August 31, 2025

Fukuoka Prefecture

Fukuoka is the largest city on the island of Kyushu and also the name of the prefecture that extends along the northern most portion of the island. The Sea of Japan and the southernmost portion of Honshu, Japan’s largest island, are north of Fukuoka prefecture. My dad’s father listed Fukuoka as his hometown on his marriage certificate. According to a helpful volunteer from the Japanese Consulate in Honolulu, he was able to identify my grandfather’s home town to be Sone-mura in the Kiku district of Fukuoka prefecture. That town has been absorbed by the city of Kitakyushu, which is to the northeast of the city of Fukuoka. I wondered if I might be my grandfather's first descendent to return to his place of departure from Japan some 120 years prior to our arrival. Upon our arrival to Fukuoka, we asked an attendant where we could exchange money. We needed yen to be able to pay a cab driver for a ride from the airport to the hotel. Additionally, I had read that much of Japan is still a cash society. Many restaurants, toll gates and businesses do not accept credit cards. Prior to our trip, a frequent traveler to Japan had recommended that we get cash at a money exchange at the airport. However, I wasn't aware that the airport in Fukuoka had both a domestic and international terminal, and that we had flown into the domestic terminal. It never crossed my mind that our final destination could be without foreign travel services. We were able to find someone who was able to speak English well enough to let us know that the airport had two terminals and that we might find a money exchange at the international terminal. We first needed to collect our bags and then take the airport shuttle. The international terminal was on the other side of the runways that extend between the two terminals. We were grateful that our flight had arrived on time and that our bags had successfully made the long journey from San Antonio. With bags in hand, we walked outside onto a covered sidewalk and quickly located the shuttle bus waiting area. Across the street were buildings with large neon advertisements which came to life against a rapidly darkening sky. Suddenly the area was brightly illuminated as a streak of lightning dashed across the sky revealing an ominously large cloud. A loud clap of thunder followed and then some large raindrops turned into a downpour. What a surprise! We certainly were not expecting lightning and thunder in Japan! You might have thought that we were back in Texas. At the international terminal, we found most of the stores were darkened and the halls devoid of travelers. We found the one international terminal money exchange tucked in a small corner, and not very visible from the hallway. It was small with one attendant, but we were happy that we found it and thrilled it was open! I presented a debit card to the attendant but she responded by saying that they don’t accept credit cards. Before the trip, I had verified with my bank that their debit card was well accepted in Japan. I tried to explain that it was not a credit card, but, in her broken English, she said that they only accepted cash. Woody and I looked at each other wondering if the other had cash. We hadn’t planned for this and we needed yen to make it to the hotel! Before leaving for Japan, Woody had talked to the hotel to see if they had a shuttle service. The hotel said that they ended the service during COVID so our options were to use public bus transportation or to take a cab. The bus was much cheaper, but required navigating multiple transfers and would take up to an hour and a half. The cab cost was around $40 and would take twenty minutes. We came up with around $100 between us, which was just enough to make it to the hotel and back the next day to our car rental location near the airport, with a little bit to spare. Besides needing to exchange money, I was hopeful that we could find a place that could help us with mobile coverage since our phones were still not working. I had read that Japanese phone service companies are readily available at airports. Indeed, one phone service booth was open, but the only option that I could understand due to our language barrier, was to rent a Japanese mobile device. I wanted something that would allow my phone to work with a Japanese mobile service since all of our trip information was located on my phone. I decided that we might have better success in one of the large cities that we would visit around Kyushu. With our $100 worth of yen, we rolled our luggage out to a line of waiting taxis. The first cab driver in line was an older gentleman dressed in a well worn uniform. His cab was an older sedan. Woody wanted to wait for a better option, but I thought with the lack of travelers in the terminal, we might be waiting for some time. I asked the driver if he could take us to the Hilton and he nodded his head. It was our first time traveling to Japan and the forecast predicted cold, wet weather for our two week trip. We both learned from our trips to Colorado that unpredictable weather is best addressed by packing clothes that can be layered. We both translated that into full suitcases and backpacks. Woody had packed in her large, blue suitcase that we affectionately began to call, “big blue.” I had a slightly smaller suitcase that was still pretty large based upon Japanese standards. The size of our luggage was really evident at the baggage claims in Tokyo and Fukuoka. Our suitcases dwarfed most of the other luggage. The cab driver groaned when trying to lift big blue into the trunk. He managed to first get it onto the lip of the trunk and then used the wheels to roll it in. I gave him a hand with my suitcase and he got the two suitcases oriented so the trunk would close. As I again told the driver our destination, it became apparent that he didn't really understand what I was saying. I guess he didn't want to pass up the opportunity to give us a ride when he nodded to my question earlier. Woody and I piled into the back of the cab and I had Woody get the paper copy of our hotel reservation from her backpack that we had printed before leaving home. It included the hotel information and address. I showed the paper to him and pointed at the address, but the street name was in English! He couldn’t read it! I had downloaded Google maps before we left home so I opened the Google maps app. I had saved all of our overnight stays in the app so I thought I could show him the hotel location. When I navigated the app to Fukuoka, I immediately noticed that the map was missing much of the text details, almost all of the English descriptions, and my saved locations! When I had reserved our first night's stay back home, I had spent quite a bit of time looking at the hotel location on the map. I remembered it being next to the ocean and very close to a large domed baseball stadium. After a couple of minutes, I located the stadium and pointed the hotel location to him. Suddenly he realized what I had been trying to tell him! ‘He-ro-to-n,’ (or hiroton in Romanji Japanese) he said. Woody and I excitedly both began to nod in the affirmative. ‘Hai,’ we said, trying one of the few words that we knew. With that we were off into the night in the pouring rain. I kept the map app running and could see that even though my phone couldn't connect to a mobile provider, the GPS on my phone was working.

