April Sycamore Tree

Dear Sycamore Family,
I am writing this article a little bit early because I will be traveling from March 9-20th in Hokkaido for the Sendai Student/Youth Center annual study tour. Every year the Sendai Student/Youth Center sponsors a study/exposure trip to Southeast Asia or other parts of Japan during the school holidays in the spring. Past trips have been to Nepal, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and India. Last year, I also participated in the study tour to Okinawa where we learned about U.S. militarization and the history of the native people of Okinawa. Okinawa is a small chain of islands off the southern coast of Japan and Hokkaido is the large island off the northern coast so I will be lucky to have visited both extremes of Japan.

In Hokkaido, our first stop will be a place called the Bethel House in Urakawa in southern Hokkaido. Many years ago, a Red Cross doctor created a counseling group for patients with psychological challenges such as schizophrenia, addiction and depression. In 1984, some members of this group gathered and decided to create a community where they would live together and share their common experiences. In 1993, members of the Bethel House (べてるの家) began to buy sea products like seaweeds and kelps to sell at church bazaars in order to support their activities.

Second, we will visit the Dohoku Center (道北センター) in Nayoro in northern Hokkaido. Like the Sendai Student/Youth Center, this center was founded by a missionary from the United Church of Canada in partnership with the United Church of Christ-Japan (UCC-J). It’s a meeting place for neighboring rural farmers. Activities frequently include work with nearby Ainu communities. While we are in Nayoro, we will also visit Ainu sites and learn about Ainu culture lead by the director of the Ainu Information Center (アイヌ情報センター).

Of course, there will also be time to eat delicious Hokkaido seafood, visit the famous Asahikawa Zoo, and spend time getting to know our fellow travel members. Students who have attended these study tours in the past have said that it had been one of the most memorable experiences of their lives. Not only did the study tour give them the opportunity to get to know their fellow student center members but also to learn about a place in a much deeper way that they would as tourists.

More when I return!

SKLT
Global Missions Intern (GMI) and
Assistant to the Director
Sendai Student/Youth Center in Sendai, Japan