based mission. Lonnie Dufty has nine years of experience in Japan.

I am speaking of the "Kikokusha," that is, Japanese returning to Japan after having lived in a foreign country. The Kikokusha have been and continue to be a special group of people, as viewed by themselves and by "stay at home" Japanese. By way of definition, the word kikokusha is literally "a person who returns to the home country from abroad." Related to this word are "kaigaisha" (overseas people) and "kikokujo" which means "women and children returning from overseas." According to the Shijo-Tsushin web page (address below) the word "kikokujo" is considered by many to be cold and bureaucratic, suggesting an element of discrimination. The English word used to translate all of these terms, the one currently judged as least prejudicial is Returnee. As I understand the use of the word Returnee, there seem to be at least five clear cut categories, as well as a "Virtual Returnee" category which I feel is a valid description for a certain group. Of these several types of Returnees, I missionaries are most likely to come into contact and minister to types four, five and the Virtual Returnee.

There are a number of distinct groups of Kikokusha. Following are some groups who have received much media attention and/or are of special historical significance in the modern era.

1. Meiji through pre-war Japanese going abroad to study Western society and technology for the purpose of aiding in Japan's modernization.
2. Post WW II resettlement of colonials to the Japanese islands after defeat in WW II. Returning to Japan during a time of food and housing shortages, they experienced more than a few difficulties.
3. Ethnic Japanese separated from parents during WW II. Culturally and linguistically Chinese prior to their coming to Japan as middle aged or senior citizens. From a humanitarian standpoint, this group seems to receive much media attention.
4. Japan born students and workers during the post war years leading up to and including the economic "bubble." Returnees during this time were "ground breakers" who experienced the most overt attention.
5. Brazilians and Peruvians born to Japanese parents who came to Japan to work, especially during the bubble years. These people may or may not speak Japanese as a second language.
6. Returnees who returned after the "bursting of the bubble" of the 1990's. This group seems to experience relativity easy reentry in terms of education. The Japanese State Department and the Educational Department have made efforts to assist Returnees prior to and after their return to Japan. Returnee sensitive classes have been opened up in various schools. In an era of globalization, being bilingual is seen as an advantage.

Virtual reality is a term used in the computer gaming and entertainment world to refer to technology which attempts as much as is possible, to imitate reality. Japan seems to have a good number of "Virtual Returnees" who though they have never actually resided overseas, have some of the same complaints and disillusionment with Japanese society as do Returnees. It was people like this who took advantage of the post Black Ship period to overthrow the Tokugawa government. Some of these folks may resemble the 1960's generation of radicals--cynical about what they know and idealistic about what they have not experienced.

Having established a definition for Kikokusha as "Japanese who have lived abroad and returned to Japan" I want us to think of our own experiences as cross-cultural people. Living as foreigners in Japan, we expect to be viewed with curiosity; to be viewed as strange. As foreigners in a homogenized, non Western society, this is expected. We are confident we can return to our home countries and blend into society without exciting too much attention. As a Returnee living in Iowa and New York, I did not experience any types of social difficulties. My own experience is perfectly summarized by an amusing story I read last year in the Japan Times, sometime in early April. The article, written by Thomas Dillon for his column "When East Marries West" is titled "Hunting Ninjas in the Tall Corn of America." Dillon is married to a Japanese woman. On a visit he and his wife made to his home state, which I believe is Iowa, they were invited to talk about Japan in a local church. In honor of the occasion his wife wore kimono and geta. Returning home, the car ran out of gas. Leaving the car, they walked down the road until they came upon a farmer working on an engine block. He squinted at the Japanese woman in Kimono but said nothing. Dillon said "Uh…We're lost." The farmer replied "Looks that way." He offered to take them to a gas station. On the way, the writer talked about Japan. The farmer appeared uninterested. Finally, the farmer asked the single, burning question which must have been on his mind for a long time: "Say, what are they getting for feed corn over there?" Dillon blinked. He answered "Feed corn is not really that popular over in Japan because cornfields tend to conceal far too many Ninja." The farmer nodded deeply.

