I want to take a minute to share some of what I would call the little differences in Japan. These are simply small things about daily life that are slightly different then what life was like in the USA. Right now, I’m past the point where everything is new and exciting. I’m really settled into a routine now. However, this is the time when its the little things in life that start to wear on you. Here’s my list of little things I notice all the time (by the way, this is not an exhaustive list and I will add more in the future).

1. Garbage. Andy and I have 5 different containers for trash. You also have to take certain trash out on specific days. It’s very complicated and annoying.
2. Driving. Even though I ride my bike every where the driving thing is interesting here. In the States you drive on the right hand side of the road. In Japan, its the left. Also stop signs here look more like yield signs
3. Shaka Shaka Chicken. Now this is a great difference! McDonald’s carries this large piece of chicken breast meat as a part of their 100 yen menu (dollar menu). It comes in a bag, you sprinkle the seasoning (lemon pepper, cheese, or hot chili) into the bag, and then shake it all around. Then half of the bag is perforated so you tear the bag in half and eat the chicken.
4. Use of Umbrellas. In the States, people use umbrellas only when its raining. In Japan, I see many women using their umbrellas when its sunny outside. The use them to block out the sun so that they don’t get too hot and I suppose they don’t want to be tan.
5. Squatty Potty. This isn’t the only kind of toilet in Japan, but it is very common. Luckily, I haven’t used one yet. I’m too nervous to attempt it and I think its weird to have someone show me how.

Well, there’s a short list to get you started. I will be adding more to this series of blogs as I continue to investigate the Japanese culture. Here are some pictures for you to look at and see what I’m talking about. There are also some other pictures just for fun. Click on the picture and a cool little scrolling menu will pop up and give you a caption too.

They asked me if Jesus was American…

This past Saturday (5/3/08) Jay, Caitlin, Andy and I had the opportunity to go to a BBQ with 13 Japanese people for Golden Week (a few days of holidays in Japan). It was tons of fun and the weather was incredible! We ate some great food and even taught the guys how to play some American football. After the BBQ Andy and I went with our friends to see what is called hanabi. That literally translates as fire flower. However, most of us in the States would call them fireworks. The show lasted for an entire hour! It was incredible. After that, we all went to get some food and I actually had a burger that wasn’t from McDonald’s! It was totemo oishii (that means it was really tasty)! Altogether, Andy and I spent 12 hours with our Japanese friends that day.

The most striking moment for me was during the BBQ. We were all just sitting around and trying to communicate in this weird form of broken English and Japanese. Some of the same questions are always asked when meeting new people. When did you get here? Where are you from? How long are you going to be here? Why did you come here? Of course for this last question I always get some interesting looks when I tell them that I came here to tell people about Jesus Christ. Saturday was no different. After I said this, one girl looked at me really confused and asked in Japanese, “is he American?” I said no and then she asked, “where is he from?” We then tried to explain that he is from Heaven. This blew me away! Once again, I was slapped in the face with the fact that many people over here have never even heard about Jesus.

Moments like this are why I have given my life to this mission. I believe that knowing Jesus is the most important and best thing in the entire world and there are people that have never even heard His name before. I can not leave Japan. I must stay, I must continue to tell my friends about our savior and the grace, peace, and hope that is found only in Him! However, I won’t get to do this for much longer if more monthly support does not come in. Email me at tony@msgf.com and let me know if you can help. These people are now my friends and I want to see them in Heaven someday, help make that happen.

Below are a variety of pictures taken from the day of the BBQ.

Here’s a new video. There’s a little skip here and there in the video. I’m not sure why that happened.

One thing I forgot to mention in the video is that I now have my 3 year religious worker visa and Japanese national health insurance! Praise Jesus! In fact our whole team is set up now and it was a fairly smooth process.

Also, the second video is a cool time lapse of Shibuya, Tokyo.  Its one of the busiest places I’ve ever been.  We hope to start a church there someday.

April Update from Tony Coulombe on Vimeo.

Shibuya Tokyo Timelapse from tim prebble on Vimeo.

I put some videos from my trip to Tokyo on my other blog. However, since I’m making a full transition to this site, I wanted to add those videos here in case you missed them. The videos from the Shibuya area of Tokyo are my favorite. That was the busiest place I have ever been. I absolutely loved it and can’t wait to start a church there someday.

Tokyo pt 4 from Tony Coulombe on Vimeo.

Tokyo pt 3 from Tony Coulombe on Vimeo.

Tokyo pt 2 from Tony Coulombe on Vimeo.

Tokyo pt 1 from Tony Coulombe on Vimeo.

Hello everyone! Welcome to gotilno.com. This is my new personal blog. Lots of great things are happening here in Japan! I just started a new language program called AIJP. Its a long term, more balanced program then SILAC (my last program). Our whole group is now in AIJP but, I’m the only one from MSGF in my class. That also means that I’m the only English speaking person in my class.

Last weekend I also had an opportunity to spend some time with my Japanese friends. Andy and I spent one Thursday with Reina and her family. Her mom cooked us lunch and dinner! The next night, Andy and I met up with Reina and about 20 of her friends for what is called ohanami. It’s basically a huge picnic. Lots of people go to parks and sit under the Cherry Blossom trees and eat together. It was so busy it reminded me of the 4th of July on the beach in OR, but without the fireworks.