Being Effective at Reaching Japan for Christ #2 -- Follow Your Passions

Do what you love to do, follow your God-given passions.

I learned this the hard way. About ten years ago I went through a period of depression that was absolutely no fun but it helped me make some changes in my life. The main change I made, something that made a huge difference, was resigning from the "preacher/church planter/pastor" role I had at the time. This allowed me to start focusing on what I love to do which is working with artists.

Now I am making films. Filmmaking is not easy, it is one of the most challenging things I have ever done but it is also a lot of fun and, most importantly, an effective means of communicating the gospel in Japan.

If I hadn't taken the scary step of resigning from a position that didn't "fit" me, I would have missed out on so much. Things like: being a producer on the award winning film Jitensha, being part of an amazing team that produced a music video of the first documented performance of Wadaiko & Black Gospel (I will embed that video below).

I want to make a difference, we all do. If I hadn't hit a rough spot and started following my passions I would have been locked in a negative cycle of trying hard, not getting anywhere, frustration....

Are you just "hanging on" because you don't know what else to do? Are you settling for "peace and pay" (an easy job and a secure paycheck)? If so, it isn't worth it. It might be time to quit and do something completely different.

If you could do anything, what would you do?

Wadaiko X Black Gospel Fusion Music Video from Studio Re: on Vimeo.

Free for 24 hours – “The Last TV Evangelist: A Guide to the Media Revolution” by Phil Cook

Phil Cook author of "Branding Faith" has released a book called "The Last TV Evangelist." Phil consistently has valuable insights so I am recommending his new book -- even though I have not been able to read it yet.

There is a review of "The Last TV Evangelist" HERE

For the next few hours you can download the entire book, free of charge. A hot link won't work so copy and paste the following web address: http://www.conversantlife.com/free/TLTVE.pdf

Article Featuring Ken Taylor

Last month, Studio Re: and Hallelujah Gospel Family worked together to do a film shoot of a large concert featuring approximately 300 singers in a Japanese black gospel choir.

The feature of the night was a fusion piece between gospel music and Japanese wa-daiko. You can read more about that in a post on this blog written by guest-writer Jefferey Timmer entitled Black Gospel Music in Japan... and the questions that come with it.

Recently, CAN founding member and leader of the Hallelujah Gospel Family network, Ken Taylor, was featured in a news story by ANS News. The article is called "How 'Sister Act' has inspired the formation of 30 Japanese Gospel Choirs run by a Filipino former night club entertainer who found Christ."

It's a long title, but a good article. Check it out here: http://www.assistnews.net/Stories/2009/s09070045.htm

Black Gospel Music in Japan ...and the questions that come with it

Greetings from a guest blogger. 

I (Jeff Timmer) am here for six weeks this summer working as an intern with Paul Nethercott and fulfilling requirements for my grad degree in ethnomusicology. I’m also here to do some research on gospel choirs in Japan. I became interested in this topic two summers ago while on a short-term trip working with a church in Osaka. After two years of grad classes as framework and preparation, I’m back to spend some more time looking in to the topic. Paul has asked me to share a few thoughts via blog posts while I’m here.

I’ve been here only a week, so I’m still a little cautious when it comes to writing any new and interesting discoveries, happenings or insights. Instead I think it’s best to begin by sharing some of the questions I’m addressing as a researcher, visitor and ethnomusicology student. (For those who don’t know, I should probably mention that “ethnomusicology” is essentially the study of music in/as culture; the anthropology of music; the study of the music of the world; etc.)

To the questions:

•  Now that black gospel music has been popular in Japan for around 15 years, has the genre established itself as a fully Japanese activity and not something that has been imported? How is this defined or characterized? What is uniquely and distinctively Japanese about the way black gospel music plays itself out here?
• What is drawing the Japanese to participate in these choirs?
• What are the goals, methods and vision of gospel choir leaders and directors?
• How are choirs established and how are they supported?
• As Jonathan Herring notes in another post on this blog, most of the participants are not Christians. For the number of choir members who have become Christians through participation in the choirs, what are the elements, methods or people God is using in this conversion?
• What lessons can be drawn from these gospel choirs that can help the local Japanese churches and their ministry to the community?
• Some work is being done to experiment with fusing black gospel music with wadaiko as well as hip-hop dance. What effects will this have on the genre, if any? How will the relationships between leadership and participants develop and spread?
• What’s next for black gospel music in Japan?

The purpose in sharing these is partly to preface any later posts on the subject, but also to help challenge your own thinking and take a moment to put on the hat of an ethnomusicologist/artist by taking a step back and asking similar questions. Sometimes when you take things that have become normal or routine and look at them with some outside eyes, new insights or epiphanies can emerge that will ultimately help refine your work or goals.

