Holiday Travels

November 23 is a holiday in Japan, Labor Thanksgiving Day. Historically a cross between Labor Day and a harvest festival, this holiday isn't as celebrated as some others in Japan. I however, was invited by a wonderful church member to visit Gifu prefecture in central Japan. The weather was surprisingly warm, and we were able to go autumn leaf-viewing in comfort.

The area is very popular with tourists.




Also that weekend, we visited Shirokawa-go, a valley filled with these beautiful houses. Many of the houses still use thick thatch roofs, as the snow is quite heavy in the winter. The area has become a popular winter tourist destination, but in November, it wasn't very crowded.

Here is a close-up of one of the roofs.




That evening we stayed in a traditional Japanese hotel, called a ryokan. The dinner was quite elaborate, and laid out on the table in our room.


And, finally, here is a picture of the most beloved sight in Japan. Fuji san, Mount Fuji. As it was taken from the bus window, it isn't very clear, but it is otherwise a nice close-up.

J3 Retreat, this year in Nagasaki

Nagasaki, Japan is a beautiful city on the island of Kyushu.

Nagasaki was an important port historically, as it was open to the West (actually, only the Dutch) when the rest of Japan was closed to foreigners.

The ciy is also famous for its Christian history. Today there are many Catholic Churches, due in part to a history of Portguese missions in the area. However, for about 250-300 years (roughly 1580s-1870s, give or take a decade), Christianity was persecuted, outlawed, or tolerated for foreigners only.

In February, 1597, 26 people were matryred in Nagasaki. Today there is a museum on the hill where they were crucified, and is dedicated not only to them, but to all martyrs.


The commemoration day for the 26 Martyrs of Japan is February 5 in the Lutheran calendar as well as the Roman Catholic calendar.


This is Oura Catholic Church, which also honors the 26 martyrs.


Also in Nagasaki is the Glover house, the first western-style house built in Japan. Thomas Glover was from Scotland but moved to Nagasaki.



Either Tomas Glover or his brother are interwoven into various legends about the the inspiration for the opera Madam Butterfly. Cho-cho San, (butterfly in Japanese) has been compared to Glovers's wife (!), his mistress, his brother's mistress, or various other women living in Nagasaki at the time. There is no historical proof that Madam Butterfly was ever a real person, but rather is a story insprired by the West's curiosity of all things Japanese.


This , however, has not stopped the Glover Gardens from using Madam Butterfly to promote tourism to the garden.