I've been thinking about my February 27th post about music and worship and the responses I've received so far. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you're gonna have to go to the archives. I love Bob's comments that "In a sense, worship through music gives us a taste of heaven, a citizenship that we have yet to taste." In explaining this connection between music and worship Bob writes, "Scripture records that music is the chosen "language" of adoration for the angels and the heavenly beings." I think this adequately explains how and why some people "get high" on musical worship. Get a little taste of heaven, feel great, yet have no idea what you're saying and thus, leave unchanged.
After some reflection, I was reminded of Romans 12:1 which states, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship." How are we to worship? We are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. Brandon made a great comment that for some weird reason he made private... actually, his conclusion was more like a question, "How else can we worship in the way we do through song? How can we worship through listening to preaching? How can we worship through prayer? How can we worship through reading the Bible?" Basically, how can we live a life of continuous worship? The Message, a recent version of the Bible, translates the Romans 12:1 passage as "Take your everyday, ordinary life--your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life--and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him."
Possibly another reason why we experience worship so greatly through music is that we experience for just a glimpse what it's like to devote everything we're doing at that moment to God. All energy, all doings, all thoughts and movements for one sole purpose... the purpose for which we were made. So, we're brought to a concluding question, "Why do we have to stop when the guitars, pianos, and drums go silent?"
Ahhhh, we people are so incredibly weak! We can't seem to devote our full attention to anything for longer than a few minutes... unless we're entertained at the same time!

And we have a winner... regarding the March 15th post, Drew has successfully solved the sample question. He is now eligible to go to a Japanese preschool. I, however, have to stay at home to figure out why the square block doesn't fit in the circular hole.

Hallelujah! It rained today. Why is that cause for celebration? Because it didn't snow... it rained! Spring's about to come... and it's about time. In the meantime, I'll continue to spray aerosol cans off my balcony so I can finally feel the results of this legendary global warming thing I keep hearing about.

Just got back from LIFE Ministries' Spring Retreat. That's the reason why I didn't update for about a week or so.
Real quick, my top 5 highlights from the retreat:

5) Getting a new pair of shoes.
4) Seeing nature in its beauty.
3) Seeing a Japanese pastor get his groove on
2) Being in the company of other English speaking Christians.
1) Worship in English.

Today, I found the legendary Christian bookstore in Sapporo. In all of Hokkaido, I think there's one Christian bookstore... and that's the one. It's strange. I got hit with a little culture shock there. I went in expecting to see Bibles, devotional books, commentaries, and maybe sermon tapes. In addition, to all those things, there were music CDs, necklaces, jewelry, wooden plaques, inspirational photographs in pretty looking frames... basically, most everything. Seeing all that stuff didn't bring a "kid in a candy store" kind of feeling. Instead, I was a bit weirded out.
Living in Japan for the past year and a half has changed my perspective on a lot of different things... but especially in regards to American Christianity. Specifically, how American Christianity has interpreted the prayer Jesus had for us as believers to "not [be] of the world", as meaning "create a mini-Christian world." We have our own language, famous personalities, music, clothing wear, literature, even cermanic toilet plaques and doormats that somehow have the word "God" or "Jesus" in them so as to deem them "Christian."
Japanese Christianity (outside of the actual church building), is pretty much void of all this Christian stuff. There are a few famous Japanese Christians, but that's just it, there are few. Music-wise, well, imagine singing only hymns every Sunday... except that those words you do understand in that hymnal, you don't, because it's in another language. Needless to say, contemporary Christian music is close to non-existant. Even if there was Christian clothing, there'd be no place to buy it from... and the same could be said about many of the other trinkets.
Put in such a situation, with the stark contrast, I can't help but wonder, "Is all that stuff really necessary?" And I think even deeper, "Why do we even buy that stuff?" Is it because "all the other Christians are doing it"? Is it because by joining in on the American Christian economy, we feel included into the Christian circle? Or is there more to it? Is it because it increases our spiritual status among other Christians and even ourselves? By buying a WWJD Bible cover (which mysterously has found its way into the hands of many church members in the church I'm at), do we feel that we're deemed more spiritual by our Christian peers... or even the great deception, by ourselves? This of course, goes beyond Bible covers... this goes on to other things that are a part of American Christian culture. By saying the "right" words (that is, speaking the language), by knowing the "right" people, by listening to the "right" kind of music, by wearing the "right" clothes (preferrably with the letters WWJD emblazened on them), by reading the "right" books, by having the "right" decorations around the house, or eating the "right" breath mints, are we more accepted... or feel more accepted?
If so, we are accepting a cheap imitation of the life Jesus envisioned for us. John 17:15-19