The preceding is a funny story which very neatly expresses the reception my wife and I experienced as Returnees while living in Iowa and New York. Lack of interest could be disappointing, but that lack of interest was accompanied by a reassuring lack of criticism or rejection of us as individuals. For many Japanese Returnees, things have not been so simple. Many feel their experience abroad has marked them as strange, changing them into someone who is "not like other Japanese." In a culture where being singled out for special attention is tantamount to discrimination and bullying, Returnees (especially students) can feel they are the objects of ridicule and envy.

My wife and I lived in Nagoya between 1986 and 1988. New to Japan, we were intrigued by the stories of Japanese people who had lived abroad, returned to Japan and experienced what they considered discrimination. Most were company employees or their wives and children. Much as the proverbial baby animal, which, one touched by a human, is left to starve by its mother, some Kikokusha felt rejected by teachers, work supervisors and peers. Our Kikokusha acquaintances sometimes hid evidence of their overseas sojourn. For example, an English student whose husband is a lawyer recounted an amusing anecdote. The couple decided to go to Hawaii on vacation, where they purchased the usual Hawaii type gifts to give to people back in Japan. However, they decided not to give such gifts to the people at work. Instead, they bought Kyuushuu specialties at the airport and told the people at work that they vacationed in Kyuushuu, reasoning that "the boss has never traveled abroad and if he knows we did there will be trouble at work." Another woman and her husband lived in California, where her husband received his MBA. He could not hide the fact of his foreign education, but he was careful never to speak of his foreign experiences as he felt his boss would be insecure and jealous of that experience, leading to trouble at work.

Quite apart from the way stay at home Japanese view Returnees is the way Returnees view Japanese society. Returnees often come back as changed individuals who no longer view Japanese traditions as they did before. I suspect the Japanese habit of comparing one thing to another accentuates the experience common to most travelers. A particular comment which seems very common is "Japan remains a feudalistic society." Man returnees are sensitive to and disappointed by the fact that Japan remains a homogenous society while they themselves have come to view the world in cosmopolitan terms. A missionary with a Japanese wife called me asking "Do you know anybody who can come and take over my ministry. I have to go back to the U.S. My wife is sick of Japan and refuses to stay here any longer." An American met a Japanese woman in graduate school. After completing his Ph.D. he came to Japan to work for Fujitsu in Makuhari Messe. Getting on well with his Japanese colleagues and his girlfriend's parents, he was reluctant to move back to the U.S. For several years they talked about marriage but were at an impasse regarding which country to live in--the Japanese woman refused to ever live in Japan again. In the end, my American friend left his job at Fujitsu and returned to America, where they soon married. For many overseas Japanese, Japan seems too narrow closed to ever want to live here again. Returnees, and their non-returning brethren feel that something is missing in Japanese society, an element of freedom and shared humanity which they perceive as existing outside of Japan.

I would like to read a letter to the editor of the Japan Times, Sunday December 19, as written by one Hidehiro Waki.

"In Japan, most people have black hair and brown eyes, so the majority of Japanese young children do not know that many different kinds of people live in the world. In my early youth nobody taught me about the diversity of humankind and the diversity of the human character.

The following comments were made by Atsushi Furuiye in response to questions by Donna Fujimoto.The full text can be found at http://tose.sohgoh.net/shijyo/extra/kikoku-e.html.

"Up to about a decade ago when the bubble economy began in Japan, the "kikokushijo" were regarded as people who have lost their Japanese attitudes, and were not welcome in most jobs. Sometimes it was better for the kikokushijo to hide their backgrounds, and so had to keep up their pride in deep closets... Now that the bubble is collapsed, it seems that the kikokushijo are neither envied nor despised. In the schools, the kikokushijo are still regarded as "special" in some way, but it's become a rather common phenomena, and the teachers as well as fellow students are not too much "afraid" to receive a transfer student from abroad, at least where it's common; i.e., in metro area. … I am looking forward to the day when "being a Japanese" can be as diverse as "being a human", but that is yet to come. "

The above accounts reveal intense emotions commonly reported by Kikokusha. During their overseas stay, they have experienced a great shift in the way they view self, the world at large and Japan in particular. I do not think that conversion is too strong a word to use when explaining this change. Converted away from the "we Japanese" world view which defined social relationships in narrow and constricted terms, they have come to view themselves positively as individuals in world made up of a variety of ethnic groups.

