Thanksgiving: Where in Japan are Bob & Chris

On November 27th Bob and Chris will celebrate their 2nd Thanksgiving Holiday of 2008. They will be with Rev. Dr. Jim and Carol Sacks in their home on the campus of Japan Lutheran Theological Seminary. Jim and Carol are both long term ELCA missionaries in Japan. They are part of a wonderful missionary community that has been so welcoming and supportive of Pastor Bob and Chris while they have been living in Tokyo and on the seminary campus. This year Bob & Chris really are celebrating two Thanksgivings. By the time they celebrate the one on the 27th the first one will be past. In Japan there is an official holiday of thanksgiving celebrated on November 23rd. This holiday has been a long standing part of Japanese culture. Thanks to an invitation from a member of Hoya Lutheran Church Bob and Chris participated recently in a Japanese culture class in Mikata and wore clothes similar to what might have been worn by Japanese in the Meiji era. Thanksgiving is officially listed in National Ritual Calendar established during the Meiji era. The actual name of this thanksgiving holiday is Niinamesai. On the calendar established during the Meiji era it says "the emporer both offers and partakes of firstfruits of the harvest". Like the United States Thanksgiving holiday the understanding in Japan has modified over time; but the principle remains the same. In Japan there is a harvest festival to give thanks for the rice harvest that sustained and continues to sustain the people. In the United States there is a harvest festival to give thanks for the crops that sustained the Pilgrims and the Indians and continues to sustain the people . Bob and Chris this year in a new way have and will celebrate thanks giving.

Keep praying,

Zen Ben