Oshogatsu and Yayoidai Church

Obaachama woke me up at 8am on New Years, which was NOT so fun considering that I stayed up, until 2:30am, for New Years Eve. I dragged myself out of bed and sleepily went straight to the kitchen table. I sat down and in front of me was the most food I have ever seen on this little table. I was trying to sleepily digest what was happening, when Ojiichama poured me a small cup (by small I mean...approximately a lick) of osake to drink. They told me it was part of the tradition of Oshogatsu...oh boy. If that doesn't wake you up, I don't know what will! It was the WORST and strongest tasting drink I have ever had. I quickly shoved some omochi in my mouth to drown out the terrible taste. That is a tradition that I am more than happy to get rid of!

There were three beautifully decorated boxes in front of me, full of food. I asked Obaachama if she expected me to eat all of the food for breakfast. She just she laughed and said no. She told me that Japanese women cook for three days straight for Oshogatsu. They make food that won't spoil easily, since they don't cook at all during January 1st-3rd. This is their time to relax and focus on the new year.

After breakfast, Ojiichama, Obaachama and I went to the Higashi Fushimi shrine. It took us awhile to walk there, but the weather was beautiful. There was a little Oshogatsu wreath outside of every apartment/house, that we passed. They were all different sizes, but I loved seeing how festive everyone was. Ojiichama made us go to the shrine early, so we wouldn't have wait in a long line. Before going into the shrine area, Ojiichama showed me a big memorial. This memorial is dedicated to the men who died during the first bombing in Japan. Ojiichama's brother was killed, during this WWII bombing, so his name was engraved into the memorial. It was incredible to see and I loved being there with them.

On Sunday, I convinced Obaachama to go to Yayoidai Church with me. Its the BIC church where my parents met around 30 years ago...am I right Otoosan and Okaasan?? A missionary woman, who was working with my mother at Yayoidai Church, brought my father to a Bible study and...my parents met. We walked up to the church and the first thing that I thought was..."This is it?!". I expected my parents to meet at this elaborate big church, but in reality it was just a white building with the words "Brethren in Christ-Yayoidai Christian Church" on it. I stopped to take a quick picture, then was warmly welcomed by the pastors wife, who I had emailed. I was chatting with her a bit, when I was suddenly caught off guard by a little girl hugging me. It was one of my students from CAJ!! I could not have been any happier to see her...and I was shocked that she went to the church. My student and I chatted for a bit, then we went to sit down in the sanctuary. Okay like I mentioned before, in my head, I pictured this incredible church. Growing up, I had always heard about this church where my parents met, so I imagined an intimate yet large community. Talk about intimate...its TINY! I bet there were less than 40 seats in the sanctuary and only 20 were filled. The congregation may have been small but they gave us a huge welcome. They were SO kind to Obaachama and I! The pastor even gave his message in English, while his wife translated in Japanese, so I could understand it. I felt so blessed to be worshipping God in the same church that my parents met in. It was a WEIRD feeling...but I loved every moment of it!