A former Hayama speaker, Peter Lundell, spoke of what he called Nihonkyou, or the religion of being Japanese. In Japanese social thinking, the world is divided according to established relationships, with "inside people" and "outside people" clearly distinguished. However, in spite of the various inside-outside relationships, the ultimate shared condition is that of Being Japanese. Being Japanese acquires a mystical, almost religious significance. Being Japanese implies adherence to a host of customs and attitudes which may or may not be formally conveyed. A young Japanese man, the son of a Christian woman, was preparing to go to America to complete college. Before his departure, I asked him two questions. "What is an American?" His quickly replied "An American is a person with a U.S. passport." I asked a second question. "So what is a Japanese?" Just as quickly he replied "A Japanese goes to a shrine every New Years." Again, let me recount an article I read in the Japan Times some years ago. A Christian woman did not want the ashes of her deceased husband, a former soldier, to be interned in the Yasukuni Shrine. The matter eventually went to court, where the judge refused her petition, saying "You Christians must understand we Japanese." The point is, it is possible to be born Japanese yet somehow to be viewed as not fully Japanese.

In discussing Kikokusha related problems with Tokyo people I often hear "People in Nagoya are like that" or "Chiba prefecture is very conservative." I feel the Tokyo people are right--other areas are less receptive to Returnees. Some regions, more than others, continue to mirror social thinking imposed upon the Japanese people during two centuries of Tokugawa rule, a rule founded upon anti-foreigner and anti-Christian policies. Following the Tokugawa era came several decades of state Shinto which mirrored and at times exaggerated the xenophobia of the previous centuries. Surviving the defeat of that system, there continues a sentiment exhibited by the writings of the so called NIHONKA authors who envision a Japan purified of foreign influence, a "special people" who look to themselves for that which is culturally or religiously important. These writers deny Japanese wartime aggression and associated atrocities, seek to control the content of history books, resist archaeological investigation and publish a steady stream of books and articles designed to propagate a Japan-centric world view.

The Japan-centric world view is a legacy of Japanese history. The late 17^th century Tokugawa government viewed Christianity and Western aggression as a threat to their government. In response, they instituted a policy of rigid and nearly complete isolation, including a prohibition against travel outside of Japan by Japanese people and entry into Japan by foreigners. Any person known to have violated the law or to be planning such a violation was to be executed. Large ocean going vessels were neither built nor allowed safe harbor in Japan, with the once a year exception of a Dutch ship landing on an island outside of Nagasaki. Only with the coming of Admiral Perry's "black ships" in the middle 19^th century did Japan's self-imposed isolation come to an end.

Since the coming of Admiral Perry's ships, the Japanese have been struggling to find a response to things foreign, embracing and at times attempting to reject changes forced upon them by the outside world. Japan seems to have adopted a "middle path" whereby the material things of the west are adopted while non-materialistic things of the mind, heart and spirit have been to varying degrees of success, rejected. Of course, not all Japanese are content with this pattern. Many Japanese, especially Kikokusha and the "virtual Kikokusha" I defined above, desire a Japan which is less at odds with the outside world (especially the West), as discussed by Karl Von Wolferan in his book "The Enigma of Japanese Power," According to Von Wolferan, this type of Japanese deciphers the non-Japanese world for Japanese at large and present visions of change which will make Japan into a "normal nation" while at the same time increasing national competitiveness in the world market. In times of crisis, this group is able to capitalize on events and push through social reforms and secure better jobs for themselves.

Some returnees totally hide the overseas experience so that they can more easily integrate into Japanese society. Others are quite verbal, urging other Japanese to understand their experiences and new thinking. At first glance, the Returnee who submerges his "overseas" self into the group seems most Japanese, while the second type seems American or "yanki." I don't think it is so simple; I suspect both responses derive from a Japanese assumption that group unity is dependent upon shared behavior and thinking. Granting the presence of idealistic motivations, I suspect some "Americanized" returnees may attempt to achieve group "Oneness" by converting their fellow stay at home Japanese to their foreign-impacted self. Rather than being typically "American," I suggest this is very Japanese, not at all the "live and let live" pattern generally promoted in American society. Questions of "amae" and group think enter into both responses.