Regarding my last post, there is a correct answer. Kyle, this isn't a personality test or a psychological test at all. This is a logic problem. There is a correct answer and there's a reason why. That is, if you choose one direction, you're correct. But choose another direction, and you're wrong. You might figure, "Hey, I've got a 50/50 chance of getting this right." But like the 4 and 5 year olds who took the test, you have to explain why.
I wanna meet the 4 and 5 year olds who got this right cuz they're definitely smarter than I am.
Oh, and here's another sample question:

Fill in the blank:
S M T W T __ S

I figured this one out pretty quick. I'm sure 99% of you readers will too. But before you get all proud n' stuff, you gotta remember two things... 1) It's a sample question for a test designed for 4 and 5 year olds; and 2) They're not only 4 and 5 year olds, but they're Japanese 4 and 5 year olds.

Are you as smart as some Japanese 4 year olds? I've known for a while that Japanese kids have to take an entrance exam to get into high school... but what I didn't know is that some "yochiens" (that is, preschools/kindergartens) require an entrance exam as well. That's right. Four and five year olds have to take a test to get into some of these elite yochiens. Here's a sample question from the yochien entrance exam. Can you figure it out? Can you get into an elite Japanese yochien? I couldn't. Post your answers and why in the comment box, and in April I'll post the answer.

Today marks the end of the Valentine's Day cycle here in Japan. That's right, cycle. Valentine's Day in Japan is celebrated quite differently from America. I think I've posted about this phenomenon last year, but I'll post it again. So, here it goes.
February 14th is of course Valentine's Day. That's the same. But that's pretty much where the similarities stop. Unlike the American version where Valentine's Day is mostly a day for couples, the Japanese version uses Valentine's Day as a sort of "Sadie Hawkins" day... that is, the girls pass out chocolates to the guys they like. The guys basically just sit back and see if they get any chocolates that year. However, there's a corollary. A girl might give a chocolate to a guy she doesn't really like. These are called "giri choco" or obligatory chocolates. That is, a Japanese girl may use this occasion to thank a male boss or friend. This of course lends itself to mass confusion. Is this a "giri choco" or the real thing?
This brings me to the whole cycle thing. If a guy receives chocolate on Valentine's Day and they're interested in that girl, they're expected to give chocolate back in return within a month. How does this work with the whole "giri choco" thing thrown in the mix? Well, somehow, assuming they've received chocolate on Valentine's Day, the guys are supposed to be able to know which are "giri" and which are showing interest. And from there, the guys are not only expected to give back to those he has an interest in, but also, to each of the "giri" givers. Oh, so confusing! Today's March 14th (aka White Day), the end of that month time period, thus, ending the cycle.

To whoever "random thoughts" is... wow, $2.53 a gallon for premium huh? That's mighty expensive. So what's the comparison to Japan? Right now, the yen to dollar exchange rate is about 120 yen to the dollar. So that would mean $2.53 a gallon would equate to about 300 yen. Now, if you drive down a road in Hokkaido, and you see a gas station, you'll see the that "hai-oku," or high octane premium gas is marked as costing about 120 yen (basically a dollar) on the price sign. Before you all start thinking about moving to Hokkaido... (or the "land of the never ending winter" as I like to call it), you have to remember that Japan like practically the rest of the world, runs on the metric system. Yes, the cursed metric system not only messes with the 1/4 pounder with cheese (which is called the "double burger" at the McDonalds' in Japan), but it also messes with things of volume.
When the gas price sign says "120" for hai-oku, it means 120 yen a liter. And a liter is pretty much the same as a quart. (And there are 4 quarts to a gallon, hence the name "quart").
So, the grand total comes to about $4 a gallon for premium here in Hokkaido. How people with SUVs here in Hokkaido (and there are a bunch) survive is beyond me.

Thought this was a very good article from Newsweek online. Puts words to my thoughts on this road to an imminent war with Iraq.

