Christmas Now in the Philippines . . . then on to Towering Tokyo

Christmas starts NOW in the Philippines.  But so far, we have only seen one Christmas tree and no Christmas lights.  I'm sure it will get more Christmasy as the month goes on.

First . . . a few pictures from Cebu (along with a video of Filipinos singing O Holy Night).  Then on to towering Tokyo.  And later north to hilly, happy Hokkaido.

Early one morning we heard loud buzzing sounds -- like a million cicadas in chorus (if you can call buzz saws a chorus).  Turns out it was just the gardeners.  Usually they mow the grass with gas-powered weed whippers.  But today they are de-thatching the grass, again with weed whippers.  What a lot of work!  Can you imagine mowing (or de-thatching) with only weed whippers?

So fun to find rolled oats from the Canadian Prairies!  Yeah for Canadian farmers!

Very blurry picture of Elder Wong (white hair).  He's one of our Church leaders from the 1st Quorum of the Seventy.  He's from Hong Kong but has served in many places in the world, including as mission president in Vancouver B.C., and as Area President of the North America Central Area, which includes us in Alberta.  Elder Wong came to one of our Taber Stake Conferences but we were in Sweden on our mission at the time. 
It was great to shake hands with him and feel the great love that he has for the people of the Philippines.  Right now he serves as a counsellor in the Philippines Area.

Elder Torrie and Brother Lee enjoy visiting together.  Brother Lee's name is Wellington and he has brothers named Washington, Winston, and other historical W's, which I can't remember now.  He is one of about 15 siblings.  A Chinese Filipino with a very sharp mind for world history. He is also really into family history research.  He told us one of his family lines goes back to 600 BC!   Apparently the Chinese keep really good family records.

Out for Japanese food with our adopted children -- Suzette and Austin Cespon.  Yes, they're the ages of our children.  Such happy people with three great sons.  We have adopted many Filipinos as our children or grandchildren.

Some of you know I love art.  This huge art show in the Ayala Mall drew the crowds as local artists displayed their wares.  My kids will be glad to know that I was not tempted to buy anything!

Below you will discover how much Filipinos love Christmas.  They celebrate Christmas for 4+ months -- all the "ber" months, starting in September through December and even into January.  And they sing Christmas songs with gusto!  We invite anyone living in our building to come to our apartment every Thursday evening for singing.  So on Thursday, September 3rd, here they are singing "O Holy Night."

Now back to our Japan trip . . .  

From Shizuoka, we're on the Shinkansen (aka the bullet train) heading to Tokyo at up to 300 kph (200 mph).  Amazing that my phone took such good pictures out of the window.  Rice fields everywhere.  They eat a lot of rice in Japan!  Google says Japan is self-sufficient in rice.  That is a lot of acres or hectares or whatever the unit of land measure they use.  The price to farmers is supported by the government to ensure food self-sufficiency.

It takes a lot of water to keep the rice fields wet.  That's why we don't grow rice in Alberta.

Now LeRon's trying to find our hotel next to the train station.  Yes, it's in one of those towering towers.  City life is not for me.  Thank goodness I'm a country girl!

First stop on this (once again) very hot day is the LDS Tokyo Temple.  When LeRon was a missionary 52 years ago, there were no temples in Japan.  Now there are four, with one more coming.  Not as many as in the Philippines though.  Right now there are 6 operating temples in Philippines and when all of the announced temples are built, there will be 14.

Beautiful Tokyo Temple grounds -- and a stone lantern for LeRon to enjoy.

We're just in time to see a newly married couple exit the temple.  In the temple, couples are married not just for this life, but for forever.  We call it being sealed for eternity.  Sometimes LeRon tells people that we have been married for 51 years but we plan to be married for 51 million years and more.

Last look this afternoon at the beautiful Tokyo Temple.  But we'll see it again tomorrow because we will attend our church services there in the chapel next to the temple.

Another Torii Gate for this Torrie.  We are strolling toward the Meiji Shrine.  It was built in 1920 to honor the Emporer Meiji and his Empress after their passing.

Lots of colorful, but empty, wine barrels.  Japanese wine is known as sake (pronounced sock-ee).  The barrels are decorated and given to the shrine in honor of Emporer Meiji and his Empress. 

LeRon is ready to enter the great wooden Torii shrine gate.  It's the largest of its type in Japan and was modelled exactly after the original, which was destroyed in WW II.

