After much postponement, the details of my first weeks in Japan are finally here. I can not believe that I have already been at Northstar for so long. First of all, thanks so much for all of your prayers for a “ii” [good] transition back to the adventure here in Norikura Kogen. I have truly felt God’s work as I have made the transition back to lifestyle in Japan. My return has been so much more comfortable and natural understanding what is happening, where I am at, and the things that I need to do. On the other hand, shopping for my favorite flavor of milk tea at the grocery store can still be a little overwhelming 
.
My adventures started off by visiting several local parks in Matsumoto City to see the spring “sakurabana” cherry blossoms with a couple of my friends from Azumino Family Chapel, Luke and Toshimi. We went out to eat the most amazing soba noodles I have had to date in Japan. If you ever have the chance, I highly recommend soba. Taking a walk under the cherry blossoms or eating lunch under the trees is a popular pastime in Japan, and this is very apparent when you see the number of people strolling through the parks filled with blossoms. It is an incredibly beautiful season.
At the start of this weekend, the same cherry blossoms are beginning to open here in Norikura which is at a much higher elevation than Matsumoto City. Trees are beginning to get their first signs of spring growth!
During my first week, the other intern “B,” Daniel, and I began making the shift from winter[white] season to the green season by putting away most of the snowboarding gear and replacing it with the mountain bikes which we were eager to ride. We had to do a little trail maintenance to clean things up on the trails Northstar uses, but within a couple of hours we had the main training trails back in shape. We stacked up the rails and pipes from the snowboarding park out front, and replaced them with bike jumps, bridges, and teeter totters. So far in my reacquaintance with the sport of mountain biking, I have only bailed [fallen off] from a platform once and took a trip over the handle bars from a jump. That is why I always wear my helmet.
I also got to meet the newly arrived baby in the Northstar family, Yamaken [Assistant Director] and Yoriko’s baby An. I have yet to actually see her eyes, but I am sure we will soon. An’s older sister, Leon, is eager to fill the role as big sister.
We have already had several camps, including a Deustch [German] school from Tokyo that brought their middle schoolers for a class retreat. Unfortunately, I did not learn much German except “Das Good,” which can always come in handy, and the word for pineapple. The kids did their best trying to communicate in English as it is many of the kids second or third language [German, Japanese, or English]. Life is always exciting sitting with a table full of 7th and 8th grade girls and you have no idea what they are talking about.
I have been learning to try anything while having a good attitude about it, and so far I have learned how to completely clean an ofuro [Japanese style bathroom], work on converting all of my units of measurement to metrics, and plan English lessons for 1st-9th graders. I am still a little nervous driving on the left side of the of the very narrow roads here, especially when you meet tour buses inside one of the 13+ tunnels between Norikura and Matsumoto City. I am praying that I can have a car accident free year.
From now on, I will regularly be teaching one day of classes each week at an elementary/middle school down the mountain in a village called Azumi as well as an adult English class at the Azumi government office building on Tuesday evenings. The kids are great, and I will share more about that later. I need to plan next weeks lesson!
When you think about it, here are some things that you might pray with me about. I am praying for a good integration in the school system, and that I can connect well with the kids. My teaching in the school is part of a much greater testimony for Northstar and of what God wants for these young lives. I not only want to be able to teach well, but I also want the kids to know that I do care about them. I am still waiting to hear about where in process my visa currently sits. Please pray that the paperwork will be written clearly, completely, and convincingly for the Japanese government to pass it through timely. We have also been praying greatly that God would open doors and hearts within the local community around Northstar that there would be a revival in the lives of our neighbors to seek God. This community here in Norikura needs to know about God’s grace and His love. Please pray that God would give us opportunities to be a testimony to the people that see things happening around Northstar. Thanks.
To send things off, here are a few of the other adventures we have encountered over the past few weeks, not to mention the encounter with the bat scientists. The Northstar lodge is not only the home of what most people know as an international adventure sports camp, but is also the home of an endangered bat species that raises their young in the attic. Last Saturday when I awoke from a power nap, I found the parking lot filled with cars and the lobby filled with bat enthusiasts heading off to the attic to do a little spring cleaning if you know what I mean. I did not quite understand why they needed someone to guard the entrance to the attic the whole time. Hopefully, there is nothing that they are not telling us about the other permanent residents here. Please feel free to check out our other adventures from the past couple of weeks on Northstar’s webpage at www.ridenorthstar.com in the News section!
Daniel and B with their milkshakes in a bag. It works great, especially when Japanese sized cups only hold less than a cup of anything and you really want more ice cream.
Springtime at Bandokoro Falls.
Just hangin’ around.
In Christ,
Brad
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