Hilton Fukuoka Sea Hawk Hotel

The Hilton lobby was fairly empty when we checked in. There were three attendants at the counter who all spoke English to a varying degree. Our reservation was in order and we were able to check in with no problem. And they accepted our American credit card! I threw them a curve ball when I asked if there was a place where I could exchange money using my debit card. All three tried to help with the answer at some point but they eventually came to the conclusion that there wasn’t a way for us to use the debit card to get money at the hotel. We were going to have to figure out another way to get some cash. With our quest to obtain cash still unresolved, we decided to take our bags to our room and then to get something to eat. Japan time is ahead by about a half a day so it was early morning back in San Antonio. We thought it would be best to try to quickly acclimate to the time change. The Hilton was a much larger hotel than I had imagined. There weren’t many pictures online and we couldn’t really see it from the cab, so we were completely taken back at its size as we walked to the elevators. As I recall, the hotel was 36 stories tall and very wide as well. Our room was pretty tiny by American standards but neat. I tried to look out of the window, but everything was obscured by the rain and darkness. I was so grateful that we decided to stay in the hotel and to wait getting the rental car until the following day.

Surprised to discover a chapel on the top floor of the hotel the next morning.
The hotel appears to be designed to resemble a ship with the 'bow' facing the Sea of Japan.

At the restaurant, Woody ordered mushroom soup that she really enjoyed. I ordered a fruit plate that was almost too beautiful to eat. I remembered our kids were concerned that Woody would have a hard time finding things that she would like. Granted we were staying in an American hotel, but we were both taken back by the freshness and flavor of our dishes along with the artful presentation.

Artful hotel fruit plate for our first meal

As we made our way from the restaurant back to our room, we passed a hotel worker in a suit standing alone in the lobby area. He was neatly attired and had a Hilton nameplate pinned to his suit jacket. As we passed, he greeted us and asked if there was anything that we needed for our stay. His English was very good and we guessed that he was likely a manager. I mentioned needing to find someplace where I could use my debit card to obtain cash. He paused and then mentioned that there might be a bank nearby that might accept our debit card, but that they might require that we have an account with them. As he thought a bit more, it was like a lightbulb suddenly turned on. He asked if we had tried the convenience store downstairs. In Japan, there are many convenience stores - 7 Eleven, Family Mart, and Lawson's, to name a few - and they are seemingly everywhere! They are known in Japan as ‘konbini,' which I believe is a Japanese pronunciation of 'convenience.' Woody and I had never been to one. Pausing for a minute as he began trying to describe how to get there, he instead told us to follow him. He led us back to the hallway by the restaurant and then through a set of double doors that opened into a labyrinth of corridors lined by closed and vacant stores. Unbeknownst to us, a portion of the lower level of the hotel was retail space. We passed high end clothing, furniture, and wellness centers while hurriedly trying to keep pace. He headed down a final hallway that appeared to be a dead end. At the end, he made a final left turn down a short, narrow hallway that led to the back entrance of a convenience store. Upon entering, he stopped, turned and began scanning the text written on the screen of a large electronic box near the rear entrance. It was an ATM! After doing a quick scan, he pointed out the ATM to us and said that he thought that it might work with our debit card. He pressed a language button on the display and the text changed to English. We thanked him profusely and tried to let him know how grateful we were for his guidance. He asked if he should wait to show us the way back to the hotel. We declined, repeated our thanks, and watched as he walked out through the rear store entrance and disappeared into the maze of hallways. We never saw him again during our stay. We were so happy to see the ATM with instructions in English. We read and followed the steps and took delight in watching it work. Our card and PIN were accepted, the amount approved, and the cash was delivered in the cash door. Conducting a financial transaction through a machine at a convenience store in a foreign country might be a common experience for many, but we were thrilled that it worked. Perhaps it was because of the struggles with our phones not working, but we were like children in a candy store when the cash was delivered to the cash drawer! We were grateful and amazed that God had us encounter this hotel employee who happened to think of trying the konbini. A singular encounter might sound like a coincidence to some, but we were blessed by these timely encounters again and again throughout our trip. It felt as though we were living an adventure story in real time. We were just getting started! Once we made it back to our hotel room we took turns taking a bath and immediately went to bed. It was fairly late and Woody fell asleep quickly which made me happy. I was concerned that she might not adjust well to the time change. As I lay in bed, I considered all that had happened at the airport, cab ride and getting cash at the konbini in the hotel, and the people that helped us along the way.

A promised encounter

I started to pray as I lay there. I thanked the Lord for the calling and for Woody’s willingness to encourage me as we embarked to do something that left some of our friends and family scratching their heads. Some tried to make logical sense of our trip by speaking of the reason many people travel to Japan; the culture, food, people, and scenery. Even though these were all very good reasons to visit Japan, I knew in my heart that none were the reason that we were here. Now that we were actually here and had faced some moments of adversity and our inability to communicate, their questions were more understandable. Did God really speak to me? Can I be sure that this was His voice? Should we be spending our time and money on something so obscure and on people we don’t even know? I felt like I needed to remind God of His call and to affirm it to myself in prayer. As I prayed, I thanked the Lord for entrusting me with His calling and reminded Him of our purpose for being here. Sure, this was just a two week trip and we hadn’t officially moved yet, but it was important for me to pray that even for this two week trip, we didn't come seeking an adventure or our own pleasure. I told Him that we were here for His purpose and for His will. We needed His help and desired that He would use us to accomplish His purposes during our trip. As I was praying, I was reminded that the Lord told me that Japan would experience an awakening - a movement of His Spirit that would bring many to Him. Several years back I remember reading that Japan was changing Emperors, and with that change came a new era in Japan. I wondered and then began to believe that the Japanese awakening would occur during this new era. The change of Emperors occurred in May of 2019 with the abdication of the throne by Emperor Akihito. His successor was his son, Naruhito. The new era was named Reiwa. It was based upon a Japanese poem, or ‘waka,’ written by a Japanese poet in the 8th century. Interestingly, Reiwa is the only era of 248 Japanese eras to be derived from Japanese literature versus classic Chinese literature. An English translation of the poem is as follows:

It was in new spring, in a fair (rei) month,
When the air was clear and the wind a gentle (wa) breeze.
Plum flowers blossomed a beauty's charming white
And the fragrance of the orchids was their sweet perfume.