The actual Meiji Shrine is flanked by two huge camphor trees.  We've seen so many shrines and taken so many pictures that I'm not including a close-up here.  We took some, but I'm not computer-literate enough to add them in the order I want, so I won't add them at all.

Trying to find a bit of shade.  Love the stone bridge and the green foliage.

Lovely, delicate, star-shaped leaves of the Japanese maple.  Reminded us of our Canadian flag.  But the leaves on the Japanese maple only have 6-8 points, while the Canadian maple leaf on our flag has 11.  Did you know that?  The number of points has no meaning except to look good while the flag waves proudly over the True North Strong and Free!

Trying to get a picture of the lovely Japanese black pines on the grounds of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo.  Why can I get a good picture from a train going 300 kph and not from a taxi going 40 kph?

Here's a picture from the internet of the black pines.  Hmn . . . not much better than mine.  I was so impressed with their sculpted-like shapes.  Just asked AI, and they are definitely hand-sculpted.

Did you know that Kit Kat in Japan comes in different flavors?  I thought I would like the strawberry, but I actually liked the apple flavor better, probably because it was coated in chocolate and I love chocolate.  The apple flavor was nice and not too appley.  Those are the only two we tried.

Google says there are about 200 flavors!!  Who knew?

Now to Narnia and the North!  I mean to Hokkaido and the North!  We are excited to take the Shinkansen up to the northern island of Hokkaido.  We hoped it would be much cooler.  And yes, it was definitely much cooler, for which we were grateful.  Japan is a great country to visit, but maybe not in August unless that's the only time you can go.

Stay tuned for gorgeous flower farms, geothermal wonders (called Hell's Valley, of all things), volcanic lakes, and amazing music boxes.

An Invitation . . . then more of Japan, including Mt. Fuji

First . . . the Invitation.  The beautiful and huge Salt Lake LDS Temple in Salt Lake City, Utah, is opening to the public from April to October 2027.  Six months!  It will probably not be open to the public again in my lifetime.  If you can go, please do!  It's free to tour but it's best to book a ticket online because 3-5 million people are expected to visit.  For more information, see the CNN article below (and the very interesting embedded video):

https://edition.cnn.com/2026/08/28/us/lds-temple-renovation-salt-lake

If you have trouble accessing CNN, here is what I have learned:  Canadians have full access to read CNN online for free.  Americans can read a limited number of articles per month before paying and then only certain articles.  Citizens of other countries may also be able to read for free since CNN reaches about 200 countries.  Interesting that it's not free for Americans, and yet is an American broadcasting company.

Back to the temple . . . The temple took 40 years to build in the days of the early church members' poverty.  It was started in 1853 and was dedicated in 1893.  Since then (and until now), it has been open only to faithful members of the church. 

In its day, it was an engineering marvel.  Now it has undergone extensive renovation, including a major seismic upgrade.  It can now safely withstand earthquakes even if the ground shifts 5 feet in any direction.  It has been renovated to stand through the Millenium!  Again, see the above article and watch the video for more information.

Now for the Japan pictures . . . 

This is to remind me to tell you how awesome the toilets here in Japan are.  The controller pictured here works the built-in bidet, (pronounced bi-day' since it's a French word) which cleans you off however you want it to.  Just press and water sprays where you need it.  Gentle and warm.  ALL toilets have built-in bidets -- in the train station, in restaurants, in hotels, in homes. 
A taxi driver told us that all tourists tend to mention how wonderful the Totos are.  Toto is a brand name for a plumbing company that produces "Washlets," the Japanese toilets.

Today we've taken the train from Kyoto to Nagoya.  LeRon spent much of his time in Nagoya.  First stop on this very hot day is the Nagoya Castle.  LeRon is standing by the wooden watch tower.  A now-dry moat surrounds the castle compound and massive sloping stone walls provide a strong foundation.

The main keep of the castle compound is beautiful.  We couldn't go in it because it has become unstable due to recent earthquakes.  We are content to just look at it.  

The compound was finished in 1612 but many of the buildings, including the keep, were destroyed in 1945 during World War II.  It was rebuilt in 1959, but this time out of concrete instead of wood.  Apparently there are plans to reconstruct it in wood as was the original.  Notice those gold figures on top of the keep.  See below for an explanation.

