Monday 07/07, Day off, Mr. Fujimoto
I had to skip out a bit early to go with Mr. Fujimoto on our adventure. I was TOLD it would be from 10am-2pm. Lol was THAT wrong! x3
The first place we went was a huge float museum. On August 2nd they start these huge 4-5 story floats down the streets or something. They're ENORMOUS. So I took some pictures and had a good time talking with him. He did a little translation for me, but mostly I just took pictures.
After that we went to Kanagi City (name means Golden Tree) and got to watch a live performance of two Shamisen players. It was especially cool since I'd done a report the last quarter during undergrad on the Biwa and Shamisen, so getting to listen and watch someone play it was really neat.
After that we ate at a restaurant named "Pu-Re-", or "Poulet" (which is French for "chicken"). We talked there and looked a bit at an American newspaper. Halfway through the meal he asks me "Don't Christians normally pray before they eat?" The ONE time in the trip I forget t pray before I eat and this guy notices it. *slight laugh* So I explained that we didn't have to. Some do and some don't, but generally it is practice to do so. I hope he understood when I said that even when we do forget, God is willing to forgive us as Christians and does.
Anyway, after that we drove to a park/zoo. He bought me some soft cream (aka ice cream). We looked at the monkey and a few bears. Bunnies and chickens. Ducks. Etc. Then we crossed a floating bridge to a biker's camping area. Only one guy was there. We sat down and that was when he unloaded two barrels into me, basically. Haha.
Soon after we started talking he asked how missionaries make their money. So I told him church-goers and friends give them the money to partner with them. For example: Ghent-san knows Japanese and they may not, so they support Ghent-san to do the work they can't in Japan.
Then I got to tell him how I believe God supported all the money for my time at RHIT, and then how He kept me alive when I was young and had all my seizures. He said he didn't think God had the money or helped me. He does believe, though, that when you pray you can change fate, though. I didn't try to reply or argue with him, because we were having a hard enough time understanding each other as it was. That, and I wanted to learn all I could from him. I'm a learner, too, you know. What I mean by learn is his thought process as a follower of Buddhist teachings.
Then he started talking about how Islamic nations chop off your hand when you steal. In Japan, you go to jail, then get out, then stay again, then get out, etc. Then he said in Christianity *made a cut across his neck* and asked if that was it. At that point I said that stealing was a sin, and God never desired all that happened to have happened to us, but that we wanted it and went against Him. Following that, God forgives us, but often times people may not. There is still punishment here. He asked about Bush being Christian and how he's treated the Islamic terrorists. I said ideally if they would repent and were really sorry, I'd like to think we wouldn't kill them. However, most of the time they have no desire to do anything but kill us. I said, "What do we do with that, then?"
Then he brought up war. He specifically brought up WWII and the atomic bombs. What you should know as background is that I am deeply regretful of what we did. I've always imagined having that kind of conversation with a Japanese person. I don't know if I was really moved to do it, but after he finished I started to get on my knees to let him know I really was sorry. In a way, his demeanor did change after that, I think. He seemed very embarrassed (I expect he thought he had forced me to feel shamed enough to do so) and almost tried to pull me back up. I think the point was made, though even after I started to tear up because of it. I guess... and I told him several times, that I don't think America has apologized enough for it. Now on the same hand while I did not say it to him, I do think that in the long run it might have been our only option, but that does not change the remorse I feel that we ever had to use such a thing in the first place. Even when God justifies holy war, I would feel remorse, because for things to get that bad... is that not a sorrowful thing?
Our talk went on a bit further, and I explained my ideas on war (basically it's only good when all non-war possibilities have been exhausted and people still won't listen). We kinda walked out after that to meet the friend who called him.
After that he wanted to go meet his friend and have coffee at Elm. Apparently he, too, was Christian. Of course, by now it's 4pm, though, haha. He bought me an ice banana chocolate drink from the coffee place (which was awesome) and then talked with his friend about me and about a recent helicopter crash that killed 4. It was foggy and they couldn't see, they lost altitude, and crashed into the water.
After Elm he tried to decide where to go next. Since it was 5pm I said going back now was fine, but he wanted to do something else. We looked at some stuff in the book store in Elm before going, and then headed off. I saw Hoshi and his mom outside (actually Mr. Fujimoto did first), but then we zoomed off toward the Aomori (name means blue forest) airport. When we got there he talked to a guard friend, then we went in and watched from the top of an observation deck for a bit. Following that we left and went to the control tower where he had a friend who explained (in perfect English, lol) all the stuff that went on up there. We talked for like an hour. We finally left at 8pm.
He asked if I wanted supper, but I said I wasn't hungry because It was 8:30 when I finally got back and I was supposed to be back at 2pm, lol. It was a long day, and at the end even though I had enjoyed my day, I was dead tired. It took a lot of energy out of me. May God reach Mr. Fujimoto, though. I think he is far more interested than he lets on. God is calling out to him. May he hear and respond well, too.
- Scott
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