When I first read the poem, it appeared to connect with all that the Lord had spoken to my heart. The ‘new spring, in a fair (rei) month’ was the fair (and beautiful) period of God’s outpouring of His Spirit during this new era, Reiwa. The ‘wind a gentle breeze’ reminded me of Jesus’ description of the Spirit.

"The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it is coming from and where it is going; so is everyone who has been born of the Spirit." John 3:8

The plum tree and its blossoms were like an awakening. One day it is barren and appears to be lifeless and dead. Then, almost in an instant, it buds and then flowers. The buds fade and fall away and seem to die. But they are the forebearer of fruit that is yet to come. In our back yard in Texas, I had to cut down a dying Japanese Maple that had finally succumbed to the alkaline soil of San Antonio and the hot summers in 2019. Woody suggested that we plant a Japanese plum tree where the Japanese maple tree had died in accord with the new era and our calling. Now remembering about the new era while laying in a darkened room in a Fukuoka hotel, I opened my phone to conduct a search for plum trees. Had the Lord ordered our steps to be here when the plum trees were blooming in Japan? The search led me to find the grounds of Dazaifu Tenmangu, a Shinto shrine on the far southeast edge of Fukuoka. It was listed as one of the best places to view plum trees. I decided that we should go with the hope that we might see some plum trees in bloom. As I lay quietly, I considered what it meant to visit a shrine. I thought some people would have a problem visiting a shrine or temple because of the worship of false gods and idolatry. Will the Lord frown upon us visiting a shrine knowing that we have no belief in them? I sensed the Lord bring a sudden understanding to my mind that immediately erased my concern. When we go to the shrine, there will be a young woman there. She will come to pray and mourn for a young child of hers who has died. I am to encourage her to know that the Lord is real and has seen her in her grief. I will know her because she will speak English very well. Wow! I have had moments like this in the past where God suddenly discloses something to me that I would otherwise not know. The book of 1st Corinthians describes manifestations of the Holy Spirit. I have attributed moments like this to the Lord's Spirit manifesting a specific understanding of a future event to me for His purposes. I have described other instances of this occurring in my other writings. I started to wonder about this young woman and wondered how we would recognize her. I imagined the shrine would likely be fairly empty given that we would be there midday on a weekday. Perhaps she will be sitting on the steps of the shrine and look to be in distress. But I really had no idea other than what the Lord had revealed to me. I opened Google maps to see how difficult it would be for us to get to the shrine from the car rental location. Since I was connected to the hotel's WiFi network, the map had all of the street names and details that I am accustomed to seeing. It still hadn't dawned on me that the lack of details and saved locations was due to our phones inability to connect to a mobile network when we were away from WiFi. I used Google maps and street view to familiarize myself with the area around the shrine since it would be my first time driving in Japan. I located a large public parking place near the shrine and decided that we would park there. I also used maps to look for a restaurant that had good reviews and food that I thought Woody would enjoy. A couple of streets from the parking area I found a ramen restaurant that had great reviews and I thought that would be a safe bet for Woody. It would be my first time eating ramen in Japan in many years so I was looking forward to seeing if my fond memories would align with the actual food. I saved the restaurant location in the app along with the parking area location.

First time driving in Japan

The following morning I woke up prior to the sunrise while Woody was still sleeping. I peered around the room darkening curtains and was greeted by a full moon shining above the Fukuoka skyline. The full moon instantly brought back memories of the time when the Lord first brought me to faith. I thanked the Lord for His grace and again thanked Him for our time in Japan. I could see the ocean from our room and was grateful that it appeared that the rain had cleared. Despite the gloomy forecast prior to our arrival, it now called for a beautiful day.

