I posted this on Facebook soon after our trip. It is to this day, the best and most meaningful Christmas I've ever had...
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It's the most wonderful time of the year. It was the most blessed of holidays we have had. Kyushu was where the Portuguese first brought Christianity to Japan in 1549. And Francis Xavier, the first Christian missionary to Japan, has a snack named after him! We decided that each night, instead of retreating to our separate rooms after dinner, we would spend the time in fellowship, reading and discussing the book of Luke. How marvelous then that we should spend the first night of the tour at the Luke Plaza Hotel. There was even a little chapel at the back of the hotel. And on our last night in Japan, we chanced upon the TENJIN Christmas market in front of Fukuoka City Hall. The warmth of the bright lights, the stalls selling Christmas ornaments, a live performance of Christmas favourites in the cold night air really made for a magical night full of the Christmas spirit. Later, while we were walking around the streets of Fukuoka, a Japanese lady approached us and gave us a flyer telling us about Christmas service at her church - the reading for the service was (you guessed it!) from the book of Luke:
Luke 2:11-12 "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
This is an excellent account of Christianity in Japan http://www.tofugu.com/japan/history-of-christianity/
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