I'm no longer sure that what's important is more important than what's not.
Polish poet
Wislawa Szymborska
For the full poem, click this link
http://www.panhala.net/Archive/No_Title_Required.html
My Fantastic Four
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Sunday, February 26, 2012
An Aquarium shop in Tokyo
Here are more photos of the aquarium shop we chanced upon in Tokyo in December 2011 - for aquarium enthusiasts out there. Two more photos on Day 1 Japan Trip post.
The above is the piece de resistance of the aquarium shop - this tank was placed at the shopfront, the first thing shoppers would see. And rightly so.
It is conceptualised as a lush garden on land, with two pink flamingoes by three gurgling blue ponds. The three ponds are really churning, with light blue beads that are obviously much denser than water, as what I surmise would be a light jet of water piped from beneath the beads, causes the beads to continuously move like a gurgling pond. We've never seen anything like it! Really neat!
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| Variety of aquatic plants for sale |
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| An aquarium in a bottle. You don't have to feed the tiny shrimps inside as it's set up as a self-sustaining ecosystem. |
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| A tank full of those tiny shrimps - they're cute, about the size of nail clippings. |
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| Black ones too |
It is conceptualised as a lush garden on land, with two pink flamingoes by three gurgling blue ponds. The three ponds are really churning, with light blue beads that are obviously much denser than water, as what I surmise would be a light jet of water piped from beneath the beads, causes the beads to continuously move like a gurgling pond. We've never seen anything like it! Really neat!
Day 2 of Japan Trip (1st December 2011) Tokyo - PART 1
We did quite a bit of things on Day 2, so I'd probably split Day 2 into several posts.
Days later, when we were in Hakata (Kyushu), I saw another Tokyu Hands right at Hakata Station but we did not explore the one in Hakata as we’d thoroughly explored Tokyo Hands in Tokyo. It’s not really our cup of tea to spend too much time in stores when on holiday. We’d much rather be closer to nature or doing some activity like canoeing or exploring a cave.
Day 2 (Thursday, 1st December 2011)
I had it on my itinerary to visit Tsukiji Fish Market between 7-8am, but decided we won’t do Tsukiji on this trip when I woke up that morning. That’s what’s great about a free and easy holiday on your own – you get to choose to do what you feel like doing. I know some people visit Tsukiji before dawn but I hate waking up early. Yawn.
After the hotel breakfast (Toyoko Inn Ikebukuro 2), we set out to lesiurely explore Shinjuku (新宿)& Shibuya (渋谷). First, we headed for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building in Shinjuku for two reasons – there’s a tourist information center there, where I need to pick up some English maps, as well as catch the free birds-eye view of Tokyo at the 45th-floor observation deck of this twin-tower building.
So yes, as we walked we found ourselves at this so called ‘skyscraper district’ of Shinjuku, where the twin towers are among the tall buildings. Though cold, the walk is pleasant and there are still some fall colours on the trees along the path. It is just the second day of our arrival in Japan, and I think we have yet to get acclimatized to the winter clime which was around 8 to 10 degrees C in Tokyo. It’s a big jump into the freezer for us coming from sunny Singapore’s usual 27-28 degrees C in the day.
Once at the Metropolitan building, we were picking choosing brochures and maps at the tourist center when a friendly elderly Japanese man who spoke good English approached us. He introduced himself as Nakamura, a volunteer guide, and asked if we’d like to go on a tour of the building. He had on a windbreaker that had the name and logo of the tourist board or something. While he was talking to us, an elderly lady appeared, wearing a similar windbreaker.
She engaged my eldest child, JJ (age 15) in conversation in Mandarin and asked where we were from. After that, she turned to the hubby and I, and asked if we’d like her to guide the tour in Mandarin since she had ascertained we spoke Mandarin. We declined and thanked her, and went with Nakamura-san. Anyway, from the old lady’s accent, it was clear she was from mainland China. It was later during our many dining experiences in restaurants in Tokyo, that I realized the Chinese were everywhere in Tokyo too (okay by everywhere, I meant working in many restaurants we went to and even in some supermarts), just like the way the mainland Chinese are everywhere in Singapore coffeeshops and markets. Actually they are also working as cleaners and bus drivers in Singapore. But I’ve digressed haven’t I?