Full moon over Fukuoka

We took a taxi to the Toyota car rental location that was close to the international terminal. Several people had told us that we shouldn't have difficulty communicating because many Japanese understand and speak some English. The taxi driver again seemed to understand where we wanted to go when he asked, but he ended up driving us to the airport. The driver got out of the car to help unload our bags when we arrived at the airport. I got out also to let him know we were at the wrong location. I said, ‘Toyota,’ but he didn't understand what I was trying to tell him. As I thought about what else I could say, I happened to look up and saw the top of a building that stood next to the Toyota rental location. I recalled seeing it earlier when using Google street view. I pointed the building to the driver as to where we wanted to go. Suddenly, he understood why I was saying ‘Toyota’ as he was familiar with the rental location there. We both got back into the cab and made the short drive to the Toyota rental location. There was more than one Toyota rental location near the airport, but I decided to rent from this location because of their better reviews. I could now guess it was likely because Google reviews are from mostly English speakers and this rental location was near the international terminal. Toyota likely had their better English speakers at this location. The agent we saw was not from Japan and spoke English pretty well. She first apologized that the car that they had for me was involved in an ‘incident’ and asked if it was ok if they gave us a more expensive car at the same price. I just wanted it to have an English GPS and enough space to hold our luggage. She had the car brought out front. It was a brand new Toyota Prius sport edition. It had a couple kilometers on the odometer and had never been rented. It had fancy alloy wheels and the body was very aerodynamic. Woody loved it because it was new, clean and white. She loves white cars. The attendant climbed in and changed the GPS console to English and released the back hatch door. I lifted and fit big blue into the back, but my bag wouldn't fit unless I stood it on the side. We were able to close the hatch but much of the view through the rear view mirror was blocked. I decided it would be fine, so we went back in to discuss the paperwork. Like many car rental companies, Toyota offers an option where you can add insurance to cover accidents or mishaps. We normally decline the additional coverage since our car insurance covers that at home, but I wasn't really sure whether we should add it in Japan. I initially declined but Woody pointed out some details that I had missed while trying to decipher the attendant's English. After a quick discussion with Woody, we opted to pay for the additional coverage. And with that, we left to drive to the shrine. I had the location of the shrine parking area in my phone, but again realized that much of the details and my saved locations weren't available because my phone couldn't connect to the Internet. Thankfully, I could get driving directions by selecting a destination on the maps that I had downloaded to my phone. But many of the features that are available while connected to the Internet are not available, including turn by turn vocal instructions. Meanwhile, the control labels on the in-car GPS were printed in Japanese so I didn't know what button to push. The display itself was in English, but all of the addresses were listed in Japanese, so it seemed unusable to me. I decided to use the GPS on my phone with Woody as my navigator. I found that driving on the opposite side of the road is really challenging. Since the rear view mirror is normally to my right, I kept looking to that side and ended up using the side mirror, which gives you a very limited view as to what's behind you. The most humorous mistake that I made multiple times is turning the windshield wipers on when I made a lane change. The windshield wiper and turn signal controls are reversed! I suggested that I pay Woody a quarter every time I accidently turned on the wipers so that it became a game each day. Towards the end of the two weeks I got better, but Woody and I got so many laughs from my inability to make that seemingly simple adjustment. While driving, I tended to align the car too far to the left side of the lane. Since I normally drove on the opposite side of the car, I was having a difficult time mentally accepting that there was more car on my left versus my right. With the narrow Japanese roads, I kept coming close to hitting curbs, driving off of the road, or scraping vehicles to our left. On our way to the shrine, I had maneuvered our car to the center lane on a multi-lane road. The road was very busy so we had cars to the left and right of us. Woody kept leaning toward me and away from her car door. When she did, she would say, ‘Rick, Rick, Rick!’ It startled me each time so I asked her to stop. I was already on edge trying to figure out how to properly drive in Japan. She countered that by not saying something, we might get into an accident. I knew she was right so I suggested that she say something a little less alarming, such as, ‘beep, beep, beep,’ as a warning instead. She started to do so and we got many laughs with that as well. I received quite a few, ‘beep, beep, beeps,’ and thankfully, no accidents! Even though it was mid morning, the traffic was very busy along the roadway towards the shrine. As we crawled forward, I remembered the understanding that I had received about the young woman that we were to meet at the shrine. A sudden sense of God’s sovereignty over time and circumstance brought peace to me and dispelled the anxiety that I was feeling from driving in heavy traffic. I now saw the traffic benefiting me to learn how to drive in Japan in a slow, methodical manner. It was a blessing since our low speed from intersection to intersection gave me the time to observe the other drivers’ reactions to the road markings, traffic signals and signs. We weren’t on a tight schedule, or really any schedule at all, except to make it to our Airbnb location in Arita. During one particularly slow section of traffic, I told Woody about the understanding of the young woman as we inched forward. I sensed Woody’s frustration with the traffic and suggested that the Lord might be using the traffic delay in order to make our paths cross the young woman’s at just the right time. Woody was of course amazed at what I told her about my understanding. She too had questions on how we would find her. Woody now knew all that I knew. We both were going to have to wait to see what would happen. We arrived safely at the parking area to find that one of the two parking areas was completely full. Parking attendants were collecting a fee while directing cars to the second area which was more than half full as well. I paid the attendant and felt relieved that we had made it to our first destination without incident. As Woody handed me my phone, I quickly checked maps for my saved markers for the shrine and the restaurant. The saved markers were missing. Having used street view to ‘see’ the area the night before, I had some sense as to where we should go. As we started walking, we felt assured we were headed in the right direction since others were parking and walking along with us. But it made me wonder why there were so many people, and where were they going? There were a number of buses and vans parked and others arriving. Since it was late morning on a weekday, I expected the shrine to be pretty empty and quiet.

The young woman at the shrine

As we approached one of the intersections, I recalled the ramen restaurant was part way down the side street from where we were standing. We walked down the sidewalk and found it by its unique store front and entered to shouts of, ‘いらっしゃいませ’ - Irasshaimase! - a common welcome at Japanese restaurants. A long counter with stools extended from the front toward the back. On the other side of the counter, two cooks and an assistant were intensely attending to steaming pots of broth and noodles while retrieving and preparing ingredients. Most of the chairs were filled with people slurping bowls of warm, steamy ramen. Coats, jackets and umbrellas hung from pegs in the wall directly behind the customers. The young assistant came from behind the counter and directed us to what looked like a vending machine just inside the entrance. The vending machine contained rows of buttons with Japanese text and prices in yen. The assistant was doing his best in helping us understand that we needed to order from the machine. After watching him point at the buttons for a few moments, it dawned on me that the buttons contained the menu and we needed to order before being seated. However, we had no clue as to what was written on the menu buttons. I looked at him while shrugging my shoulders and pointed as if to ask, ‘Which one should we pick?’ Understanding my gesture, he nodded and pointed at one of the buttons. I pulled out some bills and he then helped me to insert the correct bill, and then collect our tickets, and our change. He then walked us to two open seats on the counter and motioned for me to place the coupons in front of us. The lead cook came over, gave us a small appetizer and took our tickets. He called out what I’m guessing was our order to the other cook and they both continued with their meal preparations. Soon he returned with two bowls of piping hot ramen and set them in front of us. The soup was milky white which was new to both Woody and I. We both tasted the broth and couldn't believe how good it tasted. We later learned that Fukuoka is renowned for developing ramen broth by boiling pork bones over a long period. It’s called Tonkatsu ramen and the pork bones give the broth its unique flavor and milky appearance.

