Where is the trash?

Here is a pic of those popular vending machines. Note: No trash anywhere!

Today, Saturday, we spent decorating the rooms in preparation for VBS.  We painted posters, posted pictures, did a lot of cutting and taping, and practiced our songs with hand motions.   Then, we had a JS group meeting, which is just like our FNF night.  Amanda led several games and then she gave her testimony.

Finally, we all shared meal time together, and the JS group cooked a wonderful dinner for all of us!

Brandon, Matt and Scott teaching the rest of the team the hand motions to our theme song!

Ponga welcoming Janet’s arrival this morning. Hooray!

Jessica and Cody drawing pictures for the VBS posters.

Amanda and Scott preparing for the JS youth group game.

Souichirou (Soul Train), one of the JS youth leaders, helping Cody with VBS decorations.

Fun playing “spoons” with the JS group (similar to our FNF). There were over 16 youth attending from Suita.

Demi, another JS leader, helping Amanda translate her testimony into Japanese.

Where do I throw my trash?

Japan has an interesting feature, which we from America find quite interesting, and it’s this:

Where do I throw my trash?

In California, we are used to having trash cans available everywhere we go.  But here in Japan, whether we were in the sprawling metropolis of Tokyo, or the less dense, by comparison, city of Osaka, trash or litter on the street was non-existent.

I mean, it is amazingly clean here!  As I write this blog up on the 5th floor of Suita Bible Gospel Church, I have a panoramic view of two very busy streets with businesses on all sides, and I can also see down a residential street.  Cars and trucks (and the ever-present sirens of emergency vehicles) drive by incessantly at all hours of the day and night.  Many citizens walk down the sidewalk, while others ride their bicycles.  And yet, there is not a trash can in sight, and NO litter on the ground.  There aren’t even any signs posted that warn you of the repercussions of littering.  It is just a well-known fact: In Japan, you don’t litter.

One evening, our missions team went out for a stroll to purchase confectionary ice cream.  As we hungrily tore off the wrappings and devoured (or some of us may have slowly savored the taste) of our ice cream, we came to our own personal realization that there wasn’t a convenient place to dispose of our trash.  Of course, we held onto our trash until we were back at the church.

Earlier, while we were in Tokyo, we went to a large shopping mall and we ate in a large food court.  Believe me, this had many more food vendors than what you may see at the food court in Del Amo Mall.  It was very crowded, and yet, there is not a trash can to be found anywhere here!  Everyone is expected to finish their food, and then place their ceramic bowls, and disposable cups and napkins on their tray and take it back to the food outlet where you purchased your meal.  Did you get that???  There is not a trash receptacle present in this huge food court!  Don’t get me wrong, there are numerous opportunities for people to litter in Japan, but their culture frowns upon it. There are the ubiquitous vending machines where you can purchase all manner of beverages, snacks, ice cream, and cigarettes.  At convenience stores, everyone buys bento lunches or dinners, where it’s packaged neatly in plastic trays with covers.  So where do the Japanese throw all their trash?  Answer:  from a very young age, the Japanese have been taught to take it home and dispose of it there.

Of course, you’ve heard of the custom of the Japanese to wear a mask over their nose and mouth.  They do this if they are ill, to prevent the spread of germs (or to prevent them from catching your germs!)   And, you always remove your shoes before entering a home, because you don’t want to bring dirt into a home.  Let’s face it, the Japanese are clean and they’re a lot cleaner than you and I.  They would never say it to you directly, but let me assure you, they know:  “We Japanese are cleaner than you, and our culture is much cleaner than yours.”

Which brings up an interesting dilemma:  how do we from America approach a person from Japan and tell them that they are sinners… that all their life they have been “bad” and this separates them from God?  That they have need of a savior who can forgive their sinful nature and cleanse them?  What right do we Americans, from our dirty culture, filled with trash and bad manners, what right do we have to come here and tell them that they are the ones who need a savior to clean up their lives?

Like many people you may know, the Japanese view themselves as “good people.”  I mean, they don’t steal, brandish guns or knives, cheat others, or even act disrespectfully.  They bow to you when you enter and leave their restaurant and after you’ve made a purchase at their store.  By outward appearances, they are very good.

This reminds me of what Jesus said when he was approached by the Pharisees and teachers of the law in Matthew 15:1 or Mark 7:1.  They approached Jesus and asked, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders?  They don’t wash their hands before they eat!”

 

He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:

 

    ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.

    They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’

 

You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men.”

 

Again, Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen to me, everyone, and understand this.  Nothing outside a man can make him ‘unclean’ by going into him.  Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him ‘unclean.'”  Mark 7:14-15

 

He went on: “What comes out of a man is what makes him ‘unclean’, For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.  All these evils come from inside and make a man ‘unclean.'”   Mark 7:20-23

You see, before each meal, devout Jews would perform a short hand-washing ceremony, washing their hands and arms in a specific way.  The disciples did not have dirty hands, necessarily, but they weren’t carrying out the traditional cleansing act.  Jesus was telling the Pharisees that they were wrong in thinking they were acceptable to God just because they were clean on the outside.

Do we worry about our outward appearance even more that what is in our hearts and minds?  Jesus would correct us and say that sin actually begins in our heart and mind, in our attitudes and intentions.

So, yes, we Americans are not as clean on the outside as the Japanese. (Except for maybe my wife).  And yes, there are certain aspects of the Japanese culture that we admire, but we remember that man looks on the outside appearance, while God looks at the heart;… for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.  Just like all of us, the Japanese people may look good on the outside, but inside, we are all guilty of sin.

In just a couple days, the VBS program will begin.  We’re all very excited to share Jesus’ love with the children, to let them experience some of our western culture through songs, games, crafts, and food.  To many children, they will be hearing about Jesus for the first time in their lives, so we pray that the Holy Spirit would provide them with receptive eyes, ears, and hearts as they experience the good news of Jesus Christ!  This is the gospel, the “good news,” and this is for everyone, both Jew and Gentile, American and Japanese:

    “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”      

     1 John 1:9.  

This is the good news of the gospel: that no matter how “dirty” and messed up we may be on the outside OR the inside, Jesus offers us forgiveness and true, spiritual cleansing.  Hey, it’s time to eat!  I’ve got to end this blog post.  Don’t worry, I’ll wash my hands before I eat!

I’m blessed to serve our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,

Kent