Fasting

[Hoankan]

I don't know why the eastern countries bring this about. My SF told me about many others from the US who had came to Orthodoxy through the church. For me part of it is the silence of all the denominations screaming for attention that I could actually focus on the Truth when my time came.

 

[Xpycoctomos]

Thanks for that Bushmaster. I had never heard that one.

 

[Xpycoctomos]

I'm really surprised Japan brought this out. Aren't most people functionally atheist there? How did you come to the Church there? I know there is at lesat one Orthodox Church (Russian?) in Tokyo. What were you before? What's your story. Share, share!

 

[Hoankan]

Japan has it's own national religion, Shinto. Also most Japanese are Buddhist; due to an ancient law passed that made it so only Buddhism could do funerals. That being said, besides going to festivals and praying to kami (gods, Shinto is pantheistic) when they need something, they don't have much of a religion and could be considered agnostic.

The Orthodox Church in Japan is attatched to the Russian Orthodox Church. The Nikolai-Do in Tokyo is the place you went to. Besides that, there are churchs in many parts of the country. My church is small and based in Nagoya (4th largest city), but some places such as Osaka and Sendai have a great deal of Orthodox people.

As for my story, it'll take too long to write tonight. I'd be willing to write it out if people are really interested in hearing it. Hopefully it won't put too many people to sleep.

Before I was Lutheran and my story of coming to the Church spans a little over a decade with the last stages being in Japan.

 

[Xpycoctomos]

Japan has it's own national religion, Shinto. Also most Japanese are Buddhist; due to an ancient law passed that made it so only Buddhism could do funerals. That being said, besides going to festivals and praying to kami (gods, Shinto is pantheistic) when they need something, they don't have much of a religion and could be considered agnostic.

The Orthodox Church in Japan is attatched to the Russian Orthodox Church. The Nikolai-Do in Tokyo is the place you went to. Besides that, there are churchs in many parts of the country. My church is small and based in Nagoya (4th largest city), but some places such as Osaka and Sendai have a great deal of Orthodox people.

As for my story, it'll take too long to write tonight. I'd be willing to write it out if people are really interested in hearing it. Hopefully it won't put too many people to sleep.

Before I was Lutheran and my story of coming to the Church spans a little over a decade with the last stages being in Japan.

We like reading people's stories. The longer the better. We like being able to relate and learn. There is a thread dedicated to it, in the Stickies I think.

John

 

[Xpycoctomos]

Japan has it's own national religion, Shinto. Also most Japanese are Buddhist; due to an ancient law passed that made it so only Buddhism could do funerals. That being said, besides going to festivals and praying to kami (gods, Shinto is pantheistic) when they need something, they don't have much of a religion and could be considered agnostic.

The Orthodox Church in Japan is attatched to the Russian Orthodox Church. The Nikolai-Do in Tokyo is the place you went to. Besides that, there are churchs in many parts of the country. My church is small and based in Nagoya (4th largest city), but some places such as Osaka and Sendai have a great deal of Orthodox people.

As for my story, it'll take too long to write tonight. I'd be willing to write it out if people are really interested in hearing it. Hopefully it won't put too many people to sleep.

Before I was Lutheran and my story of coming to the Church spans a little over a decade with the last stages being in Japan.

So, how do Orthodox there perform funerals? in secret? Or do you mean it's ancient and no longer standing? I can't imagine in a modern democratic country like Japan,people don't have completely freedom of religion.

 

[Hoankan]

Alright. Give me a week or so and I'll post my story (going to take some time to write it).

I should have been more specific when talking about the law. During the Tokugawa Shogunate (when all Christianity was persecuted) there were only two main religions, Buddhism and Shinto. In order to ensure that Buddhism was always apart of Japan, a law was passed forbidding the Shinto funerals and only allowing the Buddhist ones.

Now that the persecution is over, people can choose their funerals, however there is still not any Shinto funerals and Japanese are apart of a Buddhist sect for funeral purposes (they usually don't even know which sect until the first funeral in the family).

The one key part about Orthodoxy and Japan I don't know about is cremation. I don't know how the Orthodox side step Japans penchant for cremation.

 

[Xpycoctomos]

Alright. Give me a week or so and I'll post my story (going to take some time to write it).