Nakamura-san told us many interesting things about the building and about the history of Tokyo. I’d never known that the families of the lords who resided in Edo (what Tokyo was called in the past) were like hostages (kept in Edo) whenever the lords returned to their hometown. This was to make sure they returned to Edo.
We were curious as to how Nakamura-san had mastered English so well. It transpired that he’d listened to the English-channel radio for many years with the intent to learn the language. We found it hard to believe when he added that he’d first have to practice/revise for a couple of hours, before each time he volunteers as a guide. What? But he’s already very good!
After the tour, Nakamura-san gave us a tip to take a walk to nearby Kabukicho (歌舞伎町). He also advised us not to go to Kabukicho at night – which I know is Tokyo’s largest red-light district, a fact both of us did not mention in front of the kids.
Hence we took a short walk and found ourselves in Kabukicho around noon. There’s really nothing sleazy to see in the day (or perhaps we did not dive in deep enough), as the song go – ‘they only come out at night’. There are small, narrow lanes with little outlets lining both sides. It is atmospheric I guess, and reminded me of the classic movie with Harrison Ford in Blade Runner. Yes, Kabukicho would certainly look like that at night. If we didn’t have kids, I’d have gone there with the hubby at night to have a look.
Most of the outlets were closed for the day, and the few that were opened served lunch to salarymen in suits – it’s a weekday after all. We took our seats behind a counter that had enough seats for the 6 of us and ordered yakisoba and gyoza. Nothing fancy, just very ordinary food that filled the stomach. Later, we found that the best yakisoba we had during our 28-day in Japan was in a little eatery in a basement of a building in Kumamoto.
After lunch we continued our walk and came across a large shop (inside a shopping complex) that sold fishes and the like. If you have kids, you’ll probably know that these are the kind of shops they like to go in for a look. We were all very impressed by the display and the beauty of the decorated tanks, and the standard of cleanliness within and outside the tanks. For aquarium enthusiasts, I'll create a separate post "An Aquarium shop in Tokyo" with more photos.
We continued on the walk, still following the Shinjuku map we had picked up from the tourist center at the Metropolitan building, and found Shiki no Michi (四季の道, Path of Four Seasons). It’s a small, short lane for pedestrians (and bicycles) with trees and shrubs on both sides, much like a little long, narrow park. I guess it’s a green lung in the concrete jungle of Shinjuku, and makes a nice change of scenery. But it’s a far cry from Kyoto’s Philosopher’s Path which is a must-do.
We walked on to Hanazono Shrine (花園神社Hanazono Jinja), but our first shrine encounter in Tokyo was a bit of a letdown. There were scaffolds put up on some parts of the shrine, as some work was being done on it. A jinja (神社) is a Shinto shrine, while a dera (寺) is a Buddhist temple – different religion. Monks from temples don’t get married, while priests from shrines can, I think. (I remember the priest Miroku from the anime Inuyasha.) Fortunately our 5 days in Kyoto subsequently gave us a generous dose of wonderful shrines and temples.
On we walked and came upon Isetan. I’ve long heard about the legendary basement food halls of these department stores in Japan, so of course we dived in. Those in Singapore familiar with Takashimaya Singapore basement food hall will be amazed at the scale of the ones in Japan. It was probably ten times the size of those in Singapore, the food counters arranged in a grid with many rows and columns resembling a maze.
There was just a little bit of food sampling available – contrary to what I read on the net. Bought croquette (160Y or S$2.70 each) at one of counters and we sat by the side of the road outside the building to eat. There are some seats at the outer area of the food hall (within the building), but they are for resting only, with signage proclaiming no eating. The price of a croquette is similar to the ones sold during the Japanese food fairs held at Isetan Singapore which costs about S$3.
