A Streetcar Named...The Chin Chin Denshaw

We discovered a streetcar line here in Tokyo. (The name means the ding ding train!) It is the last of the old electric single car trains and is a delight. After wandering around with GPS in hand we came across the station and what a surprise! The stations positioned every four blocks or so were flanked with roses and flowering hedges. As we rode along we were amazed to see that the roses and other flowers ran beside the tracks for blocks and blocks! The conductor was so friendly. He asked us where we were from and then gave us postcards of various artist renditions of the trolley line depicted in the early 1900's.
Many school children got on and off over the 12km trip and being out in the "suburbs" we were finally able to see where all the older people live. (The suburbs mean we were in an area of Tokyo with buildings under 15 stories) Friendly folk would hop on and off and the conductor would "ding" his bell and away we would go again!

Flowers planted along the tracks!

Rose gardens at the stations

In this little neighborhood not far from the trolley we came across a pretty little garden complete with a train track through the greenery. A sign in the box said it was okay to run the train. Here is Elder Brown watching the little train that could...

Had to take a picture of this strange building we explored. It was reminiscent of
Barcelona and Gaudi...this one is for you Ariel!

Weekly Wanderings

Moat at the Imperial Palace

Japan just celebrated their "Golden Week", which is about 5 days of holiday. Included are Children's Day, Greenery Day and Constitution Day. It appears that the main purpose of this week is to travel home or go on vacation with the family. The Church Office Building was closed for several days so some of us old missionaries took the train and went exploring.

This sculpture on the west side of the Imperial Palace was not exactly church standard, so I cropped it a bit :-) Caught this pigeon doing what birds do best and had to wonder who gets the job of cleaning up these artful fellows! As you can see they are in need of a bath!

Childrens Day is celebrated by hanging these carp windsocks outside of their homes. These generally represent the boys in the family. The windsocks are called Koi nobori and they represent carp swimming upstream. Parents hope that their sons will overcome obstacles and become strong men.

This was a beautiful temple on a hill overlooking Kamakura. Hasadera houses the largest gold leafed wooden sculpture of Kannon in all of Japan. Unfortunately we were not allowed to photograph it. However the grounds housed hundreds of small statues and lovely gardens.

Maybe the more the merrier?

On the grounds there was a large winding cave. We had to stoop over to get through some areas. Carved into the sides of the cave were many statues. This room caught my eye because it was filled with hundreds of tiny Buddha miniatures.

Kamakura by the sea.

Seoul West and Busan Missions

Springtime in Korea

We had the great privilege of attending zone conferences in the Seoul West and Busan Missions this past two weeks. We are so in awe of what these Mission Presidents and their wives accomplish with over 100 Elders and Sisters. They are amazing to watch as they counsel, teach and encourage these young people. The Spirit plays an active part in all of their dealings and we are filled with respect for their sacrifice, dedication and very long hours. Is it any wonder that most missionaries speak of their Mission Presidents and their wives as if they walk on water!
Our schedule made it difficult to do much sight-seeing, but the 5 days in Seoul and the 5 days in Busan were quite the feast.

Mission Home, church offices and Chapel in Seoul West Mission

President and Sister Burton and their delightful 11 year old granddaughter Makayla. She was visiting for 6 weeks. It was a joy to spend time with these three exceptional people! Makayla played her violin for us, truly it was amazing!

Happy Elders in Seoul West Mission


The Burtons took us to Iecheon which is the center for making celadon pottery. Our guide explained that there are 7 steps in the process, beginning with the raw clay and ending with the beautiful jade-green vessels. This area in Korea is now the only place that celadon is made.

Showroom pieces present a wide variety of shapes, designs and colors

The War Museum in Seoul was a stop for the "boys", but was very interesting as it gave insight to the many centuries of conflict that the Korean people have faced. Elder Brown said they just picked an inconvenient place to have a country!

Missionaries, flowers and tanks?

Anciently the Koreans were able to defeat the Japanese with the Turtle boat. This ship was designed with a metal shield complete with spikes to repell flaming arrows and those who might try to board. It enabled their armies to sail into the midst of the enemy and open fire!

If the ship were not scarey enough, these masks and outfits could have at least frightened the children

The city of Busan (southern tip of South Korea) as seen from the office couple's apartment roof.
The Andersons are a very caring couple. They had previously served in Zimbabwe.

Unlike the Japanese, the Koreans love these 25 story highrises that look like dominos or milk cartons. They are seen everywhere and new "cities" of them are being erected amidst the beautiful lush green hills.

President and Sister Jennings of the Busan Mission with Elder and Sister Mead. The Meads are our next door neighbors in Tokyo and they are here serving as Mental Health Missionaries. We travel to all of our areas with them. Each couple is given an hour in zone conference where we give our pitch on maintaining good physical and emotional health. Hospitals and facilities are toured, physicians met and individual missionaries are able to consult with Elders Brown and Mead during these visits.

Browns, Jennings, Meads, Sisters, Andersons (office couple) and the APs in their new building!
We were very fortunate to be in Busan on the Sunday that a new chapel was dedicated. The building is marvelous and the sacrifice of the members to get it was an inspiration! One of the many things they did to grow the ward and find land was a 70 day "relay" fast, where each member chose a day to fast to bring this miracle to pass!

Korean BBQ for lunch at a nearby restaurant in Daegu, an hour north of Busan. The all-you-can-eat format was a big hit with these Elders and Sisters!

Sister Lee worked hours preparing a "court" meal for us. She was a marvelous cook and I have finally decided that Korean food does have an up side!

This little Korean doll captured our hearts!