Homestay experiences can create a more international way of thinking and alter a persons body language in subtle ways detectable by other Japanese. Three former homestayers come to mind. Two came back from the U.S. with new speech patterns, more expansive body language, increased self-confidence and more open interaction styles. Neither changed their spiritual identification, one was Christian, while the other was not. A third individual, the daughter of a Christian couple seems not to have be altered in any aspect except in her spiritual life. For this woman, the homestay experience led her to a trust in Jesus Christ. Outside of the "warm blanket" of Japan for the first time, she felt an aloneness into which only the Spirit of God came to offer comfort. She came to realize the effect of Japanese groupism upon her spiritual life, while realizing that though Japan could not always be with her, God could. Happy to return to Japan, she entered a local church and quickly discerned what was required to be accepted as one of the group--not as a returnee, but as a normal and true Japanese who just happened to have suffered a period of separation from Japan.

Unlike the above woman, many Japanese who became Christians while living overseas find integration into Japanese church life to be difficult. This in not surprising, as religious groups generally tend to be more socially conservative than society at large--in the West as well as in Japan. One particular issue seems to be that exposure to congregational church government in the U.S., as well as lay leadership in general, creates some issues for many Japanese pastors. For example, my wife met a Japanese Christian at her job. This particular man, along with his wife and children trusted Christ and were baptized as a family in the U.S. After fifteen years, they returned to Tokyo. It was not easy as church after church seemed to shy away from them. To their credit, they continued to visit churches until they found a church which seemed open to them.

There are two sides to the story. Many Returnees with overseas Christian experience never seriously consider becoming part of a church in Japan, reasoning that the foreign experience need not be carried over into Japanese life. Others visit one or two churches, feel rejected or bored and give up totally on the idea of finding a church to attend regularly. Related to this is the fact that the average Japanese church can not meet expectations of openness and activities which were experienced in foreign churches.

How can a missionary or local church integrate a Returnee into the life of his or her church? Currently, I have experienced with exactly two Returnees in our ministry. Otherwise, I only have stories and generalizations to go on. However, talking about a problem without considering possible solutions is not what Hayama is about, so here goes.

1. Determine if there are any adjustment issues which need pastoral care. (See the Returning to Japan Questionnaire.)
2. Listen to the Returnees testimony about what happened during his or her overseas experience and help the Returnee present his or her testimony to the group in an appropriate context.
3. Introduce the Returnee to other believers and inquirers. If you don't have these people, encourage the Returnee to be the first member of a new group.
4. Don't show any preference to the Returnee because of previous experience. Don't make a habit of talking about things "over there" when stay at home Japanese are listening.
5. Explain your philosophy of ministry to a newly arrived Returnee. Explain how you might integrate the Returnee into the life of your church.
6. Don't be afraid to compare and contrast your way with that of established Japanese churches and to churches the Returnee may have experienced while overseas.
7. The Returnee may want to visit established, Japanese churches. If they come back with negative reactions, don't deny their perceptions.
8. Do try to build up understanding of the Japanese church thinking and styles by explaining the conditions they have to work with and the reasons they do what they do. Help them to sympathize with their fellow Japanese Christians, especially the pastors.
9. Encourage the Returnee to get involved with Japanese Christian organizations which can provide them with a sense of belonging to a special group with similar experiences. This is especially important in regards to young people who may have been part of large, active churches while overseas. For them, the change to a small church without a great youth ministry might be a let down.

As I mentioned above, Returnees can have trouble finding churches which they feel are sympathetic to them. For this reason, a few Japanese Christians and missionaries have developed ways to address the need to help Christian Returnees with their return from abroad. About a year ago I was invited by Ron Sisco to attend a meeting of missionaries starting what is now known as Returnees Christian Network, Japan. I was not sure I could do anything practical, but since I was in the building and Ron Sisco invited me, I decided to go. Since that time I have attended a number of meetings, expressed my opinions and out of a desire to do something practical, volunteered to do a presentation at this conference. My wife attended the first RCNJ sponsored Returnee rally, a young Returnee woman with her. She came back with a very positive report of that event. RCNJ has a web page and data base of Returnee friendly churches, as well as a working relationship with a Japanese returnee organization formerly known as Urbana Kai but now known as Japan Christian Fellowship Network (JCFN). JCFN also has a web site. David Kennedy is the missionary who envisioned and continues to serve as the main force behind the RCNJ.