After that we took a train to Shibuya to visit Hachiko. GG had long heard of the story of Hachiko, and looked forward to visiting the doggie statue. After taking photos with Hachiko, we joined the throng of crowds crossing the so-called ‘busiest pedestrian crossing in the world’. I’ve seen this crossing used in some scenes in movies, so it was kinda fun to actually be in the midst of this iconic crossing. Hopped onto a pedestrian bridge nearby to take some photos of this crossing.
Next, we had gyudon (beef rice) for dinner (490Y per set with miso soup and pickled veg) at Yoshinoya and it was on to Tokyu Hands.
When we finally found Tokyu Hands, lo and behold, there was a hyaku-en (100-yen) shop right in front of it. Of course we dived into this basement shop first for some shopping and to load up on snacks. Note that evrything actually costs 105 yen - inflation, I guess.
Then across the road and into Tokyu Hands. I fell in love with Tokyu Hands! How I wish we had a store like in Singapore. Spotlight doesn’t even come close. I think there was something like 7 stories of merchandise, and a lot of it was for DIY and craft enthusiasts. It has a weird A, B and C (if I remember correctly) section at every floor, with section C on a split level. I found it easy to cover everything and not miss anything by going from level 1 to the top just focusing on A and B sections, and then come back down to level 1 via just the C section (ha,ha, not a Caesarian!). I'll make a separate post with more pictures of this amazing store.
Right I need to add that we only found Tokyo Hands after asking for directions like three times. Some of the Tokyoites are not comfortable with conversing with foreigners and they simply say “wakaranai” (I don’t know) when I asked “Sumimasen, Tokyu Hands wa doko desu ka” (excuse me, where’s Tokyo Hands?) in my very limited and halting Japanese. And I had made sure to ask the younger people and not the elderly ones (who presumably would know even less English).
I'm ashamed of my almost non-existent command of Japanese. I'll continue working on it at my snail's pace, and hopefully, there'll be a bit of improvement for a future trip to Japan. Check out my other post on "Getting around with a bit of spoken Japanese in Japan".
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Cert IV in TESOL
I was back at Heartpower again today to do a TP (Teaching Practice). Why am I doing another TP when I've finished my CELTA? Well, it's because I decided to take up the option of doing the extension to my CELTA (a British qualification), to get the Cert IV in TESOL, which is an Australian cert given by IH (International House) Sydney.
This is yet another advantage of doing your CELTA with Heartpower, as you have the option of getting a dual cert - CELTA and Cert IV.
Back when I was doing my CELTA in April 2011, the dual-cert extension was available at Heartpower too, for an addition $500 and one extra written assignment and TP. I didn't opt for the dual-cert then as I thought I had no need for the Cert IV.
Later, sometime in November 2011, I heard that the Cert IV would give you a 5-module exemption for the ACTA. To get the ACTA certification, one has to take six modules, and spend many hours and quite a bit of money in total. With the Cert IV, I would only need to take module 1 of the ACTA. I was away in Japan in December, hence finally working on my Cert IV now in February.
But because I did not opt to do it while I was doing my CELTA, I have to pay $700 to Heartpower for the dual-cert now. Oh well, I'm just glad that they still allowed me to take up the dual-cert extension, even though I had done my CELTA some months back. Thanks a heap for the flexibility, Heartpower!
I had completed the extra written assignment for the dual-cert and had brought it along to submit it to Nick. It had taken me two days to do it. Parts of it was very easy, and some parts of it not so easy and required some thinking.
As for the TP, the lesson was to start at 1pm and last for an hour. It was to be a skill-based lesson (writing) to be assessed by Nick as well.
It was a real pain to have to write a TP lesson plan again, after it had been eight months since my CELTA course ended. Nick gave me the TP assignment on Friday, and I could not settle down to do it for two days. Finally, I managed to crank out the first draft on Sunday. What a lousy weekend.