I’m looking forward to digging a little deeper with these questions and others over the next few weeks. More thoughts later!

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Note from Paul Nethecott: 

It is really good to have a quality person like Jeff here for a few weeks working with me on an important project. His research is tied in with a film project we are producing under Studio Re:

The first part of this production is a mini-documentary that will explore the popularity of both Black Gospel and a genre indigenous to Japan called Wadaiko (Japanese style percussion troupe). 

The second part is a Wadaiko/Black Gospel Music Video (WBG Music Video) that we will shoot on June 20, 2009 at a large hall in Tokyo.  This will feature a large Japanese Black Gospel choir under the direction of Ken Taylor and 12 Wadaiko percussionists from a group called Matsuriza. As far as we know, this will be the first performance of Black Gospel and Wadaiko fusion.  It could be the start of a new style of music.  And, it could attract a lot of attention. 

Why is Studio Re: producing a Music Video?  This will be a visual demonstration of the fact that the Gospel is for Japan.  It will show that the gospel does indeed "connect" with Japanese and with their culture.  In a nation where virtually everyone views Christianity as a foreign religion, this is a radical idea.  But, we aren't going to just talk about the fact that the gospel relates to Japanese culture, we are going to create a visual demonstration.  Will it work? 

The first time our Japanese bookkeeper saw the WBG teaser inserted below, she cried.  

She couldn't even say exactly why she cried but it touched her on the emotional level.  I took it as a very good sign.   She did say something like "I had never thought about how Japanese culture could be part of my faith." 

Related Posts: 

Japanese Black Gospel Choir & Taiko Troupe in a Music Video?

Missions & Filmmaking Converge in Tokyo

A Film Showing that God is at Work in Japan

"Bicycle" - A Film by Biola University & Studio Re:

View Mujo No Kaze Online Here

Wadaiko/Black Gospel Fusion in Tokyo

Hey Everyone, I (Jonathan Herring) have been working with Paul and 'Studio Re:' for a little over two months. I have had a great time! I am excited to tell you about a project we have been working on that involves God, drums, and a Japanese choir.

Studio Re: has been advancing a project that will be filmed on June 20 in Tokyo. We will shoot an entire concert of Black Gospel Choir music but our main purpose is to create a music video of one specific song during the concert. That song will be a fusion of two distinct Japanese styles of music. One is Wadaiko (also known as Taiko), which is an intense, elaborate, Japanese drumming performance. It has deep roots in ancient Japanese culture, going further back than even Buddhism's arrival in Japan. Wadaiko is full of energy and incredibly engaging to watch. The bride to this groom may surprise you; Black Gospel Choir. But this couple isn't too diametric as Gospel Choir music has some of the same rhythmic and energetic qualities as Wadaiko. Gospel Choir is also quite popular in Japan. Since the movie 'Sister Act' The Japanese people have grown a love and fascination for Gospel music and it has become a mainstream art.

As far as we know, a fusion of Wadaiko and Gospel Choir has never been done in Japan (or any where else for that matter). But having seen a good bit of both, I think the fruit they produce will be extraordinary. By filming this concert, and by making a short documentary to go along with it, we hope to achieve a number of important things:

1. The developing of relationships with the members of the Wadaiko group, none of whom are believers. We want to show them God's love and through this film promote and bless their group. The same goes for those in the gospel choir; there will be about 600 choir members involved in the entire concert, perhaps 100 of them are Christians. Yes that's right, 500 people will be singing praise to God, 500 people who don't yet know God, but nevertheless find themselves glorifying Him.

2. As Christians we can make a huge impact on the culture by being at the forefront of art and music. Since a collaboration of Wadaiko and Gospel Choir has not been done before, we believe with its success, many windows will be opened to permeate the Japanese culture with art that overflows with the heart of Christ.

3. The leaders and directors of the concert and film are believers. Though the participants might not know it, they will be glorifying God and through film we will be able to show that to the world.

We see a lot of potential in this project, and I am thankful for the opportunity to be a part of making it happen. Here is teaser of what a Wadaiko and Gospel Choir fusion might look like, so please take a look and tell us what you think.

A Film Showing that God is at Work in Japan

Studio Re: has produced our first "My Story" -- a series of videos featuring Japanese sharing how God is at work in their lives. Genuine and winsome, this series speaks to the heart and appeals to a wide audience. Some amazing circumstances allowed us to produce this video including funding to buy a $6,000 mac computer for editing.

I want to recognize and thank Megumi, Scot, Shane, Josh, Graham, and Tim for all you did to make this happen! Featuring original music composed for this series by Tim, we are really pleased to make this short film available on the Internet.



Please make use of this!