Formerly known as Urbana Kai, this Colorado based lay organization came out the Urbana missions conference maybe ten years ago. RCNJ is orientated toward students and active in the Tokyo area. The JCFN web site is well organized and includes a questionnaire to assist both returnees and those wishing to minister to returnees. The JCFN website is linked to the RCNJ site.

Both the RCNJ and JCFN have hosted rallies which address the needs of Returnees. Beginning just a few years ago, these rallies have taken place in Tokyo and Osaka. It is expected that future rallies will take place. For more information, contact David Kennedy or check the web sites listed below.

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isa. 41:10

Any possible problems you might encounter upon returning to Japan?
Below is a list of problems which the previous returnees had experienced. Which ones are the possible problems that you think you might encounter? Please read the following statements and see which ones would apply to you.

Cultural Adjustment:
o It would be identify my cultural identity because I lived in both Japanese and American cultures. I would not know which culture would be suitable for me.
o People would expect too much of me.
o I can not keep up with the changes in life style that I go through.
o I can not keep up with the changes in fashions around me.
o I would feel the difference of the pace of life between Japan and America.
o My family and community demands that I conform to Japanese culture.

Societal Adjustment:
o I feel isolated and segregated from my own Japanese society.
o I feel that people envy me and that people don't trust me.
o I feel the difficulty of balancing the individualism of American culture and in keeping unity between family members.
o I feel superior to others because I have seen the world and have had international experiences.
o I can not keep up with the changes in Japanese life style and fashions.
o I am now very closed and have a negative feeling towards Japanese manners and understanding rules relating to society.
o My family and friends don't understand my overseas' experiences.
o I have a difficult time in adjusting to the noise, smog, and crowded conditions in Japan.

Communication Adjustment
o After I returned to Japan, I often found myself using the body language and vocabulary that I acquired overseas.
o Because I am not good at using polite language, I often miscommunicate with others.
o I don't have enough patience with the indirect communication style of Japan (while American communication style is very direct).
o I get frustrated because there are not people whom I can speak English with.
o I can never keep up with new popular Japanese vocabulary.

Well, how many of the above statements applied to you? The more that applies to you, the more Americanized you are or less 'Japanese' you are. For those who are expecting to permanently return to Japan, you might have mixed feelings and even great expectations from the Lord for your new life in Japan. Those mixed feelings might not only be regarding reverse culture shock, but they also may include the anticipation of how your walk with the Lord will be in Japan. Especially for those who became Christians overseas, church life in Japan would be a brand new experience and also your relationship with your family and friends would be different.

Among JCFN, too, many have returned to Japan already, and in Japan, they are walking as Christians in spite of their problems and difficulties. This newsletter would like to concentrate on the testimonies of those who have already returned to Japan and their experiences of "returning to Japan as Christians". May God use this edition to encourage you and prepare your own walk.

SEARCHING FOR GOD'S GUIDANCE
Kayo Tateyama
JCFN Member in California

Commit your way to the LORD;
Trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn,
the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Ps. 37:5-6

On the very last day of May, 1994, when I was going to graduate from college within six months, I had returned to Japan to hunt for a job...The second Sunday after arriving in Japan, I was able to attend the Sunday worship service at this church. I remembered that this church was very quiet and had a solemn atmosphere the last time I came. I thought to myself that this is indeed a typical Japanese church and I did not feel comfortable there. However, this visit was different and I was so surprised with it. It was filled with powerful praises and worship. Because I was going to stay in Japan only for two months, and I knew I did not have enough time to go 'church shopping', I decided to come to this church. Since then as much as possible, I attended both Sunday worship services and Wednesday prayer meetings.

