A White Christmas in Japan ÆüËܤΥۥ磻¥È¡¦¥¯¥ê¥¹¥Þ¥¹
Hakuba Goryu - winter holiday in Japan
Are you ¡Ædreaming of a white Chrsitmas’? Well this year we had one. We spent a few days in Hakuba (where the winter olympics were held once). It was awesome. Once again the beauty of Japan was displayed. Towering alps and snowboarding in God¡Çs winter wonderland ¡Ä. just awseome!
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Japan has no public holiday for Christmas (or any other christian festival). It seems strange to see people going to work long 16 hour days on Christmas and Boxing Day. There are santas and christimas trees everywhere, shopping and present giving too ¡Ä.. but absolutely no understanding that this was a celebration of Jesus¡Ç birthday. Japanese are shocked to find out that Jesus¡Ç birthdate set the world year clock at zero, and ¡Æ2008¡ì means ¡Æ2008 years after Jesus birth¡Ç!
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So what is the result of asking Japanese who have never heard of Jesus to come to church for Christmas? The answer is ¡Æthe largest christmas services we¡Çve ever had in Japan¡Ç. Over the christmas week we had about 1,000 in church over 4 services. Among these were about 300 who came to church for the first time in their life!
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Tokyo Christmas Trees
Osaka church, now 8 months old, had over 100 poeple for the first time. 40 of these also had never been to church before!
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So we celebrate Christmas with both christians and non-christians enthusiastically singing and enjoying the festivities. Christmas is fun in Japan!!!
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