• Send the youtube link for this video to your friends, here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r02G8l6CLgs
  
• Copy the "embed" code that appears next to the video on youtube and paste it into your blog or web site.
• Show it to your Sunday school class or small group
• Use it as part of a message or Bible study
  

Please leave comments with ideas on how to use this video and/or input on how we can improve it.

A previous post from this blog regarding Studio Re:

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"Studio Re:" is an innovative initiative that I have the great privilege of being a part of. We have an amazing team forming around our vision of "Impacting Japanese culture through redemptive films."

“Studio Re:” is a group of Christian artists who are producing films that lead Japanese to discover that there is more to life...much more.

We produce films in a variety of genres that present redemptive content and pose crucial questions. These films seek to affect and change the shape of contemporary Japanese culture and its inhabitants by assuming a biblical paradigm; offering redemption instead of separation, hope instead of resignation, design instead of chaos. It is a sowing ministry that will prepare the minds and hearts of the Japanese in order to shorten the spiritual distance between them and Jesus Christ.

Our strategy:

• To establish a team of empowered, dedicated staff with common values who live out their faith.
• To gain, interact and follow up with our audience via the Internet.
• To cultivate a library of award-winning films that are redemptive and have value to Japanese society.
• To collaborate closely with key churches, schools, and other groups
• To build a solid business plan that results in financial stability
  

A film we produced in collaboration with Biola University won first place at the 2008 Inigo Film Festival. You can view the trailer for Mujo No Kaze at the following web site: www.mnkmovie.com

If you want to help with this vision, or know someone else who you think might want to be involved, leave a comment on this blog or write to me at pnethercott (at) mac.com

In particular, we are looking for skilled, dedicated people to come and work with us for at least two years.

We are also looking for $30,000 dollars to buy equipment and pay other expenses related to producing films. But, small contributions will help and are deeply appreciated.

Studio Re: is part of CAN (Christians in the Arts Network), which is a Tokyo based project under TEAM (The Evangelical Alliance Mission.) Contributions are tax deductible and can be sent to:

TEAM P.O. Box 969 Wheaten, Illinois 60187

Online contributions are also an option at the TEAM Home Page. Select "Japan" under the "ministry area" tab and then under the "project" tab select "Christians in the Arts Network."

For more information:
Email: can.studio.re (at) gmail.com
Studio Re: Web Site: www.studio-re.com

"Bicycle" - A Film by Biola University & Studio Re:

If you want to know what Scot Eaton and I have been doing the past week, take a look at the Biola Film Japan 2009 Blog.

A few facts about our film:

1. The script, by a young Japanese writer, was conceived in Japanese, written in English and then "back translated" into Japanese (almost all the dialogue is in Japanese).

2. We usually have about 22 people (cast and crew) on the set and we all spent a number of hours crammed into a one bedroom apartment (in Niiza) shooting scenes for this film.

3. Yugo Saso, the main character has appeared in several films including "To End All Wars." Jack Hafer, who is now the chair of Biola's film department, was a producer for "To End All Wars." Masayuki Yui, who appeared in four films directed by Akira Kurosawa plays the role of an "old man" in "Bicycle."

4. We are using two bicycles to make this film. One is intact and the other one has been broken down into small pieces. Casey, the prop guy, has told me that we may or may not be able to get it back together again.

5. The production budget is $3,000. But, that doesn't include many donated items, including a steadycam rig, lenses, and the use of a good camera and other equipment that belongs to the Biola film department. It also does not include the cost of International travel and housing for the group of 15 from Biola and other expenses on the Japan side. I think the "actual" budget is close to $50,000.

The cast and crew have been fantastic! Biola sent a wonderful group of people over here to work with us. Making this film has been a huge challenge, full of crazy moments (explaining that will require another post) and I am VERY tired out right now but that is OK. It is a profound privilege and honor to be a part of this project, one of the best experiences of my life.

Links:

Studio Re: Home Page

"Bicycle" Blog

View Mujo No Kaze Online Here

Mujo No Kaze (MNK) is the first film that I produced. It was an enriching experience that I enjoyed a lot. MNK was shot on location in Tokyo two years ago when Biola teacher Dean Yamada brought twelve students from Biola University as our production crew.

At this time, I am working on producing our second film with Biola; a group of fifteen will come in Jan 09 to shoot "Jitensha" on location here in Tokyo. It promises to be an excellent film.

Please let us know what you think about Mujo No Kaze:

Mujo No Kaze Movie from Studio Re: on Vimeo.

Japanese Black Gospel Choir & Taiko Troupe in a Music Video?