Interestingly, I found out that the process of going to a new church is similar to the one of being converted from a non-Christian to a Christian. In the beginning you are treated as a welcomed guest and everybody talks to you. Soon, as you continue to attend that church, you begin to notice the 'unseen wall' between a church member and a non-church member. Because of this wall, you feel a little lonely and feel segregated from everybody else. However, I feel that such a moment is a very critical time. Satan is attacking us and pulling us away from the church and the fellowship. Therefore, we must guard ourselves with the Truth of God who says He is always with us. About a month later, when the excitement which I felt in the beginning disappeared, I began to feel lonely because I was not a member of the church. However, through the fellowship which I received from the young adult group and remembering the fellowship with my Christian friends in the USA, God encouraged me to be a part of this church. I think I have forgotten that even in the USA, it did take time to find the fellowship of Christians and to feel that I was a part of it. I continued to attend this church for two months and received so many blessings there. In fact, attending the 'March for Jesus' in Japan with the people from this church was a great blessing.

At the end of August, since God had closed the door of working in Japan, I again returned to the USA. Maybe from a worldly perspective, I wasted my two months stay in Japan for I did not accomplish my assignment of finding a job there. However, the Lord did not waste any of my experiences during the two-months I was in Japan. God had lead me to be involved with Japanese ministry after I had returned to the USA. There are numerous Japanese students in southern California. I believe that to support those who are reaching out to the Japanese students in southern California is the road which God had prepared for me.

 TESTIMONIES BY THE RETURNEES
[Taken From JCFN Returning to Japan as Christians Part 1 & 2]

1 My Reverse Culture Shock at the Church

This is strange but I did not feel that I was at the church when I first went to the Japanese church in Japan. First of all, you have to take off your shoes and wear slippers at the church, this was definitely not the church I used to know. The Hymns that we sang, I knew none of them. There was not even one joke in the sermon by the pastor. The vocabulary I was not familiar with and the solemn atmosphere which flows throughout the service surprised me very much. These things don't bother me at all today, but then they were peculiar characteristics of the Japanese church to me who had just returned to Japan. Before I returned to Japan, I only prayed and worshipped in English. Therefore, praying in Japanese or studying the Scriptures in Japanese were sometimes too rigid and too formal for me. Christian vocabulary in Japanese was unfamiliar to my ears. How could God's will be mikokoro? I did not know so many ways of saying things in Christian terms before I went to the church in Japan. I was no longer able to greet my pastor as I used to do in the USA like "Hi, Jack! How are ya doin'?" Indeed the Japanese culture is displayed in the churches there as well. (By Mari Umehara)

God guided me and brought me to the church which I attend now, however, there were many difficulties which I went through. Especially with the Christian terms, I was shocked by them since they are not used in our daily conversation. Some of that vocabulary is: 'omajiwari' (fellowship), 'owakachi ai' (sharing), 'akashi wo sasete itadaku' (I am honored to share my testimony), 'tsumazuku, tsumazukaseru'" (stumble, being stumbled), 'omoni wo kanjiru' (feel burden), 'CS' (children's school), 'tokuden' (special evangelistic meeting), and so on. Not only with that vocabulary, but I had to be careful with the way I spoke with my pastor and to older people. There are polite forms of speech in Japanese which must be used towards God, the Father, the Son and the Spirit. At first, I was curious and was only half-serious about those terms. When I thought if I only spoke in the Christian language, I wouldn't be able to share the Gospel in the language that my non-Christian friends would understand, I had to be more careful with it... It was not only me who was surprised with the things that happened to me at the church. There were several people who were shocked and were confused by the way I acted in the church as well. When an elderly woman saw me crossing my legs during the sermon, she was so surprised. To her, it was a very inappropriate posture to listen to precious Word of God. There was another person who felt uncomfortable when I did not sit straight during a prayer time. However, whenever those issues came up, we used it as an opportunity for us to talk about each other's feelings and reevaluated the situation. We, then, sought God's will in spite of our differences in opinion. I thank God for this, too, is His blessing for me in leading me to this particular church in Japan. (By Minako Fukushima)

