I was very privileged to have the opportunity to volunteer at a gospel concert host last Saturday by the Halleluja Gospel Family in the Tokyo area… this was one of the most amazing events that I have been apart of.
From the early 90′s with the release of Sister Act and it’s sequel staring Whoopi Goldberg, black gospel music has become a regular part of pop culture in Japan. In a nation that has less than one percent Christian population, Japanese hearts have embraced music created to worship and praise the Jesus Christ.
There is a movement taking place in Japan, with black gospel music as a catalyst that is crossing the social, age, and economic division. Even among Japanese churches, of whom for various cultural and situational reasons do not associate with each other very much, a new community has formed among them that reflects the early church in the days Acts. The Hallelujah Gospel Family is made up of a network of 30 (or more) churches in Japan with gospel choirs. Many of those who would never step foot in a church are joining gospel choir.
As a missionary to Japan several years ago, I have seen how the Lord uses gospel music in Japan. A friend of mine started and led a gospel choir with college students from several universities in Tokyo. Many non-Christian students joined and through the community they experience, activities they participated in, and my friend continually sharing that the heart of gospel music was about the gospel many became Christian.
(From right to Left) Ray Sidney, Ken & Bola Taylor, Gregory & Ruth Hooper (and their daughter), and John Lucas
The Hallelujah Gospel Family is doing something very similar to what my friend did, but on a much grander scale that involves gospel choirs apart of the local churches in Japan. Ken Taylor is the main leader, he and his wife had a successful career as music entertainers in the States before becoming missionaries with Worldventure and moving to Japan. I snapped this shot of them with some professional singers from California at the end of last Saturday’s concert.
In the following video during music rehearsal Ken addresses the choir members attending from different parts of Japan.
The choir has approximately 350 people of which about 80% are not Christian. 90% of those who a attend as well are not Christian but came to the Hallelujah Gospel Family concert to support family and friends singing in the choir; and because they really enjoy the music. For many in the audience it is the first time they hear the gospel. Japanese Taiko drummers are also incorporated into the concert.
I had a chance to talk a bit with Ken about this fusion of music in which he told me that it was not that hard to combined the two as they both have similar rehearsal and preparation styles. I think it is an amazing combination and powerful way of connecting Japanese culture to the gospel. If you would like to learn more about how God is using this is the lives of Japanese please visit Ken’s blog here, there you can find testimonies and more information about the Hallelujah Gospel Family in Japan.
Here are a few more videos I took from the concert involving a Hip-Hop dance team and the youngest members in the choir singing Jesus Loves Me in Japanese.
In an interview with Ken (that can be read here) he says “We read in the Bible that ‘where no one will praise me, even the rocks and stones will.’ In Japan it’s non-Christian Japanese praising him. It’s so wild that God is using these ‘not yet Christians’ as they sing and invite their friends to the concerts. In fact, I believe that God is using these non-Christians to witness to their non-Christian friends and relatives who are watching. It’s just so wild.” I pray that the Lord would change hearts of stone to hearts that know the love of the God that they sing about (Ezekiel 36:26).
The cultural connections between Japanese and ancient Jewish culture has been one of the most fascinating studies I have done. At first it sounds like an urban ledge or something; Japan after all is over 6,800 miles (11,000 km) away from Israel, how could these two cultures have anything in common?
My first time to Japan it just so happened that I was doing a study on the first five books of the bible, the Torah, and began to notice very subtle similarities. For example, the usage of the Japanese word for foreigner, gaijin (外人). Its usage is not limited to just those who are foreigners in Japan, but also includes anyone who is not Japanese. Even when I am in my home country of the United States, I am still considered gaijin by Japanese foreigners in the United States. This is the same world view ancient Israelite had, everyone who was not and Israelite was considered a foreigner, even if technically the Israelite was the foreigner in another country.
As I investigated further it became harder to discount that there was a link between Israel and Japan. I came across a book called “Rediscovering Japan, Reintroducing Christendom” by Samuel Lee. He explains that it is possible Israelites made it to Japan via the silk road after they where exiled from their land by the Assyrian Empire in 722BC. Lee also shows that there is compelling evidence that Christianity entered Japan in four stages over the past 2000 years and not just with in the past 500 years which is commonly believed, it was a very interesting read.
The possible connection between Japanese culture having Jewish root is something that Jewish people in Japan have noticed as well. The Ambassador to Japan from Israel, Eli Cohen, actually believes the Ark of the Covenant is somewhere in Japan. His interview in the following videos was broad-casted on Japanese television several years ago.
I finally found this broad-cast with English subtitles and am happy to bring it to you here in its three parts. While I am not convinced that the Ark of the Covenant will be discovered in Japan as it leads you to consider, it does elaborated on some very interesting aspects of Japanese culture and its Jewish roots. The similarities of the language and the explanation of the Gion Matsuri (祇園祭) held in Kyoto are pretty amazing.