Almost all the singers in the 300+ member black gospel choir are Japanese; the director is Filipino, the three guest artists are Jamaican, American and Filipino. Then, after the intermission a taiko troupe (Japanese style drum team) joins the unusual choir for one number.

The camera crew is ready, the lights get bright, and with alternating strokes, the drummers pound as if harvesting the very tones. As the rhythm flows, other drums—smaller ones—join in. Suddenly the choir sings “RIDE ON KING JESUS! NO! MAN CANNOT HINDER ME!”

“Wait a moment,” you may ask. “Taiko and Gospel Music? Those two don’t go together.” And you would be right, because, to the best of our knowledge, nobody has ever done it before. But we believe the time is right. Both forms have similar roots, not among the upper-class, but among the lower-class. Both inhabit the world of pop culture. Wa-Daiko, or Group Taiko, is influenced by Jazz music, which grew out of gospel music. Most importantly, however, both forms are part of the folk/pop music culture of Japan.

Hard to imagine it? Then take a few moments to watch the following two videos

Video Below is of the Sendan Taiko troupe from Fukushima Ken, Japan (Scot Eaton, who writes for this blog, is playing the large drum on the left, in the back row)

Video Below is of the Hallelujah Gospel Family (HGF), based in Tokyo, this network of 30 choirs is lead by Ken Taylor. The soloist on this song is Ray Sidney from LA



The black gospel choir/taiko music video will be a fresh presentation of the gospel for Japan and show that Christianity is not just a Western import with no roots in the culture. That is the main reason we are making this music video; to demonstrate, not by preaching, but visually and musically that Jesus is indeed for Japan, as well as the rest of the world.

Further Information:

• The shooting for this music video is planned for June 20, 2009 at Rune Kodiara (ルネ小平) hall in Tokyo, admission is free of charge.
  
• The HGF choir is booked and we are in touch with a taiko troupe interested in participating.
• This music video is a collaboration between HGF, CAN, and Studio Re:
• Our goal is to produce a high quality music video. We are seeking a skilled music video director and $10,000 funding. If you know of anyone you think might be able to help, please write to the following eMail address: pnethercott (at) mac (dot) com

Related Posts on this blog:

1. Impacting Japanese culture through redemptive films

2. Mujo No Kaze Wins Inigo Film Festival Award

Thanks to Scot Eaton for contributing to this post.

Teresa Wilson's Response to "Mujo No Kaze"

"Mujo No Kaze" is a short film we made last year in collaboration with Biola University. I loaned a copy to Teresa Wilson (see photo), who lives near Tokyo and is a member of Mission to the World (MTW). Here is her response to the film:

"I'll tell you honestly, we started watching the film weeks and weeks ago and I had to stop because it elicited such strong emotions for me. It really made me remember so keenly some of the feelings I had when I was planning suicide myself, when I was so depressed during my 20's. And I can certainly say that it captured some of the grave, desperate feelings and just FUINKI (mood) of that desperate state. It (Mujo No Kaze) is very moving, very troubling, actually. It makes me want to share the hope of Christ more with people. Like I said, it did remind me so much of the desperate feelings I had at one time, and it's so very sad to think about so many people having that experience and having nowhere to turn. I can see how it can really elicit some great thought and conversations. Great job! Congratulations on such an excellent start! I pray God will continue to bless and use you all mightily as you use that film for good conversation and as you continue in future film-making projects. God bless you all for capturing such a gaping problem in Japan and spurring on many to think about the hope we can have in Christ. Drama is SO very powerful; it's wonderful to see you all using that powerful tool for the gospel. God bless your present and future work in bringing many, many more projects like this to fruition."

It is great to get feedback like this, very encouraging. Our vision is to make films that will touch the lives of Japanese, to make films that lead Japanese to discover that there is more to life, much more. Right now we have one short film in post-production, and two in pre-production. We also plan to make a taiko/black gospel music video in June of next year (Scot and I discussed this very exciting project this morning, we will be doing a detailed post on it soon but briefly it will feature the taiko troupe that Scot is a member of and Hallelujah Gospel Family --- a large network of black gospel choirs led by my good friend and colleague Ken Taylor).

As soon as I am done with this post, I am delivering a copy of Mujo No Kaze to a friend who teaches at a local Japanese school where a student committed suicide a few months ago

You can watch a trailer for Mujo No Kazw at www.mnkmovie.com

In the near future I think we will be posting the entire film online

Mujo No Kaze Wins Inigo Film Festival Award

Mujo No Kaze, The film CAN produced in collaboration with Biola University has won an award!

Inigo Film-Festival in Sydney Australia has chosen our film to receive a significant honor — details will be announced later (we know what the award is, but want to honor their right to make the announcement first). But our film is listed on their site, and we have been told that actress Cate Blanchett is slated to be in Sydney for the awards ceremony on July 18, 2008.

