Shu no Heiwa: The Peace of Christ

This is my third week in Japan and I am homesick. It is not a constant feeling. Sometimes I never want to leave, but there are the many sneaking occasions when I miss my family, my friends, my pets, and my old diet and customs. It is strange the things I start craving simply because I cannot have them anymore. If someone offered me a can of kidney beans in exchange for my only pair of tennis shoes, I might actually consider it.

So it is this yearning that led me to search for a Roman Catholic Church. The mass, while in Japanese, has the same structure as any Roman Catholic Church in any part of the world. I go to church every Sunday, so I was comforted when my mother found the address for the local church in Hirakata City.[singlepic=118,320,240,,right]

With directions from Google, I hopped on the train to Hirakatashi and walked the several blocks to the church. Altogether it took me an hour to get there by train, if only because walking to the train station takes so long.

I found the church and climbed the steps to the front doors. I was greeted immediately. I was bowed inside where I could see a wood-carving of Jesus above a wooden altar. Lines of pews faced the front and the congregation was preparing for mass to start. Japanese families spoke excitedly to each other, and I could hear the organ player warm-up with a few easy psalms.

As I was trying to figure out where to sit there was a small woman who addressed me in English. Her name was Chieko Naganawa-san, and she wanted me to sit with her and her husband, Tomoaki-san. They were both older, probably in their early 60s, and they are able to speak in Japanese, English, French and Spanish.

[singlepic=116,320,240,,left]Chieko-san was impressed when I showed her my English Sunday missal, given to me by my grandmother. With it I can follow the scripture readings and the prayers said by the priest. I cannot read hiragana to sing along, nor can I recite the prayers in Japanese, but I know what is being said and for the first time in a long while I feel very close to home.

When mass ended, Chieko-san introduced me to most of the congregation. I stood out significantly as a ryuugakusei (international student), but the amount of people interested in learning my name surprised me. I bowed as I learned countless new names, smiling and hoping I was being polite. I was afraid I would make Chieko-san look badly otherwise.

The priest is a plump older man from Spain. He was pleased to have an international student visit his church, and hoped to see me there again soon. He spoke English, but I found speaking Spanish with him is easier. His associate priest is from Mexico and much younger, and his English is much better.

Chieko-san invited me to have lunch in their mess hall. They were serving udon for 200 yen a bowl, and I was starving. While I tried to find some spare yen she told me she would pay. It is cheap, she explained, and she invited me to eat. I thanked her, hardly believing my luck. We joined her husband at a table and I started to slurp my first bowl of Japanese udon. It was delicious.

I spoke with her and her husband and they told me about themselves and asked me questions about where I am from and what I am doing in Japan. Tomoaki-san is a professor at the Osaka University of Economics and he is currently teaching a class on American Law. He gave me his business card and told me to call him and his wife if I ever need anything. I was invited to dinner at their home in a few weeks. [singlepic=119,320,240,,right]

It was nearing 1:00 p.m. and I had a train to catch. Chieko-san walked me back to the train station and we parted, but not before she snuck a muffin into my hand. She will see me next Sunday, she told me. I am still wondering how I am going to repay her for her kindness. I have an emergency gift of chocolates from America in my room. I can already tell I will need them.

While I do miss my own culture, I am finding there are reasons I like Japan. I am allowed to miss home and my old customs, but here there are people who deserve admiration. I am unsure if I should be thanking the Catholic Church or thanking the Japanese culture, but in any case I am awed. I have never been greeted with such sincere hospitality by a stranger.

I am looking forward to returning to the church next Sunday. After all, shu no heiwa. The peace of Christ is with us, even in Japan. As for my homesickness, I suppose I can survive without the kidney beans. Udon is much tastier.