Needs in Japan

[Mr. Rogers]

I told my youth pastor a little while ago about me wanting do to missions work in Japan. He asked me if I would be interested in leading a missions trip there, but I said I am not ready for that quite yet. He said he would help me to get ready and now I need to find out what some of the needs in Japan are. So, does anyone know of some needs in Japan?

[Mr. SmartyPants]

that place is like mostly shinto/buddhist.... gain information on them
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinto
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_Buddhism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhism

and be prepared to defend Christianity.

that's one thing I know

[chimera189]

http://www.impactjapan.org/

[Yojimbo]

Yeah knowing anything and everything about the culture would certainly help. And obviously speaking good Japanese. That should keep you busy for a long while till you're close to being ready.

[Rev. Doc]

Your denomination or perhaps churches in your denomination probably support existing missionaries in Japan. It's usually best to work through them for a number of reasons:
1. They know specific needs
2. They know areas that would benefit from your work
3. Their work will be complimented through your volunteer efforts
4. They usually have a pool of translators, transportation, and lodging that they can arrange for you
5. They may have compiled background information for volunteer teams that will benefit those you will lead over

I currently organize two mission trips to Romania each year. If I can be of any help to you just PM me.

[Eriana]

you need to speak Japanese.

A good point.

[DaughterOfZion]

and be able to read the basics in the least

[Heed]

Yes, Japanese is good to know, however, it is not a necessity. If you can get in contact with some missionaries there and work under them, I am sure they can help with translation. I tried teaching myself Japanese for 2 years and it is still very difficult to learn. Even a year of college courses cannot fully prepare you. The best way to speak it is to immerse yourself in it. I spent 5 weeks in Japan this past summer knowing only limited Japanese, however, the church and missonaries i worked with had enough English speakers and translators to help me out. Even though there are many that do not, English is a popular language to learn and there are many people who can understand basic English, even though you cannot have a full conversation. Learning Japanese before you go would take up alot of time, but that doesn't mean not study it.

Wow, I got off track. Anyway, You are going to want to be a people person but do not be freakishly friendly when dealing with the people. Japanese people for the most part are very introverted. They are also very helpful though.

A huge word of advice!!! JAPAN IS VERY EXPENSIVE!! For example, Gasoline has been (after converting metric to standard and then currency) well over $5.00 a gallon for a while now. A cheap hotel room will cost at least $100/night. And that right there is like Motel 6 prices for them. Food, toiletries, shelter, etc... all require much money.

Also, make sure your team is REALLY prayed up and spiritually strong. Pornography is HUGE there. It is so easily accessible that a small child can walk into a store and start seeing all kinds of obsene things. Temptation to enjoy the pleasures of the flech can become very strong as well. I mean, I don't wanna sound all holy and stuff, but it is a whole different battle ground over there.

Well, I hope everything for your trip works out. I could list stuff all night but I gotta sleep

[Eriana]

I'm going to Japan to minister the Gospel there. I'm 99% sure I am though. And so are my brothers. Even though Japan is expensive your wages there are higher than in America so I hope that would even things out pretty much. I'm sure I'll be staying in a hotel when I get there. besides is that $100 american or yen? 100 yen is not much at all. In the US that would be next to paying nothing. Another thing is that in Japan it is very rare to find a place that excepts credit cards. That's where the saying: "Rob a Japanese person and become rich." came from. I will pray for your safety over there. And another good word of advice is to walk to where you need to get instead of taking the taxi, rental car, buying a car or taking the subway. Though I hope subways there aren't as bad as they are in New York City. well, God Bless! I'll be praying for you! ^ ~

[Heed]

It is true that Credit Cards aren't very popular, but there are many stores that accept them. Oh, and the $100/night is exactly what I meant. Oh my goodness, if it was 100 yes that wuld be a blessing. 100 yean is a little less than a dollar, but when guessing the cost of something, it is always safe to assume 100yen=$1.

Yes wages are higher, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it all evens out.

[Eriana]

I know that.
Japan's a busy place though.
When I live there than I think that God will provide a way, as He does for all His children. I wouldn't worry about it. You might have to work extra shifts sometimes to keep the beat going but I don't think it would be to hard.

[Yojimbo]

a single yen is like a penny not considering inflation. So a $100 hotel room in Japan would be more like 10,000 yen but you'd actually be paying probably $10 or so more because 100 yen is not worth as much as a dollar.

[purplemoose]

It is very crowded and nude pictures arn't considered 'porn'over there unless theres something sexual in it .... their is a large group of Japanese over there that HATE westerners because their have been several past accounts were our sailors have raped some of their local women and because of the two nukes we dropped on them in WWII their government has forgiven us and we trade thats how we get anime ..... ^.^