2 Until I Had Found a Church in Japan

I moved to the USA six months after my baptism. My life and my walk with Christ in the USA for five and a half years was a great experience. For the first two weeks since I had returned to Japan, I kept asking myself, "Why is Japan this way?" I had the same feeling towards the churches in Japan. One day, a pastor spoke about our 'Foundation of Faith' in his message. He asked us what our foundation was. The Bible says that the foundation of our faith is indeed Christ (Eph. 2:20). At that moment I realized that I was searching for the American church which I used to go to and grew in faith in, in Japan. The church which I went to in the USA was a big church with 5,000 people. I thought to myself that maybe the foundation of my faith was being in the choir, the worship style, and all the other things of the church in the USA, and not Christ Himself. The most important thing in Christianity is Jesus Christ. And Jesus Christ who is the author and the perfector of our faith does not change from culture to culture. When I realized this truth, I learned a very important lesson, I thought. (By Yo Matsumoto)

3 Problems with Family and Witnessing to Them.

When I returned to Japan, the Unification church (cult) was one of the major problems in the Japanese society. My family was against me going to church on Sunday mornings since it was the only time of the week for the family to get together. Because they were atheists, I think they were also afraid of me getting involved in any kind of 'religion'. Living with my family took my time of being with God away from me. It seemed that the time I could pray and worship God became less since I returned. I did think about getting a job in a ministry field or Christian related work, but I felt it was more important for the family to recognize and accept me as a Christian. Therefore, I got a job as I originally told my family. Through that secular job I wanted to be a witness to my family and also not to segregate myself from non-Christian world. (By Yukari Ono)

For a while after my return to Japan, I faced spiritual battles at my house. My mother was strongly against me going to church besides Sunday mornings. However after four months, in the middle of December, suddenly, my mother who did not approve of any of the Christian activities and Christianity in general, told me that she wanted to go to church! I was totally surprised. My mother went to church only once since then, however, God had encouraged me by showing that the Holy Spirit is indeed at work in my family. (By Naoko Yajima)

As parents, it is only natural for them to feel uncomfortable or uneasy toward me who had changed so much during my time away from home. After I returned to Japan, I attended church and other Christian activities regularly. Their concern was not about my faith, but was about my well-being in society. They thought that if I refuse to worship idols because I was a Christian, that society would not accept me. If I am too stubborn about my faith and don't conform to the society because of my religion, they were afraid that their daughter would be an outcast. They sure did not or could not understand the persecution that Christians go through for the sake of Christ (Heb. 11:26). They can not comprehend that there are no trials that we can not bear (1Cor. 10:13). No matter how much I tried to explain, those words from the Bible were irrelevant to them. Instead, they became more worried about me. Soon I learned that making them understand me did not do any good, so I decided to go along with what my parents were advising me to do to be their good daughter and also to be a witness for Christ. I told them, "I understand mom and dad. I would not do anything stupid." and added a line in my heart, "But there is an area that I can not compromise."

There was another issue which I struggled a lot with and I did not understand it for a while. It was the fact that when I was changed by becoming a Christian, inevitably, my relationship with my parents also changed. Until I understood this, I struggled and felt so sad that my parents whom I love were no longer able to understand the most important thing in my life. I had always talked with my family openly and we are very close to one another. There are things that I can not tell anyone else but my family and they would always be there to understand and encourage me. I love my family and they were the peace and joy in my life. Until I understood and accepted the fact that I was no longer the same person and my relationship with them had changed, I struggled misunderstanding my family. However, after I realized this fact, my sad feelings were taken away completely. (By Mari Umehara)

About.Com http://japaneseculture.about.com/culture/japaneseculture/

Japanese Christian Fellowship Network : http://www.jcfn.org/index.htm

Returnee Christian Network Japan (RCNJ): http://jema.org/RCNJ/

Monbusho Home Page http://www.monbu.go.jp/aramashi/1996eng/emindex.html

Japan Search Engines http://www2.gol.com/users/andrew/

Mission Japan http://www.missionjapan.com/html/links/

Find Spot Search Tools http://www.findspot.com/

Shijoutsujin: http://tose.sohgoh.net/shijyo/extra/index-e.html