Tonkatsu ramen and our first try speaking Japanese to students

As we were finishing our lunch, two young women entered the restaurant and sat next to us at the counter. We thought that they must have been in high school as they were both wearing the same outfit which we guessed must have been their school uniform. Before traveling to Japan, Woody and I had started taking a Japanese language course. Much of the dialog that we were taught was interacting with other students, so I thought I could try to use the few sentences that I knew. We had just finished our meal and they were waiting for theirs so the timing was perfect. I had heard that all Japanese students learn English in school so I first asked if they spoke English. They both giggled and held up their thumbs and forefingers to indicate a little. So, instead I asked if they were college students in Japanese. They both laughed and responded that they were high school students. I then asked what year students they were since I had learned that Japanese students use numbers to indicate their level both in high school and college. They both replied with their grade level. I acknowledged their answers, and with that, I was out of Japanese sentences! Even though it was the briefest of conversations, it felt so good that I was able to communicate in Japanese. I then turned and thanked the cook for the great meal using a Japanese phrase that my dad had taught me. The lead cook really lit up when he heard me and the three of them all smiled broadly and bowed to us from behind the counter. I think that they were very grateful that we showed appreciation for their hard work and for our food. The girls also seemed to get a kick out of communicating with us. They both attempted a good bye in English with big smiles and a couple of giggles. We walked out thrilled that we found the restaurant and had such a wonderful experience. I felt so grateful that God helped me to communicate in Japanese for the first time using the very little Japanese that I knew. We both sensed that God was ordering our steps. We left the restaurant and returned to the intersection to continue down the street where we started. There was a large crowd of people mostly going in the same direction, which I believed was the direction of the shrine. We followed the crowd to walk down the street which turned into a wide pathway for pedestrians. At the head of the street, buses were unloading passengers which added to the crowd. The street was lined with restaurants, shops and businesses crowded with hundreds and hundreds of patrons. In the midst of the crowd were schoolchildren dressed in their uniforms following a teacher with a colored flag. Each of the children wore a cap with the same color as the flag, which we guessed was used, along with their uniform, to uniquely identify their class from the many other classes. I was surprised by the number of people. Since we were away from what I knew as Japan’s large cities, I wondered if Woody was going to get to experience a crowd in Japan. Well, that didn’t take long! Was there a festival occurring? They all couldn’t be here to see the plum trees, could they? We had no idea so we continued down the street, stopping in a couple stores along the way. A large Torii gate signaled the start of the shrine grounds and the end of the business district. Our eyes were immediately drawn to a plum tree in full bloom a few hundred feet away. A sense of gratitude came over me as I was deeply aware that we were enjoying this marvel not because of any wise planning or luck. This was the Lord’s plan and His blessing and encouragement to us. It was a knitting of His call to us, this moment, and the promised awakening to come. We continued to follow the people as they made a turn to cross two red arched bridges that extended over a large pond and through the shrine gardens, which were predominantly dormant. The path continued by large stone lanterns and massive trees and eventually led to a towering wooden entrance gate that was painted red, gold and green. In regards to the shrine, we had no idea where we were. We had simply followed the crowds and then went to admire the blooming plum trees along the way. As magnificent as the entrance gate might have been, we hardly even noticed it as our eyes were drawn to a beautiful pink plum tree, framed by the entrance gate opening. Seeing the plum tree, Woody and I entered through the entrance gate and into the large courtyard to get a better view. The pink flowers exploded in color against the clear blue sky. Though the forecast had called for a cold, rainy day, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. We waited for a good moment and captured a selfie near the tree. Along with the pink plum tree, there was a small bridge and a koi pond with a ‘weeping’ plum tree, also in full bloom. Woody began to admire a young girl who was mesmerized by the colorful koi swimming in the pond by the weeping plum tree. I took a few steps back toward the shrine entrance gate and began to look around as I wondered where we were.