Biola professor Dean Yamada wrote, “I think this is an auspicious start for Studio Re: (the CAN Film Project) and I hope it’s just the first of many great collaborations.”

Right now, I am in the US (Minnesota to be exact). I checked into going to Sydney for the July 18 awards event but the price is around $3,000!! So, as much as I would love to be there, I gave it up. Dean Yamada, and one or two Biola students, are planning to attend.

You can view the trailer below:



Or, a higher quality version here: MNK TRAILER

Our next Biola/CAN film project is in the "pre-production" stage -- which involves what has to happen before you shoot a film including: setting a budget, choosing a script, choosing staff and assigning roles, gathering equipment, and making sure all logistical issues are taken care of. Then, in Jan of 2009, Dean Yamada will bring a group of twelve Biola film majors to Tokyo to shoot our film.

Prince Caspian Screening in Tokyo

CAN got the opportunity to book a group of nine to a screening of Prince Caspian, the second in the series of Narnia films being produced by Disney.

The large theater in Shinjuku was packed with media people, at least six hundred of them. We only got to see around fifteen minutes of footage, and at least half of it was still in the rough cut stage of editing, so there were blank areas, and other anomalies.

But, I was VERY impressed with what they showed us of Prince Caspian. "The Lion the Witch & the Wardrobe," (the first film in this series) was rather disappointing to me, not bad, just not as good as it could have been. So I was pleased to see that this second movie is going to be far better than the first one. Why? There is a lot of action, darker, better acting, a better story, and an important point for me is that Aslan promises to be a great deal more captivating than he was in the first film.

Both the producer, Mark Johnson, and Ben Burnes (Prince Caspian), showed up for the event. We got to hear about 45 minutes of comments from Johnson and Burnes, and then a short Q and A time (one of our party noted that only women were called on to ask a question -- I have no idea what that means).

Quoting Mark Johnson (Producer) :

• "Very different (than the first movie), more dramatic, darker, a lot more action... takes place mostly in woods."
  
• "The trees are very, very important in this movie."
• Part of the journey of this movie is to bring out the trees, it is through Aslan that the trees are brought back to life.
  

Quoting Ben Burnes (Prince Caspian)

• "A story about bringing the magic back into Narnia."
• "I spent the morning praying in a Shinto shrine for the success of the movie."
• There are 1,600 effects shots in the movie, only 600 of which are done at this time -- "we will have it done on May 15 and not a day before that."

Prince Caspian will be released in the US on May 16, 2008 & in Japan on May 21, 2008

“Channel of Hope”

Redemptive Media For Japanese

Photo by Dan Waber

Description:
Produce quality, captivating films, in Japanese, that will “connect” with mainstream Japanese and draw them towards putting their faith in Jesus Christ. We will use the strategy of building bridges to people by telling great stories and by posing the great questions of life. “Channel of Hope” is a “New Media” approach that will allow interactivity and worldwide distribution via the Internet. We will pursue leveraging the “Power For Living” campaign by seeking permission to feature several of the celebrities that took part in that project. We will also network, encourage, and empower a select group of individuals in the art of filmmaking.

There is considerable interest in Christianity in Japan, especially among youth. A comprehensive study of Japanese people and religion - conducted by Gallup - documented that six to seven percent of Youth identify themselves as ‘Christian’. Another research project – ‘Elijah Symposium’ - identified 7% of the youth of Japan as ‘hot prospects’ for the Gospel.

For information on the strategic opportunity for Internet based outreach in Japan, see the Internet Evangelism Day Site.

What We See:

• A skilled, dedicated core team with common values & vision.
• A small cadre of Christians trained and equipped to become influential leaders in Japan’s film industry.
• A partnership with several key churches and ministries.
  
• A large network of churches, groups, and individuals praying for and supporting the project.
  
• A personal connection (via the interactive channel on youtube) between viewers and a believer who will follow up on questions, comments, and provide referals to local churches.
  
• A growing library of award-winning, redemptive films in a wide variety of genres (five films the first year, ten more the second).
  
• A well-funded project with a good business plan that results in long-term financial stability.
  
• A project that benefits Japanese society by addressing social issues such as suicide, depression, and the hikikomori syndrome.
  

Missions & Filmmaking Converge in Tokyo

Description:
Produce quality, captivating films, in Japanese, that will “connect” with mainstream Japanese youth and draw them towards putting their faith in Jesus Christ. We will use the strategy of building bridges to people by telling great stories and by posing the great questions of life. “Channel of Hope” is a “New Media” approach that will allow interactivity and worldwide distribution via the Internet. We will pursue leveraging the “Power For Living” campaign by seeking permission to feature several of the celebrities that took part in that project. We will also network, encourage, and empower a select group of individuals in the art of filmmaking.