I should have been more specific when talking about the law. During the Tokugawa Shogunate (when all Christianity was persecuted) there were only two main religions, Buddhism and Shinto. In order to ensure that Buddhism was always apart of Japan, a law was passed forbidding the Shinto funerals and only allowing the Buddhist ones.

Now that the persecution is over, people can choose their funerals, however there is still not any Shinto funerals and Japanese are apart of a Buddhist sect for funeral purposes (they usually don't even know which sect until the first funeral in the family).

The one key part about Orthodoxy and Japan I don't know about is cremation. I don't know how the Orthodox side step Japans penchant for cremation.

I read that the Patriarch of Moscow gave the Japanese Orthodox a general economia that allows them to do this (because it's the law, right?)

By the way, is there any style of icon particular to Japan. I have seen pics of the cathedral there and they are all the styles I am used to seeing, but I was wondering if there were other ones written by Japanese where clear influence can be seen from Japanese culture (swans in the sky, the lines a little lighter.. I don't know... just curious).

And, at the Church you go to, is the liturgy done in Japanese or Church Slovanic or 50/50?

Thanks! I am fascinated by Japanese Orthodoxy (even though it probably looks mostly Slavic)

 

[walking.away.123]

LOL, I am a Turk who became Orthodox while living in Korea... What is with these far eastern countries huh?

I switched living here in Taiwan.

 

[Chocolatesa]

Alright. Give me a week or so and I'll post my story (going to take some time to write it).

I should have been more specific when talking about the law. During the Tokugawa Shogunate (when all Christianity was persecuted) there were only two main religions, Buddhism and Shinto. In order to ensure that Buddhism was always apart of Japan, a law was passed forbidding the Shinto funerals and only allowing the Buddhist ones.

Now that the persecution is over, people can choose their funerals, however there is still not any Shinto funerals and Japanese are apart of a Buddhist sect for funeral purposes (they usually don't even know which sect until the first funeral in the family).

The one key part about Orthodoxy and Japan I don't know about is cremation. I don't know how the Orthodox side step Japans penchant for cremation.

I'd be interested to read it. The conversion stories thread is here if you want to put it there too http://foru.ms/t3005537-conversions-to-orthodoxy.html

 

[Hoankan]

I read that the Patriarch of Moscow gave the Japanese Orthodox a general economia that allows them to do this (because it's the law, right?)

By the way, is there any style of icon particular to Japan. I have seen pics of the cathedral there and they are all the styles I am used to seeing, but I was wondering if there were other ones written by Japanese where clear influence can be seen from Japanese culture (swans in the sky, the lines a little lighter.. I don't know... just curious).

And, at the Church you go to, is the liturgy done in Japanese or Church Slovanic or 50/50?

Thanks! I am fascinated by Japanese Orthodoxy (even though it probably looks mostly Slavic)

As far as I know, there are no icon makers here in Japan. Almost all of our icons come from Russia. I'll find out more when my church begins construction on its new building. My church is aparantly different in that it uses Serbian icons as well.

Divine Liturgy is performed in Japanese. In fact, I have never heard Divine Liturgy in my native English before. On special days, Father George will ask some of us to read key parts in different languages. During Pascha, we had six readers; English (me), Russian, Bulgarian, Greek, Romanian and Father George in Japanese.

As for my conversion story, I got it finished much sooner than I thought. I'll have it posted here in a little bit.

 

[Xpycoctomos]

As far as I know, there are no icon makers here in Japan. Almost all of our icons come from Russia. I'll find out more when my church begins construction on its new building. My church is aparantly different in that it uses Serbian icons as well.

Divine Liturgy is performed in Japanese. In fact, I have never heard Divine Liturgy in my native English before. On special days, Father George will ask some of us to read key parts in different languages. During Pascha, we had six readers; English (me), Russian, Bulgarian, Greek, Romanian and Father George in Japanese.

As for my conversion story, I got it finished much sooner than I thought. I'll have it posted here in a little bit.

Thank you!

Are there any recordings of Japanese Divine Liturgies on line that we could hear? I have never heard it before.

 

[Hoankan]

Let me do some checking. I'm not sure. If not maybe Maria will be able to help there.

 

[Hoankan]

I'd be interested to read it. The conversion stories thread is here if you want to put it there too http://foru.ms/t3005537-conversions-to-orthodoxy.html

Posted there. It's long so hopefully I won't put you all to sleep with it.