Monday was spent polishing the lesson plan. On Tuesday, I spent some time visualizing the lesson and putting it in my head - so I can minimise referring to the lesson plan while I teach. The TP's on Wednesday. There are still some preparation I thought of doing (such as searching for and printing out some pictures), but just could not bring myself to get it done. Sigh.
I reached Heartpower at 10.30am this morning (Wednesday), as I had lesson preparation to do - things to photocopy and cut, for use during the lesson I was to conduct. Good thing I was early, for the copier was acting up. Took 20 minutes just to get it to function properly. Chatted a little with the lovely and helpful Adeline from Heartpower. Time flew, soon it was 12.15pm, I went out to have a quick lunch and was in the studio where the lesson was to be held by 12.45pm.
Turned out there were a total of 7 foreign learners, all ladies. Three from Japan (Yoko, Tamiko, Aoi) and the others (Mee Yong, Janice, Joanna, Mia) from Korea. Besides Nick, there were also two other observers. I learnt later these two trainees' names were Jung and Estina - both from Korea. They were doing their Tesol TP.
After I finished my segment of the TP, I handed the class over to Estina, who then conducted her segment of the class. After that, the learners left, and Nick, Jung, Estina and I had a feedback session. Yes, Nick said it would have been better if I had some pictures ... I sigh inwardly because I knew that. I also got a copy of Nick's comments written on TP lesson plan.
Well, only thing left to do is wait... hope to pass and get my Cert IV mailed from Australia in two month's time.
This is yet another advantage of doing your CELTA with Heartpower, as you have the option of getting a dual cert - CELTA and Cert IV.
Back when I was doing my CELTA in April 2011, the dual-cert extension was available at Heartpower too, for an addition $500 and one extra written assignment and TP. I didn't opt for the dual-cert then as I thought I had no need for the Cert IV.
Later, sometime in November 2011, I heard that the Cert IV would give you a 5-module exemption for the ACTA. To get the ACTA certification, one has to take six modules, and spend many hours and quite a bit of money in total. With the Cert IV, I would only need to take module 1 of the ACTA. I was away in Japan in December, hence finally working on my Cert IV now in February.
But because I did not opt to do it while I was doing my CELTA, I have to pay $700 to Heartpower for the dual-cert now. Oh well, I'm just glad that they still allowed me to take up the dual-cert extension, even though I had done my CELTA some months back. Thanks a heap for the flexibility, Heartpower!
I had completed the extra written assignment for the dual-cert and had brought it along to submit it to Nick. It had taken me two days to do it. Parts of it was very easy, and some parts of it not so easy and required some thinking.
As for the TP, the lesson was to start at 1pm and last for an hour. It was to be a skill-based lesson (writing) to be assessed by Nick as well.
It was a real pain to have to write a TP lesson plan again, after it had been eight months since my CELTA course ended. Nick gave me the TP assignment on Friday, and I could not settle down to do it for two days. Finally, I managed to crank out the first draft on Sunday. What a lousy weekend.
Monday was spent polishing the lesson plan. On Tuesday, I spent some time visualizing the lesson and putting it in my head - so I can minimise referring to the lesson plan while I teach. The TP's on Wednesday. There are still some preparation I thought of doing (such as searching for and printing out some pictures), but just could not bring myself to get it done. Sigh.
I reached Heartpower at 10.30am this morning (Wednesday), as I had lesson preparation to do - things to photocopy and cut, for use during the lesson I was to conduct. Good thing I was early, for the copier was acting up. Took 20 minutes just to get it to function properly. Chatted a little with the lovely and helpful Adeline from Heartpower. Time flew, soon it was 12.15pm, I went out to have a quick lunch and was in the studio where the lesson was to be held by 12.45pm.
Turned out there were a total of 7 foreign learners, all ladies. Three from Japan (Yoko, Tamiko, Aoi) and the others (Mee Yong, Janice, Joanna, Mia) from Korea. Besides Nick, there were also two other observers. I learnt later these two trainees' names were Jung and Estina - both from Korea. They were doing their Tesol TP.