There is considerable interest in Christianity in Japan, especially among youth. A comprehensive study of Japanese people and religion - conducted by Gallup documented that six to seven percent of Youth identify themselves as ‘Christian’. Another research project – named ‘Elijah Symposium’ - identified 7% of the youth of Japan as ‘hot prospects’ for the Gospel.

For information on the strategic opportunity for Internet based outreach in Japan, see the Internet Evangelism Day Site.

What We See:

• A highly skilled, dedicated team with common values & vision.
• A partnership with several key churches and ministries.
• A large network of churches, groups, and individuals praying for and supporting the project.
• A link to a web site that connects viewers of films to a believer.
• A growing library of award-winning, redemptive films in a wide variety of genres (five films the first year, ten more the second).
• A well-funded project with a good business plan that results in long-term financial stability.
• A small cadre of Christians trained and equipped to become influential leaders in Japan’s film industry.
• A project that benefits Japanese society by addressing social issues such as suicide, depression, and the hikikomori syndrome.

TV Program Leads Japanese Youth To Faith in Christ

As told by Takeshi

I have been working as a carpenter for 4 years, I worked so hard that some times I felt tired mentally and spiritually. At those times I began to think a lot about my life, "For what cause do I live in this world?" or "Does my life have meaning?" I got sick of myself; the feeling of loneliness and emptiness filled my heart.

One day, I saw a TV program called "Unbelievable Wonders", it featured a little girl called Ashley. Ashley has a disease called progeria, and life was really painful for her. Progeria is an accelerated aging disease, in which the aging process of the body accelerates 10 times faster than normal. Most people with progeria die at around 13 years of age. But, at that time, Ashley was already 14 years old.

Progeria made her bones became fragile, made her hair fall out; it also gave her bad headaches and pain in her chest. As she has passed the 13 year limit, she didn't know when she's going to die. At first, I thought, "What a poor girl. What's the meaning of her life?" But as I watched more, I knew that she lived her life so positively, but I didn't know why.

As I finished watching, I was really moved by her. She had hard times much more than me, but she lived so positively. I thought about how my worries seemed so small compared to hers. At the end of the program, they introduced a book by Ashley. I didn't think to go and buy it. But, as I passed by a bookstore one day, I found the book and bought it.

These are her words from the book. "I don't want to show a sad face in front of people. If I smile, everyone will be happy." And, "I want to stay positive." Also, "I want to be someone that can help others. I want to be someone full of love." I realized from the book that she maintains a very positive attitude. I asked myself, how could she be this positive?

When I heard about Ashley, I didn't know a single thing about church, Christ, or God. In the book there were keywords like church, God, and prayer, but I was like, what is church? What is God? However, I was really moved by the book, so much so that I decided in my heart, "I want to live like Ashley!!" But I didn't know where to start.

One day (in Tokyo) as I rode the train on the Seibu-Ikebukuro line, there were a lot of foreigners around. I thought, "Wow, so many GAIJIN!" I found an empty seat in the corner, sat down and slept.

Suddenly, the person next to me woke me up and introduced me to an event. It was sudden, so I was surprised. The event was a concert by Andy Hunter. She told me it was a church event (at Jesus LifeHouse in Tokyo.) She invited me, but at that time I didn't feel like going. So she said, "if you have any interest in going, here's an Email address you can contact."

As I thought about it at home, I remembered Ashley, and I decided I wanted to go to church. So I sent an Email saying, "I want to go to church."

The first time I went was to the church in Higashi Kurume, and I felt warmth. I also went to the Akasaka church after that, and I had so much fun. I didn't become a believer the first time, but I went there again and again. A young man named Yuji asked me, "Do you read the Bible?" And I answered "Not at all."

But, as I went to "Life Group" (weekly small group meetings) and talked with people from the church, I was really interested in their attitudes and lifestyle, so I started reading the Bible. And, as I found out more and more, I had conviction in my heart that this is what Ashley believes, so I decided to become a Christian.

Now I really want to say "thank you" to the foreigners in the train, to Fumie (the young Japanese believer) who talked to me, to Ashley, and to God.

Note: Story used with Takeshi's permission

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Takeshi's story is a great example of how media can draw a person towards faith in Jesus Christ. Another Japanese friend of ours, while in her teens, came to know Christ as a result of watching "Little House on the Prairie."