It been awhile since I was last able to make a post… sorry about that, I’ve actually been in Tokyo for the last several weeks living in the Asakusa area, east side of Tokyo… I’m planning to move to the west side of Tokyo soon if the Lord continues to provides, then late July I will return to the States. Originally this trips purpose was to reconnect with Student Impact (Japan Campus Crusade for Christ) in Tokyo, I worked with them for two years. I was hoping to connect them with students involved with CVS (not the pharmacy for those in America), I volunteered with them in this past six months or so.
Since being here however I feel the Lord is leading me in preparations to stay in Japan and support myself with a tent making job. Two years ago when I returned to the States from Japan I began work with Campus Crusade for Christ there, but as an organization in America I am not sure they will affirm how I feel the Lord leading me to be in Japan; therefore I am looking into alternative ways to receive donations for those of you who support me financially. Being back in Tokyo; it feel like I have returned home… and that this where I am supposed to be. I feel the Lord continues to confirm this through my daily bible devotions and by the joy and peace I have had since being in Tokyo again.
“Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth,
do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness,
rivers in the desert.” Isaiah 43:19
This is a big step of faith and I ask for you to please pray that I can find a job here in Japan and continue in what the Lord has put in my heart to do.
Jesus (first) and Japan (second) are my two greatest passions; JesusLovesJapan.com is an overflow of that. It is one of my deepest desires not to reach Japan with a western concept of Christianity but to see the truth of the gospel, which transcends cultural boundaries, come alive in the hearts of Japanese people and their culture… and for the church in Japan, rooted in biblical truth with a love from the Holy Spirit, to express itself in a way relevant to Japanese culture for the glory of Jesus Christ our Father God in Japan and through out the rest of world.
Please pray God would give me grace in learning Japanese so that what the Lord has put in my heart I can clearly communicate to the hearts of Japanese. Also, please pray for visa issues that will need to be worked out, finding a place to live, tying up loose ends back in America, finding a community to be a part of, and for the Lord’s providence in working through numerous other details that will arise.
Thank you for your prayers and interest, you are greatly appreciated!
On another note, while living in the Asakusa area, I found a nice place to go jogging along the river (Asakusa river???) and have had a really good view of construction being done on the Tokyo Sky Tree.
When the Sky tree is complete it will reach a height of 634 meters (2,080 feet). According to an information brochure I picked up the base of the tower will be a networking plaza with business, entertainment, and cultural accommodations. Tokyo Sky Tree is scheduled to be completed in 2012 and is only a 20-30 minute walk from the Kaminarimon in Asakusa which is a symbolic tourist location and one of the best places in Tokyo to get souvenirs.
Mujo no Kaze was filmed in Tokyo with Japanese actors and actresses by a crew of Biola University students and their professor in 2007. In 2008 it won first place at the Inigo Film Festival in Sydney Australia. According to the film’s website, “Mujo No Kaze” is a dramatic, short-film touching on suicide and depression with an over-all theme of hope.
This film might be hard for westerners to appreciate who have not had some exposure to Japanese life and culture in Japan; I had to watch it a second time before I caught all that was going on. From the beginning to the end the story was unpacked very subtly; this is a characteristic of Japanese film making and requires the viewer to read between the lines to catch what is being told.
If you are interested you can learn more about Mujo no Kaze here. I’ve included it for your viewing pleasure below.
Just learned of a fashion company in Japan called LOJEA a couple weeks ago… It’s pretty cool. The original motive of the clothing is to spread gospel through fashion, but the design are made to be accepted by both Christians and non-Christians. I was able to connect with the Gou Michishita, the creator of the LOJEA, [...]
This YouTube video shows a Japanese high school boy’s encounter with a Christian guy who felt led to pray for the healing of his leg. I first saw this when a few people from the Tokyo area tried to posted it on the Jesus Loves Japan Facebook page. Initially I deleted it until I could investigate [...]
Before going to Japan I never knew of the strong racial tension Japan shared with the rest of its Asian neighbors, especially with China and Korea. In my High school history class I remember learning about Natzi Germany and the holocaust during World War II. In our studies about Japan we learned about Pearl Harbor and the Atom [...]
Its been a while since I last made a post, sorry about that. I’ve been helping with a program called CVS Leadership Institute (Not to be confused with the CVS pharmacy for those of you in America) in which students from the top universities in Japan come to Southern California for a couple months to [...]
Horoscopes make for interesting discussion for many in America weather or not they actually believe it to be true. The same is true for knowing your blood type in Japan, the popular belief is that it determines your personality. Do you know your blood type? I don’t but I would like to find out, the average person in Japan [...]
A couple weeks ago I showed you “God’s Fingerprints in Japan” part one and now I bring you part two. Part one won the Telly Award in 2005 and part two again won it again in 2007. This time God’s Fingerprints in Japan begins by asking these three questions: In this modern age of Japan is [...]
living in the Asakusa area, east side of Tokyo… I’m planning to move to the west side of Tokyo soon if the Lord continues to provides, then late July I will return to the States. Originally this trips purpose was to reconnect with 