After I finished my segment of the TP, I handed the class over to Estina, who then conducted her segment of the class. After that, the learners left, and Nick, Jung, Estina and I had a feedback session. Yes, Nick said it would have been better if I had some pictures ... I sigh inwardly because I knew that. I also got a copy of Nick's comments written on TP lesson plan.
Well, only thing left to do is wait... hope to pass and get my Cert IV mailed from Australia in two month's time.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Catholic church in Tokyo and Fukuoka
Out of the four weeks we were in Japan, we managed to attend Sunday Masses on 3 weekends, but did not manage to attend Sunday Mass while we were in Kyoto. Tell you why later.
I used this site to locate the churches that are near us, and find out the English mass times. http://www.jcarm.com/jpn/directory/index.htm
But specifically for Tokyo, I also found this site
http://www.ignatius.gr.jp/eng/index.html, which provided useful information on how to get there.
In Tokyo on Day 5 (Sunday, 4 December 2011) of our trip, we took a train (from our hotel in Ikebukuro) to head to St Ignatius after breakfast. As the English mass was at noon, we hopped off at a random station before we got to Yotsuya Station where the church was supposed to be. It turned out to be Sendagaya Station we hopped off at, totally on the spur of the moment on finding we had an hour to explore before mass. Anyway we found ourselves outside the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium and had a nice leisurely walk around the area. It was a beautiful day. Aoi, aoi ano sora!
More photos in a later post regarding Day 5 of our trip.
Saw a teenage boy practicing his dance moves in front of a reflective surface at an outer wall around the Gymnasium building, using it as a huge mirror. Admired his daring. Then we came across an indoor ice skating rink during our walk, but of course we did not have time for that before Mass. Saw many Japanese parents bring their kids here to ice skate on a Sunday morning, how nice!
After that we hopped back on the train to Yotsuya Station. St Ignatius was just a stone's throw from this station. The Japanese crowd was leaving after the Japanese mass, and a slightly more international crowd was slowly weaving their way in. There were still quite a number of Japanese people attending the English mass, perhaps they understood English, perhaps it was to practise their English listening skills, perhaps to expose their kids to more English, perhaps they woke up late and did not make it in time for the earlier Japanese mass....
Anyway, it was still early and we went to the gift shop at the church first. It's really a must as the religious items are very different in every country. The little crosses, crucifixes, pendants and rings charmed GG and I and we each bought a little souvenir. I liked the picture of Mother Mary and infant Jesus in Japanese garb, so cute!
There were Caucasians, and lots of Filipinos. The mass was celebrated by an old Caucasian priest who spoke English throughout the mass. Good, but even if it was half English and half Japanese, it would be fine too.
I've been to an "English" mass in Port Dickson (Malaysia), where parts of the mass was in English, and parts of it in Tamil. And also such mixed language mass in Krabi (English and Thai), and other places. Have always loved attending mass in other countries, but there was once we attended a mass celebrated completely in a foreign language (there was no English mass available) we did not understand and did not feel like we had fully attended mass, since we did not understand a word of the readings or sermon, so we have given up attending mass if it's completely in a foreign language. The mixed language mass are still fine.
In Singapore, the English Catholic masses have recently been converted to using a more accurate translation of the Latin tranlation. For example, we used to respond "And also with you" when the priest says "The Lord be with you." The new translation is "The Lord be with you" / "And with your spirit". Over in Japan, while we were there, the English masses are still using the old version, which is fine with us too.
It's interesting to find that the two Catholic churches we attended in Japan had this unfamiliar kneeling "cushion". You can see it in the photo here. We saw the locals take the light weight box-like cushion from the seat in front of them only when you needed to kneel, and put it back immediately after kneeling. Hence you don't take it out and leave it there on the floor the whole time. So we did likewise. Another reason why attending mass in a foreign country is always interesing.