Japan is media saturated and has a very high Internet usage. We have have a tremendous opportunity to share Christ through the use of "New Media." I am involved in a very exciting project that has the goal of putting redemptive videos on youtube.com, in Japanese. We want to "connect" with the large numbers of youth, like Takeshi, who are interested in the meaning of life and are looking for hope but know almost nothing about Jesus. This is probably the most challenging endeavor of my life and it has been a big deal for me to decide to move ahead with it. I have crossed the Rubicon now, I am committed to moving ahead with it. Now, that sounds good, to be "moving ahead!"

マリア - The Nativity Story

The Nativity Story. It's a movie that I (Scot) didn't get a chance to see last year, since I was living in South Korea and it was in theaters for only two weeks. However, after a one-year delay, this movie is coming to Japan under a new name: Maria (マリア). You can see one of the promotional posters on the right, and you can visit the website, which includes a trailer, here:
http://maryandjoseph.jp/index.html
I decided that I would take the opportunity to finally watch this movie. So this is my review of sorts, though I do talk a little bit about Christian media in general. Unfortunately, it's not a good review.

Let's start with the music, since that is my specialty. The soundtrack for this movie is based off of famous Christmas carols like "Silent Night", "What Child is This", and "O Little Town of Bethlehem". ["Carol of the Bells" even makes a surprise appearance.] However, for some unexplainable reason, all of the songs are sung in Latin. Why?! Every single one of the songs was written AFTER the Reformation, in either German or English. Maybe they were just trying to emulate the ethereal sound of the Lord of the Rings soundtracks, where the choruses were sung in one of the two forms of Elvish, both of which Tolkien based off of Latin. Either way, it gives the movie a decidedly Catholic flavor from the start, which could alienate some Japanese viewers.

While we're on the subject of languages, it should be noted that the whole movie is a mix of English and Aramaic. Basically, it works like this: whenever someone greets another person, says goodbye, or prays, it's in Aramaic. Not Hebrew. Again, why? It makes the priests look like they are chanting an incantation, rather than praying to God. I cannot vouch for the Japanese subtitles, since I didn't watch the Japanese version, but I'm assuming they left the Aramaic untranslated. I should also note that whenever the Lord speaks, he does so in King James English. Can someone tell me if a similarly outdated form of language is used in the Japanese?

Now we come to the writing and directing. This movie has two half-climaxes, but no real climax at all. The movie is supposedly centered around the night of Christ's birth, and yet it opens with a scene of Herod killing all of the young children in Bethlehem (which happened two years later). Then, when we finally get to that scene, which was set up from the beginning to be the climax, it is treated as an Epilogue or an afterthought. Along with that there are certain factual inaccuracies, such as the wisemen visiting Jesus on the night of his birth, not when he is two years old (as the Biblical account puts it). As far as directing goes, Catherine Hardwick tries to portray Mary as a character with angst and rebelliousness right below the surface, but then backsteps from that and always shows Mary making the perfect decision. What we get is a lot of sustained shots of Mary's face where she is supposedly thinking very deeply, but for all we know, she could just have indigestion; we don't know, because we are never let into her thoughts, and her decisions never carry any weight.

This writing and directing typefies what I see so often in Christian media. Biblical characters are introduced, but are never given development. We are supposed to automatically like them because they're from the Bible, but the writing/directing portrays nothing in them that allows us to empathize with them or struggle through the problem with them. They instead become moving icons, rather than real characters. [This gives the actors themselves nothing to work with, so I will not comment on their performances beyond saying one thing: it's dull. Really dull.] The far-reaching results of this are that people, children especially, are far more likely to identify themselves with, and form their ideas about the world from, characters they can relate to, like Harry Potter, Spiderman, Edward Elric (from Fullmetal Alchemist - 鋼の錬金術師), or, in extreme cases, Yagami Light (from Death Note - デスノット, a young man with a strong sense of justice who decides to cleanse the world of evil by supernaturally killing all of the evildoers). All of this instead of modeling themselves after the faith of Mary, the selfless giving of Joseph, or the radical government-toppling culture-renewing life-changing messages that Jesus gave. Why? Because those characters, and those messages, are never portrayed with the same amount of artistic flair or dramatic tension; we are simply told about the decisions these people made instead of being shown how they arrived at those decisions and the radical amounts of dying-to-self that it took.

So, should you see this movie, and should you recommend it to your Japanese friends? It's a tough call. One good thing about it is that it DOES visually represent the time and geographical periods very well. It's also a piece of Christian Media that is getting a somewhat mainstream release in Japan, which seems like an accomplishment that should be celebrated. Then there is always the issue where I feel like I am somehow betraying my faith by saying you shouldn't recommend it. However, in the end, I have to say "No." If someone is seriously looking into the faith, there is nothing in this movie that is going to help them through the process (though I'm not denying the possibility of the Holy Spirit using it), and if somebody is already a Christian, there is little here that adds to the original. I'd recommend just re-reading it.