Today as I was walking down the 20 degree streets with a 1 liter bottle of Coke in my hand, I remembered how I loved the Vanilla Coke when I went back home 6 months ago. Ben Tao actually introduced me to it when I visited him in Virginia. He was all like, "Oh, oh, you don't know about this stuff do you? You gotta try it!" And that was the beginning. For the remaining 2 weeks, every chance I had, I'd drink Vanilla Coke... or Root Beer (root beer's hard to find in Japan because most Japanese people think it tastes like medicine, so it doesn't sell).
I was so hooked, that when I came back to Japan, I tried making my own Vanilla Coke... ghettofied. Before Vanilla Coke officially came out in a can, you coulda gotten the stuff if you went to a 50s diner with a soda fountain. I'm assuming that all they really did was get regular Coke... and add some of that vanilla Italian Soda syrup, and mix it... stirred not shaken (cuz if you shake Coke, well, I'm sure you can figure it out). Yeah, well, that Italian Soda syrup stuff is hard to come by around these parts (although I just found a place where I can get some!) so I just added vanilla extract to a cup of Coke. Supa ghettofied. Wasn't the same. It was kinda nasty actually... so you kiddies out there reading this... don't try it at home.

I forgot to show this picture to you guys. It's a picture of something I found right outside of the DMV in Hokkaido. Took it right after I got my license. Yes, I took my driving test while it was snowing. And yes, it's now March, and snow and ice still sits on the sidewalks. But besides that, I thought it was incredible that they would even have such a thing right outside of the DMV. I guess it's to scare future drivers into being more careful on the roads. I don't remember seeing anything like that in front of the El Cerrito DMV. The closest thing I can think of is watching a Red Asphalt marathon in drivers' ed.
Oh and Bob, the scallops were real good. Today, I finished em up, using them for Pad Thai. Scallops Pad Thai is pretty good... but the presentation isn't all that great cuz the scallops just stick out like they don't belong there. I mean there's the thin noodles... the thin bean sprouts, the little bits of tofu, and a few other things... and then, BAM there's a few scallop medallions that look crazy huge compared to its surroundings just sittin there.

Here's something I found in the supermarket here. No joke. This shampoo definitely blows herbal essences outta the water.

Today is a bit of a smorgasborg of topics.
I watched the movie The Majestic starring Jim Carrey on DVD. Ok ok ok... so for those of you back home who are like, "The what? Oh that movie from way back when..." you gotta understand that Lord of the Ring 2 just came out a couple of weeks ago in the theaters here in Japan. And by the way, no... I haven't seen the Two Towers yet, so get all your giggles out now.
Thought the movie was good. Had the whole emotional rollercoaster effect... the ups, the downs, and everything in between. Even had the exclamation point of a monologue toward the end... I mean every good movie has to have the dramatic monologue that rights every wrong! A real go-getter, all-American kind of movie.
Along with The Majestic, I rented Run Lola Run. (Guys... guys... I just watched twoooo movies.) After hearing from so many people back home about how Run Lola Run is a good movie... I decided to try it out. For those of you who are familiar with the movie, you all know that it's a German movie. Well, let's just say that that was an unexpected surprise when I popped it in. No biggie right? I mean, I rented it on DVD... I should be able to get the English dub over or the English subtitles right? Well... NO! This is Japan. In Japan, people speak Japanese. Some people try to speak English. And some are pretty good at it. Most people however, well, they try. And so, on the Japanese DVD of Run Lola Run there is no English dub over or subtitles. Just the option for Japanese dub overs and subtitles.
So what does an American (who doesn't quite look like a foreigner in Japan) do with a German movie with Japanese language options? Can't just give up... I mean, I spent money on em. Think of all the starving kids in Africa... actually, I dunno what the connection is between giving up and starving kids in Africa. Somehow, being wasteful always brings up images of starving kids in Africa.
Anyway, I decided to get the Japanese language dub over because I'm Japanese illiterate and can't read the subtitles fast enough. Actually, I should say that I can't read the subtitles without bringing out my electronic dictionary 90% of the time (stupid Chinese characters). But if it's between listening to Japanese and German... I'll take Japanese any day. And I'm happy to say that the rental wasn't a waste of money at all. I understood! I may be an ignorant illiterate foo but at least I understand what people are saying!
On a completely different subject, I just finished the book If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get out of the Boat by John Ortberg. Yes, that is indeed a very long title for a book. As the title suggests, the basis of the book mainly comes from a passage from the Bible, in Matthew 14 where the disciples see Jesus walking on water, Peter (one of the disciples) decides he wants to be where Jesus is on the water, and Peter too walks on water. A great book basically about real faith, what it is, and what it can do. The book itself isn't terribly long (just over 200 pages), it's a pretty quick read because of John Ortberg's great writing style and humor, and has some great lessons to learn from. I'd heartily recommend this book to just about anyone.
And as for the scallops... today, I decided to try em out. I've since learned that scallops as most of us know em... you know the fat, circular things, are really only 1/2 of a scallop. After you peel the shells away (which was an adventure in itself) you'll find that you don't see the medallions just sittin there. There's a whole bunch of other stuff. Other stuff that ain't too appealing to the tastebuds or the eyes for that matter.
And yeah, you can't just peel the shells away (or maybe it's just me). Apparently, the scallops don't like that to much so they kinda resist. After a few minutes of trying to pry em open with my hands I remembered how the local sushi chefs prepared their scallops... by removing the scallop from the shell using a butter knife. Those sushi chefs are smart men.

