I’ve held it in as long as I can — and now your emails have finally ignited my passion. THANK YOU to those of you who’ve written to ask — Yes, I love Japan!

Here’s where I lived for two years: Osaka, Japan. It’s the second-largest city next to Tokyo, located in the culturally rich Kansai region. Here’s a map to show you where Osaka is. And here’s a picture of Osaka Castle, which I visited at least once a week (it’s amazing during Cherry Blossom season). Japan is a very safe country — I went there alone and was never afraid to take a train, ride my bike, or walk anywhere — day or night.

I was hired to work as an English teacher for a church, Suita Bible Gospel Church. I taught English conversation to adults on Sunday mornings to attract people to visit our church (many of my students stayed for the service.) Then I helped start and co-teach a Bible study for foreign students who visited our church — we welcomed friends from dozens of countries (such as Africa, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Korea, England, France, and Germany) where we shared the common bond of speaking English and wanting to learn more about the Bible. These students were some of the world’s brightest, most talented individuals I’ve ever met in my life — many on full scholarship.

I lived with a Japanese family my first year, then in a student dormitory the next. During the week, I taught English lessons in people’s homes, a kindergarten, a university, and several private language schools. I then spent the rest of my time going to every cultural event possible — and studied Japanese language at least three hours a day. (I also attended Kansai University of Foreign Studies, then came home and completed a degree in Japanese Language and Lit.) Here’s part of an article I wrote about teaching English in Japan for International Living Magazine.

I’ll have to tell you that our big news is that it looks like we’re going to have a Japanese family come stay with us a few months from now. This dear friend of mine hosted me and my mom in her family’s home, located a short train ride from Tokyo.

Now, I’ll be able to at last return the favor. She has three children, and she wants them to experience what an American school is like — great idea! So, of course, my mind has already skipped ahead — and I’m thinking wouldn’t it be great if my kids could go visit her kids’ Japanese school someday? When I get a dream in my head like that, what I start doing is praying about it — and if it’s God’s plan for us, it WILL happen!

I know there are many of you out there who love Japan — so hopefully, you’ll click on into my blog and I’ll build up a file in my Japan category. For starters, one of my son’s Boy Scout leaders told me that his daughter (Stephanie!) is absolutely crazy about all things Japanese — and she’s been wanting to talk to me about it. But — of course, it’s hard to find the time. So, I’m blogging for Stephanie, as well as many of you who have asked me about Japan, and whether or not I can speak or read Japanese (I can).

Hey, even my two-year-old son can count to ten in Japanese, so let me at least teach you that! ichi–ni–san–shi–go–roku–schichi–hachi–ku–ju! You can do it!

One of my most treasured possessions is my Japanese Bible, Nihongo no Seisho. I bought it at a Christian bookstore in Osaka, and my friend Yoko hand-stitched me a pastel pink cover with a zipper. I used to read verses out loud every day; I haven’t in a while, but since I’m blogging about it, of course that will make me do it!

Here’s a picture of my mom and me in Kyoto when she came to visit me. Notice the cherry blossoms, sakura, in the background. It was absolutely unbelievable timing that her visit coincided with this short-lived burst of pink blooms. Sometimes, the blooms only appear a few days, and no one is sure when they’ll arrive. In fact, since there’s so little crime in Japan, the newscasters focus much of their spring coverage on the Sakura Zensen, the cherry blossom front that begins blooming in the warmer southern islands and slowly moves upward into the northern region. Then everyone goes outside to enjoy Ohana-mi, Cherry Blossom Viewing. And there’s an expression, Hana Yori Dango, which means it’s much more fun to eat than to just look at the blossoms — so the outdoor feasts are exquisite!

Tomorrow, I’ll tell you something very exciting that happened around here when my love of books collided with my love of Japan. Until then, Sayonara!