Japan & US Premiere of "Mujo No Kaze"

In January of this year (2007) we (CAN Japan) collaborated with Biola University in the making of a short film. "Mujo No Kaze" was shot on location here in Tokyo, in Japanese. It was a big project that took a lot of teamwork and planning. For me it was a great experience working with the group of eleven that came from Biola, soon we will get to see the results of all our effort. The new, high quality, trailer is gorgeous! The music, mood and cinemaphotography are all very impressive. I heard from Graham Fleming of All Nations, who saw the entire film that "it turned out fantastic, really, I was very, very pleased. "

The Japan premiere of Mujo No Kaze will be hosted by All Nations on November 30.

Name: All Nations - A Year in Review

Date: Friday, November 30, 2007

Time: 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Location: Grace Church (Grace Christian Fellowship) in Ome, Japan (Tokyo Area) MAP

Phone: 042.830.1604

Description: Please join All Nations Japan as we celebrate our accomplishments in 2007. We will showcase dance selections from AN Dance Summer Tour, short film projects including Mujo No Kaze, and unveil the first painting from a children’s book, "Perfect Places to Play."

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The following update was posted by Alyssa Iwata, one of the Biola students, on the Mujo No Kaze blog.

Mujo No Kaze was picture-locked in July (or thereabouts). Dean Yamada (Biola teacher/Director of the film) then began working with various post-houses on sound-mixing, and color correction. Many of you may be wondering what the blazes has been going on with this film since then. A lot, actually. I’ll attempt to corral all that information here:

>>The completed film was submitted to (two film festivals) Sundance and Slamdance, mid-October. We’ll hear if we’re in at the end of this month/beginning of the next.

>>The US premiere is set for December 1st at the AFI Mark Goodson Theatre in Los Angeles. Doors open at 8:15pm. Admission is free. The first screening will be at 8:30pm. For those who are late (which would be a very sad thing, indeed), there will be a second screening at 9:15. Following the 8:30 screening, there will be a Q&A session with the Director/Writer -- Dean Yamada,

>>We launced a Mujo No Kaze Website website where there is a high quality version of the trailer posted!

>>The trailer is also on YouTube. The quality leaves much to be desired, but if it would tickle your fancy to see it on that massive purveyor of media, I present you with the link here.

>>We have created a Facebook group, so if you would like to support us or want to catch the latest news, join us at: “Mujo No Kaze: The Wind of Impermanence”

Mujo No Kaze has been one heck of a wild ride, and it’s not over yet! –posted by alyssa iwata

Anime and Popular Culture: Interview with Bill Ellis

-- an excellent article for those who want a basic introduction to anime from the blog TheoFantastique run by my new Cornerstone friend John Morehead

Princess Mononoke: A window into the Soul of Japan

This is one of the presentations I did at Cornerstone Festival in June. "Princess Monoke" is an outstanding anime movie produced by Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki. My perspective is that the Mononoke story is rooted in Japanese mythology/beliefs and therefore reveals "the soul of Japan."

I don't know if this video, actually a slide show, "works" or not. There is no audio so it is just an outline, but it does include some photos. There are also a couple of technical glitches I know not how to fix. So, it is as it is. If you have seen "Pincess Mononoke you will get something out of this. If you haven't seen it, you probably won't get a thing out of it. If you think it is lame, let me know and I will delete it (two votes for "delete" will probably be enough to get it off this blog). On the other hand, if you think its good, let me know that too.

Anime: Revealing the Soul of Japan

Japanese religious beliefs "show up" in anime to a degree that is surprising. Shinto and Liminality in Anime, a post on John Morehead's blog, includes links to two scholarly articles that articulate the role of Shintoism in Hayao Miyazaki's animated films, Spirited Away & Princess Mononoke.
Note: Miyazaki is an award winning creator of both anime movies and manga (comic books). Due to the exceptional quality of his productions, Miyazaki has gained an international audience. Ghibli Studios, co-founded by Miyazaki, has been called "the Japanese version of Disney." Spirited Away & Princess Mononoke are two of the highest-grossing films in the history of Japanese cinema. They also accurately depict the traditional, animistic Japanese world view (which has not changed that much since ancient times).

The photo above is an advertisement for the feature length anime, Spirited Away. The large building is a bath house where the 100 million gods of Japan go to get cleaned up.

The photo below is a screen capture from Princess Mononoke. The little white figures are forest gods called Kodama. According to Wikipedia: "A kodama is a spirit from Japanese folklore, which is believed to live in certain trees (similar to the Hamadryad of Greek myth). Cutting down a tree which houses a kodama is thought to bring misfortune, and such trees are often marked with shimenawa rope.