Tonight, a church member came to my apartment. That in itself isn't groundbreaking news. Calm down now. So, Mrs. Kazumata (the church member) rings the doorbell, I open the door to see what's up.

Mrs. Kazumata: Hi, would you like some scallops?
Hideyo: Huh?!
Mrs. Kazumata: Would you like some scallops? I have some and thought that you might like some.
Hideyo: Yeah sure!
Mrs. Kazumata: Do you have something to put them in?

At this point, I'm thinking... "Ok, it's not everyday you get someone asking if you want scallops... but scallops are pretty good. I guess a tupperware thing should do to hold some scallops." So I grab a tupperware bin thinking that I'm gonna get... well, you know scallops, like the ones you find in seafood platters in Chinese restaurants.

Mrs. Kazumata: That's way too small.
Hideyo: What the?! Too small? Ok.

So I grab a plastic bowl from under my stove. I go down to her car to help out with the scallop transfer. Remember, she shared her scallops with me, so, the portion I got was really something like 1/5 of the total she had. I didn't get to take a picture of her bucket of scallops... but here's what I got.
Yeah, I don't think I've seen any Chinese seafood dishes having something that looked like that. I am definitely in Hokkaido... land of fresh seafood. On a related subject, I went to the supermarket today, and I walked past the fish section... the humongous fish section, and a bunch of the fish were all flapping around on the ice. They were still alive! This was like sashimi to the extreme. Sorry, I didn't get any video footage of the things.
Anyway, so now, I gotta figure out how to make my bowl o' scallops look like the stuff in the Chinese seafood restaurants... and then figure out what to do with em. What an adventure this'll be!

Aww yeeah! Today, I went back to the far distant land of Teine where the DMV is... see my February 17th entry. So, I finally went in to take the actual driving test... and I passed! Can you believe it?! I passed! I PASSED! To fully understand the weight of these words you have to understand how I went into the test today. This test is notorious among foreigners in Japan. I heard all these stories about how lotsa people fail the first time. So, basically, I went into the test today thinking, "Ehh, I'll probably fail so might as well treat this time around as a practice run for the second time." My test proctor speaking "Disgruntled Old Japanese Man-ese" throughout the entire test pretty much enforced what I had heard.
Unlike the driving test in California, there's a special course used for testing behind the DMV. The thing is that the foreigners take a different test from Japanese driving candidates. I have no idea what the Japanese people do on the testing course but the foreigners get to go through a maze of narrow, 90 degree turn roads, S-curves, and a bunch of roadblocks. I was waiting for a John Woo-esque slo-mo car jump.
It felt like one of those driving tests in Gran Turismo (a driving game for the Playstation). Except, if you fail you can't just push the START button and try again. In my case, I'd have to pay another $70 in public transportation costs just to get to the DMV a few days later. Yeah, video games are definitely better than reality in some ways (like the 900+ HP Skyline in Gran Turismo... that thing beats out anything on straight-aways).
So here's my real lineup of driving licenses. The California... the International Driving Permit... and the storied Japanese license. Aww yeah... now it's time to learn how to drift on hard turns... turn, e-brake, down shift... or right on the direction-pad, square and L2... depending on what side of reality you're on.