The golden figures (shachi) on the top are of two mythical creatures, one male and one female.  Each has the head of a tiger and the body of a fish.  Apparently it symbolizes wealth and power.  Originally, before the WWII destruction, the creatures were made of pure gold.  Now they are just gold-plated.

Interesting how the stone wall around the keep was made with just a jumble of large stones with small ones stuck in the cracks.  Hard physical labor.  LeRon is always interested in how things are built.

From Nagoya Castle we caught a taxi to drive us to the areas LeRon served in as a young missionary.  At the time, 1972-1974, there were no meetinghouses.  Members met in rented buildings or in homes.  LeRon was excited to see a modern chapel here in Nagoya.

All of his "knocking on doors" has paid off and now there are many chapels in Nagoya and throughout Japan.  When LeRon was here, there was only one stake in all of Japan and now there are multiple stakes and 5 temples operating, under construction or announced.

LeRon tried the church door, and surprisingly, it was open.
(Because we have a lay ministry, church buildings are only open when members are there.  There is no paid staff and church leaders have regular jobs in addition to their church duties). 

LeRon had a short visit with this member.  It was fun to hear LeRon speaking Japanese so I videoed him (see below).
I am always amazed when I hear his Japanese (and his Cebuano here in the Cebu Temple) because his French is atrocious!

I'm looking from the church to the surrounding neighborhood and our black taxi waiting for us.  Our taxi driver, Ken, was interested in why we were here and what we were doing.  We were able to share the joy of the gospel with him.  Always nice when someone is open to talking about religion.
Then back to the train station to pick up our roller bags and be off to Shizuoka, another city that LeRon spent much time in on his "young" mission.

We're at the Shizuoka Sengen Shrine Complex.  It's a Shinto religion shrine, complete with beautiful Torii Gates.  Elder Torrie is pictured, ready to enter the Torii Gate.

There are 26 structures in this huge Shrine complex.  Gorgeous colors and swooping architecture.  So different from western or European architecture.

We assume these young women in white may be mikos -- part or full-time shrine assistants who assist the priests and who perform ritual dances and prepare ritual items.  We should have asked them.  They were young and seemed so happy to be there.

These hanging round things are Shinto charms.  The wooden plaques are for writing prayers or wishes.  For a few yen, you can buy one.

And these are fortune-telling papers.  Pay and pick.  Good for you if you get a good fortune.  If not, you can hang it back on the rope for the next person.

It's so hot this evening.  I've taken my hat off so the breeze can cool down my wet head.  Such a beautiful shrine behind me.

Many people here are devoted to their religion.  This woman came to bow and pray.

This Shinto Shrine complex is huge.  We're at the bottom of about 130 stairs.  Can I do it?  And where does it lead?  We won't know unless we do it.  But it's hot and humid.  But yes, let's do it.  There's a chain to hang on to.

The stairs are reminiscent of El Castillo pyramid in Chichén Itzá in Mexico that we saw many years ago when our oldest three were very young.  It was so steep that it made me dizzy.  Even hanging on to the rope, I couldn't do it.  I just froze while my young kids scrambled up like there was no problem. 
This stairway was not so steep, but still a hard climb for an old body.

At the top of the stairs there were more stairs and more shrines and more lanterns, lit now that it is approaching evening.  

We're back in the city now, shopping at a fruit market that had the most delicious mandarin oranges we have ever tasted.  Honestly.  No exaggeration.  They were the sweetest and juiciest ever. 
We bought a few and then went back the next day for many more.  We ate them like candy.  When we went back the second time, the shopkeeper greeted us with a very low bow, meaning very great respect.  We bowed back and LeRon told him about his experiences as a young missionary in Japan years ago.  The shopkeeper was impressed with LeRon's Japanese.

Now we're trying to find a restaurant that appeals to us tonight.  This one has live clams and other fishy things you can choose from.  Not tonight.

Can you believe it?  Of all the restaurants . . . Denny's?  LeRon was looking for a particular Japanese dish and google said that Denny's had it.  So here we are . . . at Denny's.

So interesting that a western restaurant was so . . . Japanesey.  Miso soup.  Rice.  And what LeRon had been searching for . . . omurice -- basically a Japanese omelette with eggs, chicken, rice, sauce.  It was okay but not as good as the young starving missionary remembered.