I made sure to keep a copy of the circular detailing the Christmas Mass times for St Ignatius, as I know we'll be back in Tokyo by 25 December. Oh, there's also some pews at the back (on the right side of the church) marked with a sign "for families with children". Turned out these are for families whose children get restless during mass, so they can sit at the back so the restless kids do not bother the congregation as much. My kids are largely fine in church, so we did not use these seats but sat wherever we liked.
The following week, we were in Kyoto on Sunday (11 December 2011). I printed out the list of Catholic churches in Kyoto from the jcarm site and showed it to the lady manning the hotel counter, to check which ones were near us at Gojo-Karasuma. She pointed to one and said that was near, but it did not have an English mass. What about those? I pointed at the ones that had an English mass. The lady made a face and said those are very far away, and shook her head. I suppose she would know better than us. I did not have a clear idea how big Kyoto-hu was, though I knew Tokyo itself was huge. And so, unfortunately, we did not have the experience of attending an English mass in Kyoto.
The week after that, we were in Fukuoka (staying near Hakata Station) on Sunday (18 December 2011). Again printed out the list of Catholic churches and asked at the hotel counter. Hooray, Daimyo Machi Church was near and they had an English Mass.
We made our way there, and as we always arrive early for Mass, there was time to have a look at the gift shop. I do not have photos of the church interior as there was a sign at the door that said no photo- taking within the church, which is totally weird. Never encountered that before in a church. They could have stipulated no flash photography, but why no photo-taking at all? In all the foreign churches I've been to, I've always taken photos without using flash, much like in zoos.
After that, there was still time to take a nap at the waiting area where there were lots of comfy seating. GG even napped lying down, stretched out on the long cushioned seats. The nap refreshed us to attend mass with renewed vigour.
I think it was here that GG did not get a blessing from the communion minister (the persons who help thr priest give out the host). As was usual in Singapore, she had crossed her arms in front of her chest, a gesture that signalled to the communion minister/priest that she had not yet reached the age where she could take the host, and she would be given a blessing instead. At the church in Tokyo, she did not encounter any problems, but here in Hakata/Fukuoka, I guess they did not have such a practice and she came away without the usual pat of blessing on her head.
Okay, it's Christmas day and we're back in St Ignatius for the Christmas Mass. Did not bother to take any photos this time. Just enjoyed the Christmas mass. It was interesting to have a family sitting in front of us, where the pretty, petite lady is Japanese (she spoke good English) and her husband American, I think. The three children, 2 young boys and a girl are mixed parentage and very good-looking. I liked the fact that the Mum spoke Japanese to the kids, while the Caucasian dad spoke English to the kids. That's what I would have done for my own kids (speak Mandarin to them) if I married some other nationality who does not speak Mandarin. The parents conversed in English mostly, with the lady throwing in some Japanese words when she found it more convenient to do so. Their kids are well-behaved.
One thing was different though. The church was very packed, much more than on the usual Sunday mass. Lots of people had to stand. During communion at this Christmas Mass, there were a large number of adults, young and old, who lined up during communion. They were obviously not baptised Catholics as they did not receive holy communion. They simply lowered their heads for the communion ministers and priest to bless them. A strange sight for us because of the sheer number who did so. I guess some Japanese people liked to come to church for Christmas Mass to get their blessing.
The pianist was a Japanese lady who wore a baby harness on her back. I admired her determination to serve the congregation and the Lord even though she had a baby to look after, in addition to another young toddler, whom a church friend was trying her best to keep engaged and well-behaved while Mama played the piano. Oh, the choir (on the upper floor) in this church was very good on both times we were at St Ignatius. Much better than the ones in our Catholic church in Singapore.
