http://catholicinjapan.wordpress.com/2008/03/25/story-from-a-chaplains-son/ The views of a twenty-something expat. Fri, 25 Jul 2008 05:02:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=MU http://catholicinjapan.wordpress.com/2008/03/25/story-from-a-chaplains-son/#comment-35 vee8 Wed, 02 Apr 2008 16:34:05 +0000 http://catholicinjapan.wordpress.com/?p=162#comment-35 Hello. Your comment is actually one of the reasons I started this blog. There are tons of blogs out there about Japan but none about how does someone in their 20s see or deal with their life, their religion here. I wanted this blog to be a place where people could read it and say hey Im not the only one although it sure feels like it sometimes. I know how disapproving and even hateful fellow foreigners can be towards Catholicism/ Chrsitianity and I eventually stopped hanging around with those people who luckily werent co workers but members of a sports team I was on. I never told them I was Catholic, I usually dont unless someone asks me about my religion, but anytime religious topics came up there was a lot of badmouthing by most of the people. Getting rid of such "friends" means the ones I have now while not Catholic or even Christian are more open, tolerant and that kind of thing. As I have mentioned in other posts Japanese tend to not know much if anythign about Christianity so yes it is easier to mention religion to them, however, there are people who are members of cults such as Sokka Gakkai whom you might get a nasty reaction from but the odds of encountering such people are slim. When I first started going to mass in Japanese I didnt understand anything then I found a bilingual missalette book on the back table so I would pick that up each mass and learned a lot from it. I eventually bought my own at a church bookstore and this is the book. http://shop-pauline.jp/?pid=2199913 Here is an earlier post I did on the book with a couple of pics http://catholicinjapan.wordpress.com/2007/11/13/mass-book/ The daily readings and homily I dont understand much of but those are easy to find online like at EWTN. Hello. Your comment is actually one of the reasons I started this blog. There are tons of blogs out there about Japan but none about how does someone in their 20s see or deal with their life, their religion here. I wanted this blog to be a place where people could read it and say hey Im not the only one although it sure feels like it sometimes.
I know how disapproving and even hateful fellow foreigners can be towards Catholicism/ Chrsitianity and I eventually stopped hanging around with those people who luckily werent co workers but members of a sports team I was on. I never told them I was Catholic, I usually dont unless someone asks me about my religion, but anytime religious topics came up there was a lot of badmouthing by most of the people. Getting rid of such “friends” means the ones I have now while not Catholic or even Christian are more open, tolerant and that kind of thing. As I have mentioned in other posts Japanese tend to not know much if anythign about Christianity so yes it is easier to mention religion to them, however, there are people who are members of cults such as Sokka Gakkai whom you might get a nasty reaction from but the odds of encountering such people are slim.
When I first started going to mass in Japanese I didnt understand anything then I found a bilingual missalette book on the back table so I would pick that up each mass and learned a lot from it. I eventually bought my own at a church bookstore and this is the book.
http://shop-pauline.jp/?pid=2199913
Here is an earlier post I did on the book with a couple of pics
http://catholicinjapan.wordpress.com/2007/11/13/mass-book/
The daily readings and homily I dont understand much of but those are easy to find online like at EWTN.

]]> http://catholicinjapan.wordpress.com/2008/03/25/story-from-a-chaplains-son/#comment-30 ikedakat Wed, 26 Mar 2008 13:07:39 +0000 http://catholicinjapan.wordpress.com/?p=162#comment-30 Thanks for the blog. Im here on the JET programme, also in my 20's. I was placed in a remote town in Hokkaido, but lucked out with a local chapel that I can walk to, and hosts a traveling priest every Sunday. However, I never expected to feel this isolated, as far as my faith goes, and I can hardly spit out that I'm Catholic because its so unknown/despised in this area, more so with my other ex-pats than with the Japanese. Anyway, I'm relieved to see your blog and another under-50 trying to keep the faith in this strange, beautiful country. One of my reasons for excepting the position though is I'm very interested in learning the language. I was wondering if you know Japanese, or if you just "play" the mass in your head on Sundays like I do. Anyway, Keep it up! Happy Easter! Thanks for the blog. Im here on the JET programme, also in my 20’s. I was placed in a remote town in Hokkaido, but lucked out with a local chapel that I can walk to, and hosts a traveling priest every Sunday. However, I never expected to feel this isolated, as far as my faith goes, and I can hardly spit out that I’m Catholic because its so unknown/despised in this area, more so with my other ex-pats than with the Japanese. Anyway, I’m relieved to see your blog and another under-50 trying to keep the faith in this strange, beautiful country.
One of my reasons for excepting the position though is I’m very interested in learning the language. I was wondering if you know Japanese, or if you just “play” the mass in your head on Sundays like I do. Anyway, Keep it up! Happy Easter!

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