Weeping plum at Dazaifu Tenmangu shrine

The courtyard was surrounded by walls that were covered by ornate roofs gently curving to cover an elevated counter and work space that extended around the courtyard. Short vertical racks, like greeting card displays, extended down from the counters exposing thousands of fanciful papers inscribed with Japanese writings. Women dressed in completely white kimonos manned the displays as patrons scanned their many offerings. “I bet that the women are selling prayers,” I thought as I turned to see that the courtyard was surrounded by similarly manned counters. As I looked around, I thought about the woman that we were to meet here at the shrine. I had envisioned there only being a few people visiting the shrine and thought that we would know her because she would be one of the only other people there. There were many hundreds present so I wasn’t really sure what I was to do at this point. We were also finding that good English was not a common skill based upon the people that we met at the airport, hotel and car rental. Even the two students at the restaurant had poor English skills. I looked back toward the entrance gate and began to watch the people as they entered and left the courtyard. About that moment, a young, smartly dressed woman entered the courtyard, stopped, and began to look around. Something within immediately let me know that she was the one I was supposed to speak with. I froze as I considered what to do as I made an effort not to stare at her. She continued along the main walkway and headed to the plum tree. I was busy trying to think as she passed by. I took a deep breath and could feel my heart pounding in my chest. Her dress and countenance certainly wasn’t what I expected. I expected a sad, somewhat disheveled woman since I understood that she had come to the shrine to pray for a child that she had lost. She didn’t appear sad and she was well dressed - like many of the young professional men and women who were also visiting the shrine. I noticed that she was wearing a skirt in a light colored plaid material. I watched her as she went to look at the two plum trees. At one point, she handed her cell phone to a young man who snapped a photo of her in front of the tree. I wondered if they might have come together, but he walked off after handing the phone back to her. She appeared to have come alone which somehow further convinced me that she was the one. Woody walked up to me gushing about how cute the little girl was while looking at the koi fish. She continued while also describing the unique beauty of the weeping plum. I tried to listen but my thoughts were racing about what had just transpired. And what had not transpired! Now sensing that I was troubled, she asked if everything was alright. I told her that I saw the woman that God had told me about. “You did?! Did you talk to her?” she asked. “No, no, I didn’t,” I sheepishly responded. “Why not?” she inquired, looking quite perplexed. “Because I’m a chicken!” I quietly responded, while being unhappy with myself. “No you’re not,” she countered. “Where is she? Are you going to talk with her?”. “I’m not sure. Last I saw, she was over there by the plum trees. You came up around the time that she walked into the crowd,” I said while still trying to process why I failed to say anything. “What do you want to do?” Woody asked while looking at the many people that were walking around the courtyard while hoping to see her. “Let’s walk over to where I last saw her and see if we can find her,” I replied now wondering if I had missed the one opportunity that I had, while wondering whether I would have the nerve to say something if I see her again. In looking at online pictures of the shrine grounds while writing this story, it appears that during the time that we were there, the shrine had erected a wall that extended from one side of the courtyard to an area directly behind the plum trees. The wall separated the front of the courtyard from the back while leaving an opening on one side. The opening ended up creating a choke point for the visitors moving between the front and back courtyards. That was the last place that I saw her. Woody and I proceeded past the plum trees and around the wall so we could see the other side of the courtyard. I told Woody about her light colored plaid skirt as a way to distinguish her, but we did not see her. “What do you want to do now?” Woody asked after failing to locate her. “Let’s walk back towards the entrance gate and maybe we’ll see her on our way out,” I replied as I considered the improbability of spotting her with only one detail that I could recall to identify her. I had only briefly seen her and now there was a throng of people in the courtyard. We continued to look for her as we walked toward the gate. There were now a number of visitors who were viewing the displays that lined the side of the courtyard. I wondered if she might be looking for something in memory of her child, so I began to scan that area more closely. As we got through the crowd at the opening between the courtyards, I suddenly saw her. She was indeed looking at the items on display. It was good that she had worn the plaid skirt, otherwise I’m pretty certain that I wouldn’t have located her unless God would have intervened once again. It’s odd that I had remembered as I rarely notice details in people’s appearances. Woody and I continued to walk until we were standing directly behind her. I tried to gather some courage as the woman continued to browse through the items. Moments like this have been the most exhilarating of my faith journey. They are both thrilling and terrifying at the same time. The faith part of you wants to believe in what you heard and felt in your spirit; I will meet a woman at the shrine and I will know her because she speaks English well. She has suffered the loss of a child. I am to tell her that the Lord is real and sees her, loves her and has heard her prayers. And now to trust that the Lord has directed me to the right person. Meanwhile, your flesh is telling you that you are crazy, and that God doesn’t speak to man. Doubt is fighting you and trying to convince you that you shouldn’t say anything. What happens if she doesn't acknowledge you, or doesn’t speak English, or speaks English poorly, or hasn’t lost a child? Are you willing to risk embarrassment for something that you think you heard from God? Won’t this shatter your faith if it isn’t true? I believe moments like these are when God asks us to do something completely within our means. If we do, we will experience moments of glory. All I had to do was to speak. “Sumimasen,” I said while realizing that my fear led me to say it quite meekly. ‘Sumimasen’ translates to “pardon me” in Japanese. “Sumimasen,” I said once again, this time more assertively. The woman turned around to see if someone was addressing her, I said, “Do you happen to speak English?” “Yes, as a matter of fact I do,” she replied in perfect English, which amazed us after not encountering any during our stay. “I know this will sound odd, but God gave me a dream about you last night,” I started. Before I could continue, she held her hand out in a stop motion toward me and emphatically stated, “No, no, no,” as her words and motion made it clear that she did not want me to continue. She looked a bit perplexed as she glanced at me and then Woody and then me again without saying anything else. Seeing that I stopped, she turned back around towards the displayed items. I thought to say something to try to salvage the moment, but decided not to press forward given her emphatic response. I motioned to Woody and we made our way through the courtyard exit and back down the path through the shrine grounds. “What are you thinking,” Woody asked as we continued to walk. “I’m not sure,” I said, as we continued moving through the shrine grounds towards the exit. I felt really conflicted. On the one hand, I was thrilled that the Spirit had impressed upon me that I would know the woman that He wanted me to talk with because of her ability to speak English well, and that the woman that He identified to me, indeed spoke English well. I was also thrilled that I got up the nerve to say something. On the other hand, I was disappointed that I was unable to tell her what I understood God wanted her to know. I was also disappointed that our conversation had ended so abruptly and harshly. As I mentally replayed our interaction to consider what went wrong, I couldn’t help but marvel at what had happened overall. Out of hundreds, and maybe a thousand people, the Spirit had prompted me to recognize a single woman. I had lost her in the crowd, but had remembered something unique about what she was wearing, which is very unusual for me. And after a few minutes of trying to locate this complete stranger, we found her. She not only spoke English, but she spoke it perfectly. Then I considered the Spirit’s prompting when she entered the shrine courtyard. The encounter required us both to be in that location at the same time, and one that only lasted for a few seconds. It seemed even more incredulous when I considered all that had transpired beforehand. In the morning, Woody and I explored the topmost floor of the hotel and interestingly found a chapel. The chapel was at the very tip of the hotel and had incredible views of the ocean and coastline, so we enjoyed the views for a while. Following our checkout, we were taken to the airport instead of the car rental by the taxi driver. Once we were able to redirect our driver to the car rental, we then waited for and were given an alternate vehicle because of an ‘incident’. I then had my first driving experience in Japan and almost immediately was caught up in a traffic jam on our way to the shrine. At the shrine area, we had to overcome our inability to see our map data, find and then have lunch at the restaurant, converse with some Japanese students, shop at a store, find the shrine, and then walk to a series of blooming plum trees only to arrive in the shrine courtyard. All of those activities lead up to the moment when the Spirit identified the woman to me. We returned to our car and sat for a moment and reflected on all that had happened. As I spoke of both my amazement and my disappointment, Woody spoke of her amazement as well. “Honey,” Woody started, “I think you probably scared her by telling her that you had been dreaming about her!” I hadn’t said those exact words, but she was right! In an effort to frame what I was to say to her, I tried to add context that I thought would help her to understand why I was talking with her. In essence, I added words that were mine, and words that weren’t even true. I did not have a dream, but I thought it might make more sense then saying, “the Lord told me”. Even saying that, “the Lord told me,” isn’t really accurate either. It’s more like an understanding that I suddenly have. There really isn’t an explanation for that! Isaiah 55:8 says, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are My ways your ways.” There are several other verses where we are instructed not to add or take away from His commands or words (Deuteronomy, Proverbs, Revelation). And there are also examples of man's misuse of God's presence, such as Hophni and Phineas trying to win a battle by bringing the Ark of the Covenant, and then David and the priests wrongly trying to move it by placing it on a cart instead of carrying it (2 Samuel). God does not need my assistance or help! If I am so blessed to have an opportunity to know something that I am to say, I need to speak the words that He has given me. No more, and no less. That’s what best happened with the boy on the bridge (Thoughts on the Church), and, to a lesser extent, with Jaime, my daughter-in-law (The Bougainvillea and the Rare Flower), with Janette, one of my dad’s neighbors that I met while walking in his neighborhood, with three high school boys at a summer camp, which was the first time that the Lord allowed me to lead someone to faith, and with me telling Woody that we were going to marry one day, when we were only 15 and 16 years old. It’s happened several other times in my stumbling, bumbling way. In this case, the Lord made a point to let me know that I should never be casual with His words.

