We met in the kitchen around 7:30 to go over our plan for the day before heading to church. Our method of transportation to church included a combination of walking and riding Japan’s subway. We stopped by the corner 7-Eleven on our way to grab some quick food for breakfast.
It was maybe a 10 or 15 minute walk to the subway station. The weather was sunny and a little cool. We made it on the correct rail on the first try and got off at Shinjuku Station — the busiest station in the world. It took us a little bit to get our bearings, but we made it through some of the 3.6 million people who travel through this station EVERY day! The next train we got on was an express train headed in our destination direction. Our stop wasn’t on the express line, so we had to get off at the closest station before our stop and wait for a regular train; it gave us a chance to take a group selfie.
We had some extra time before we needed to be at church, so we reloaded our Suica cards (used for the subway) and headed to a cafe to grab a little breakfast (dessert) and the bread for church lunch.
What fabulously soft, fluffy and delicious bread they have! It was a short walk around the corner to get to church. We got a warm welcome when we walked in the gate and Bro. Makoto’s son stopped in his tracks and said something like, “Woah, I need to go get my Dad!” or “Woah, wait till my dad sees this” and ran to get the key to unlock the church. He came running back and unlocked it and let us in. Sis. Anna (Bro. Makoto’s wife) was already in there to welcome us. Shoes came off at the door and we were shown the selection of sandals to wear; some wore them, some didn’t. As others arrived we got to feel the warm love of Christ radiating from them. What a blessing this was for us! The song selection was given in Japanese and then the corresponding English hymnal number was given. At first I didn’t know if I should sing in English or just sing the melody, but eventually we resorted to praising God in our mother tongues.
For the morning service, Bro. Makoto read and meditated in Japanese and would add messages occasionally in English as well. After services we fellowshipped a little bit while lunch was being prepared in the dining room upstairs. I helped Sis. Marie (Bro. Akito Inoue’s wife) cut up some oranges while we learned each other’s connections/relations. More bustling around in the kitchen, that seemed like eternity for the hungry little boys, led to a table filled with yummy food & treats and soon surrounded by the congregation. We gave thanks and enjoyed the food and fellowship.
For the afternoon bible study, Bro. Andy gave his testimony with Bro. Makoto translating. After church we changed and visited some more before taking a photo and walking to a local botanical garden with a few of the congregation.
It was a pretty decent walk to the garden and we stopped at a shrine along the way.
When we got to the botanical gardens, most of the flowers were dormant, but there was a large indoor “greenhouse” that had a variety of flowers and vegetation in the greenhouse, including banana trees, all types of orchids, and even a rat-eating plant (not pictured).
There was also a small pond with Lilypads and goldfish. After we finished through that building we went and saw some of the plum blossoms that were just starting.
Next we walked to the temple in the park where a guy was ringing the 5-o’clock bell.
We found a restaurant nearby and had dinner with Bro. Makoto’s family and Bro. Kan Umemura. It was a wonderful evening that ended with a nice walk (or bus ride for some) back to the church.
Back at the church we picked up our bags and some of the brothers played basketball at the Inoue’s house (right beside the church) with the kids while the rest visited or toured the house.
We headed home for the evening on the subway. While walking back from the subway station, a few of us went in to a department store called LIFE where we ended up with some snacks.
Of course we had to try some before going to bed and boy, were they delicious!
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