I used this site to locate the churches that are near us, and find out the English mass times. http://www.jcarm.com/jpn/directory/index.htm
But specifically for Tokyo, I also found this site
http://www.ignatius.gr.jp/eng/index.html, which provided useful information on how to get there.
 |
| Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium |
More photos in a later post regarding Day 5 of our trip.
 |
| Nice walk around the area at Sendagaya Station |
After that we hopped back on the train to Yotsuya Station. St Ignatius was just a stone's throw from this station. The Japanese crowd was leaving after the Japanese mass, and a slightly more international crowd was slowly weaving their way in. There were still quite a number of Japanese people attending the English mass, perhaps they understood English, perhaps it was to practise their English listening skills, perhaps to expose their kids to more English, perhaps they woke up late and did not make it in time for the earlier Japanese mass....
Anyway, it was still early and we went to the gift shop at the church first. It's really a must as the religious items are very different in every country. The little crosses, crucifixes, pendants and rings charmed GG and I and we each bought a little souvenir. I liked the picture of Mother Mary and infant Jesus in Japanese garb, so cute!
 |
| Gift shop at St Ignatius |
 |
| Mother Mary and infant Jesus in Japanese garb |
I've been to an "English" mass in Port Dickson (Malaysia), where parts of the mass was in English, and parts of it in Tamil. And also such mixed language mass in Krabi (English and Thai), and other places. Have always loved attending mass in other countries, but there was once we attended a mass celebrated completely in a foreign language (there was no English mass available) we did not understand and did not feel like we had fully attended mass, since we did not understand a word of the readings or sermon, so we have given up attending mass if it's completely in a foreign language. The mixed language mass are still fine.
 |
| Inside St Ignatius |
 |
| Grounds of St Ignatius |
 |
| Kneeling on box cushion in St Ignatius |
I made sure to keep a copy of the circular detailing the Christmas Mass times for St Ignatius, as I know we'll be back in Tokyo by 25 December. Oh, there's also some pews at the back (on the right side of the church) marked with a sign "for families with children". Turned out these are for families whose children get restless during mass, so they can sit at the back so the restless kids do not bother the congregation as much. My kids are largely fine in church, so we did not use these seats but sat wherever we liked.
 |
| Box cushion stored in front |
The following week, we were in Kyoto on Sunday (11 December 2011). I printed out the list of Catholic churches in Kyoto from the jcarm site and showed it to the lady manning the hotel counter, to check which ones were near us at Gojo-Karasuma. She pointed to one and said that was near, but it did not have an English mass. What about those? I pointed at the ones that had an English mass. The lady made a face and said those are very far away, and shook her head. I suppose she would know better than us. I did not have a clear idea how big Kyoto-hu was, though I knew Tokyo itself was huge. And so, unfortunately, we did not have the experience of attending an English mass in Kyoto.
The week after that, we were in Fukuoka (staying near Hakata Station) on Sunday (18 December 2011). Again printed out the list of Catholic churches and asked at the hotel counter. Hooray, Daimyo Machi Church was near and they had an English Mass.
 |
| Daimyo Catholic Church |
After that, there was still time to take a nap at the waiting area where there were lots of comfy seating. GG even napped lying down, stretched out on the long cushioned seats. The nap refreshed us to attend mass with renewed vigour.
 |
| Books in the church gift shop |
 |
| Doves, love, peace and joy stickers in the church gift shop |
One thing was different though. The church was very packed, much more than on the usual Sunday mass. Lots of people had to stand. During communion at this Christmas Mass, there were a large number of adults, young and old, who lined up during communion. They were obviously not baptised Catholics as they did not receive holy communion. They simply lowered their heads for the communion ministers and priest to bless them. A strange sight for us because of the sheer number who did so. I guess some Japanese people liked to come to church for Christmas Mass to get their blessing.
The pianist was a Japanese lady who wore a baby harness on her back. I admired her determination to serve the congregation and the Lord even though she had a baby to look after, in addition to another young toddler, whom a church friend was trying her best to keep engaged and well-behaved while Mama played the piano. Oh, the choir (on the upper floor) in this church was very good on both times we were at St Ignatius. Much better than the ones in our Catholic church in Singapore.
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