The five minute miracle

After we had spoken for a while, we decided to start driving to our next destination. While we were at the hotel, I had mapped out two routes to get from the shrine to our first home rental. The longer route would retrace our cab ride back through the city and then along the coastline, but should get us to our destination with a half hour to spare. The more direct route would get us there with more than an hour to spare. Woody opted for the more direct route. I noted that we would need to use the map on my phone, which was limited since we did not have cellular data. I asked if she could help navigate by letting me know when we were coming to turns. She acknowledged that and tried to hold the phone where I could see, while serving as my navigator and lane position guide. We left the parking area and followed the highlighted route. As we were driving down the first major road, Woody mentioned that we were approaching a turn. I glanced down at the map and saw that we were to take a left at an upcoming intersection. At the next intersection, I made the turn and started to drive down a multi-lane side street. “Honey,” Woody stated, “I think you turned too early.” “Oh,” I said as I looked down again and saw the blue dot, indicating our position, moving away from the blue route. “Ok. It should come up with an alternate route here in a second. Let me know if I need to turn somewhere to get back on track.” I continued to glance down at the phone, but no alternate route was coming up. Our blue dot was now sailing solo through the map and the route was now completely out of frame! We had now traveled several blocks and I could see that we were approaching the big highway that we had driven next to on our drive to the shrine. I was hopeful that the mapping software would make a route adjustment when we came to the major road. However, no route adjustment came so I continued to drive further and further away from our route. I came up with a plan to get us back to our designated route since it was now apparent that the map wasn't going to make an adjustment. I decided that instead of trying to do a U-turn, I would turn left and then turn left again on another large street. That will hopefully lead us back to intersect our intended route. However, there were train tracks running parallel to us that were impeding us from turning left. We traveled some distance before there was a crossing. Once over the tracks, we drove down several streets that would split into two directions. I tried to follow the larger street in the hope that we would intersect a large street headed back towards our route. After a couple more minutes of driving, we came to a stop at an intersection with a large road. I made a left turn in hopes that it would lead us back to our route. As I turned, I noticed that the road had what appeared to be large concrete barriers that were a few feet from the sidewalk that ran along the left side of the roadway in front of the buildings. They were several inches tall and wide and looked quite unfriendly to a vehicle that came too close to them. I didn't know if they were there to protect cyclists and pedestrians, or what. What was clear was you didn’t want to come in contact with them! They could do serious damage to your car. As we continued to drive along the road, I was concerned if our route would be present when we met up with the street that we were on earlier. I asked Woody if she would set my phone down and then use her phone to route our present location to our destination. “I don't understand,” she said, even though she has done something similar many times at home. Woody doesn’t like when I ask her to do something that feels critically needed at the moment. That’s particularly true if my asking has anything to do with something that is a bit technical, like using a mapping app. “Set my phone down and open maps on your phone. I want to see if you can get a route to our destination,” I said while getting irritated because I felt that she should know how to do what I was asking. About the time that I finished my sentence, I felt a bump and then heard a bang followed by a grinding sound coming from her side of the car. I quickly steered the car to the right while thinking that I had just rubbed this brand new car up against one of those barriers. As the traffic slowed, the grinding sound continued, but was more subdued than earlier. “Did you hit something?” Woody asked as the traffic came to a complete stop. “I don’t know,” I stated while thinking that I must have hit the curb while being somewhat in denial. I still was hearing a noise so I held up my hand to motion Woody to listen. It sounded like a muffled wooshing sound. I think we have a flat tire, or one that is losing air, I thought. As I looked at the vehicles in front of us, I noticed that there was an older truck. I wondered and hoped that the noises were coming from the truck. But as the light changed and we pulled forward, the grinding noise started again and mirrored our movements. “I’m going to need to pull over at the next place that I can,” I said to Woody while wondering where we might find a business with a parking area. The roads had so far been very tight and lined with buildings and businesses with few public places to park. Even if I could find a place to pull over, I didn’t know what we were going to do. We were probably a 20 minute drive from the location where we had rented the car. How do I contact them, or do I even make a phone call in Japan? I never thought to look to see if the rental agreement had a phone number. I also started to think about the airbnb and our agreed timed arrival. Without WiFi, there was no way that I could let them know that we were going to be late. Even with the flurry of thoughts, my predominant focus was on getting the car off of the road. As we drove further down the road, we approached a long white wall that had an opening that appeared to be a driveway. I’m going to turn no matter who it belongs to, I decided. This is an emergency! As I approached the entrance to the driveway, I wondered who owned the property. I glanced up and saw a familiar green and white signage that stood about 10 feet high and ran along the front of the property and extended over the driveway. “Toyota” was stenciled on the sign and looked just like the rental location where we had just rented the car! Amazing - I couldn’t believe it!

As I made the turn onto the two lane driveway, a car was pulling forward to exit. My brain went back to driving on the right side of the road which meant we were headed directly towards the exiting car. I could see that the driver was confused as I pulled forward, but he moved his car over to the side in order to get out of my way. At this point, I wasn’t stopping! I wanted to make sure that the car was completely off of the road and on level ground. I continued pulling forward until we were fully on their lot.

A Toyota rental shop! (courtesy Google street view)

The driver hopped out of his car and I could see that he was wearing a Toyota uniform. I thought that he would surely curse at my bad manners and driving, but he immediately stared at the bottom of the car. As I got out and made my way around to where he was standing, he placed his hands on his head, opened his mouth in aghast, while scanning the front and then rear of the car. Oh, no! I must have hit one of the barriers and really damaged the car! In short order I was standing next to him and mimicking his actions - hands on head, mouth open in aghast, while staring at the front and then rear of the car. Actually, it wasn’t too bad. It didn’t appear that the car body or wheel rims were damaged. However, both the front and rear tires were completely flat! How is that even possible? Did hitting one of the barriers cause two flat tires?! I couldn’t think of anything on the road that could have done that. The attendant tried saying something to me, but I let him know that I couldn't speak Japanese. He politely bowed, held up a finger and then ran into the nearby office area. Before Woody could get out of the car, he came running back with another attendant who quickly glanced and saw that both tires were completely flat. He began to profusely apologize to me in Japanese. I felt as though I was the one who needed to apologize! In his best English, he asked and motioned if I had paperwork for the rental car, which Woody retrieved from our trip notebook. He looked over the paperwork and gingerly asked, “Ok - take to office?” I gave him the ok to which he then held out an open hand with all of his fingers extended and said, “Five minute.” Believing that he was letting us know that it would be a while before he could take care of us, I nodded in agreement as he continued to bow and apologize. He then turned and ran back toward the office with his attendant in tow. I told Woody that I thought he was apologizing to us. For what, I couldn’t fathom. Maybe he was apologizing because they were so busy and it was going to be awhile before they could help us? Later I wondered if he was apologizing because the car we had been given failed us? As we learn more about Japanese culture, it seems like a very Japanese thing to do. What was certain was that our unplanned arrival had certainly interrupted his work. Woody and I were still trying to catch our breath following all of the excitement as we discussed what could have possibly happened to cause both tires to puncture and lose air that quickly. I was just happy to be off of the road, and perfectly fine with however long it was going to take for them to help us. Moreover, we were so very grateful and amazed that this Toyota rental location was there exactly when we needed it. We literally came upon their drive within a block after I became convinced that the car had a serious issue and couldn’t travel any further. We were certain this had to be the hand of God! The rental location was tiny compared to the airport location where we had rented the Prius. It had a dozen or so vehicles and a small office, but didn't appear to have a garage to conduct a repair. I wondered if they would put the car on a truck and send it back to the main rental location to have the tires replaced. That was at least a 20 minute drive. And who knows how long it would take to work out all of the logistics. And then there was the assessment to determine our responsibility for the damage. As we were talking, I saw the first attendant jog to the far side of the lot, and start shuffling vehicles. He was moving a car when we arrived unexpectedly so we had certainly interrupted his work earlier. After moving a few cars around, he drove a 4 door white sedan next to our rental, opened the trunk, and then jogged back into the office. As Woody and I continued to discuss our dilemma, the lead attendant quickly walked up to us with a clipboard and pen in hand. He asked for the keys to the Prius and gave them to the attendant who proceeded to open the hatch and remove our suitcases from the Prius. I thought maybe he was going to drive us back to the airport rental office in the sedan. The lead attendant pointed at the Prius and then the white car. In seeing his hand motions, he seemed to be trying to have us look over the white sedan in place of the Prius. “Ok? You take?” he asked while continuing to motion between the two cars. “Oh!” I said, as Woody and I both looked at each other a bit confused and surprised all at once. “I think they are wanting us to take this other car!” I said to Woody as their proposed resolution to our situation was becoming clear. Both attendants opened the front doors of the sedan and motioned for us to look inside. “Ok?” the lead attendant again asked as Woody sat in the front passenger seat. At first, Woody gave a look of disappointment as the car was a couple of years old and didn't have that new car smell. The thought of driving a plain sedan compared to the brand new sporty Prius seemed like a downgrade. As I climbed into the driver’s seat, the first thing that I noticed was the GPS had English text. At least we could read the controls, I thought! This was actually the type of car that I had rented before they substituted cars because of the “incident” to our original rental. Like the Prius, the sedan was also a hybrid and was very clean. And, it was white, which is Woody’s preference in cars. I looked at Woody and told her that I was actually more comfortable driving the older sedan since it was my first time driving in Japan. Driving the brand new Prius made me a bit nervous. “It’s fine,” she said, as she admitted that she was being a little bit silly for wanting the new car. “Are you sure?” I asked, while thinking that the alternative might be waiting a while for the Prius to be repaired. “No. This one is great!” she stated. “I think God must have wanted us to have this car instead, do you think?” “Yes, I think so,” I concurred as I was still digesting all that had happened. I stepped out of the car and gave my affirmation to the lead attendant that we would take the car as a replacement. He gave a verbal acknowledgement and then bowed. He then presented the updated paperwork to me. I looked at the paper and couldn’t understand a thing as it was written entirely in Japanese! He politely pointed to a line near the bottom of the paper and said, “Sign, please.” I kind of chuckled as I signed the paper while not knowing what it was that I was signing. I motioned to the Prius and asked, “ETC?” to the lead attendant. We had purchased a toll pass that I read would alleviate having to stop at toll booths on the highways. “Ah, ETC!” he exclaimed apologetically. He bowed and then went and retrieved the toll card from the card reader in the Prius and transferred it to the sedan. Meanwhile, the other attendant had popped open the trunk to the sedan and fit our suitcases in the trunk. I felt bad that he moved them for me, but I was so very thankful when I saw that he was able to get them to fit! This seemed to be a further confirmation for this car knowing that I would no longer have an obstruction looking through the rear view mirror. He then motioned about moving our backpacks, which we had placed in the back seat of the Prius. “Thank you,” I said in Japanese as he then kindly moved the backpacks to the rear seat of the sedan mimicking the same positioning as we had used in the Prius.. “Please, check,” he said, as he left the doors to the Prius open. We guessed that he wanted us to make sure that we had all of our belongings. After trying our best thank you in Japanese, Woody and I climbed into the sedan in disbelief. Wow! I hadn’t checked the time, but, not only did he come back to service us, I’m almost certain he and his assistant managed to do everything needed to get us into this vehicle in less than 5 minutes! We couldn’t believe it! We have never experienced this level of kind, prompt and professional service in any capacity in our lives! Moreover, we were overwhelmed by the sense of God’s grace. I was certainly undeserving as I had wrongly spoken in frustration to Woody the moment prior to our ‘incident’. But here we were in a new vehicle, and back on the road in minutes. As I pulled up the map to see where we were in relation to our intended route, I was surprised to see that we were about a quarter of a mile away from a single turn onto the highway that would lead us to our next stay in Arita. Unbelievable!

佳信

NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®

A Corporation Not for Profit

LA HABRA, CA

http://www.lockman.org

Search This Blog

佳信 Walking Japan