We traveled on the Shinkansen (known in the west as the Bullet Train) several times.  Comfortable.  Quiet.  Fast.  It travels up to 300 kmh (about 200 mph).  It has never had a fatality and is on time to within seconds.  Great way to travel!

Here in Shizuoka, LeRon spent much time as a young missionary, finding people to share the gospel with and having great views of Mt. Fuji.  In the summertime, Mt. Fuji is often covered with cloud so we weren't expected much.  But . . .

For about 30 seconds, we actually saw Mt. Fuji not covered in cloud.  Being from the older generation, we never thought to take a picture with LeRon's phone right then.  No . . . silly us, we rushed back to our hotel room to look out of that window.  And by then, it was in cloud again.  But we really did see the whole thing, not covered in cloud.  Yes, in the far distance, it's true.  But we saw it.

We're now on Mt. Nihondaira near Shizuoka.  We thought we were taking the chair lift (called a ropeway here) to the top of the mountain so we could see Mt. Fuji.  Instead, we were already at the top of the mountain (but still couldn't see Fuji) and the ropeway was taking us DOWN the mountain.  Whoever heard of a chair lift taking you down first and up last?

But at the bottom of the ropeway was an amazing complex of shrines called the Kunozan Toshogu Shrine.  LeRon was right when he told me that by the time our few days was over, I would have had my fill of temples and shrines.  So true.

Beautiful intricate decorations.

Red (they call it vermilion red), green, gold, yellow, and white are sacred colors in Shintoism.  You can see all of those colors in the picture.  The yellow vat is, according to Google Images (which is an amazing tool, by the way), says that it is for putting out fires.

Sister Torrie by small Torii Gates.

Click to enlarge to see the beautiful colors and intricate paintings.

I am running out of descriptive words.  These shrines are awesome!

Here's a close-up of the carvings and paintings.

And wow . . . the colors and carvings just get better and better.

For a small price, you can buy an ema, a wooden plaque on which to write your prayer or your wish.  Then you hang it back on the wooden rack.  Eventually all the emas are ritually burned in a special ceremony, sending the prayers to heaven.

Animals are revered as gods or as messengers of gods.  So interesting . . . a blue and white spotted lion.  Lion dogs often guard entrances to shrines.

Last look at this shrine for LeRon. 
Even though we are Christians, we can and should learn about and respect other religions. 
A 1978 proclamation by our church leaders states that all people are sons and daughters of the same God and that “the great religious leaders of the world such as Mohammed, Confucius, and the Reformers, as well as philosophers including Socrates, Plato, and others, received a portion of God’s light. Moral truths were given to them by God to enlighten whole nations . . . "

LeRon absolutely loves stone lanterns.  They are so typical of Japan and seeing them brings back such happy memories.  And he simply thinks they are classy.  I can foresee one in our yard soon!

Here's a couple of the delicious mandarin oranges we foundered on.  The shopkeeper said they were from Hokkaido, the farthest north Japanese island.  We will be going there soon.

And on the left are the most delicious egg sandwiches.  We were so surprised to find that egg sandwiches in a convenience store (a konbini) here were actually very good (as opposed to those in western convenience stores).  I asked google why.
The secret is in the Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise.  It's made with only the yolk of the egg (not the whole egg), with particular vinegars and MSG.
And the bread is a soft, very delicious white bread with the crusts cut off.

LeRon remembers using Kewpie a lot on his mission.  It almost reminds me of Miracle Whip Salad Dressing, but a little milder.  Much better than western-style mayonnaise.  Those egg salad sandwiches were so delicious.

We're in our 20th floor corner suite.  Windows on two sides giving us fantastic views -- if you like cities, that is.  LeRon's getting ready to eat our delicious egg salad sandwiches.

Here's my picture of our view of Mt. Fuji that I took from our hotel window.  Zoom in and you will see it in the clouds just behind those twin towers (center back). 
In the video below, I am showing our kids views from those floor to ceiling windows.

Night view from our windows.  If we could see Mt. Fuji, it would be right there in the center back.  We slept with the curtains open.  Lots of nightlights!

Next stop will be Tokyo for 24 hours, then the shinkansen (bullet train) north to the island of Hokkaido.  The shinkansen will take us in a long tunnel -- about 54 km (34 miles) long -- with 23 km (14 miles) of it under the sea.  It's longer than the Channel Tunnel but the undersea part is shorter.  Kind of creepy to be in a tunnel for that many miles.

Our Japanese Adventure is half over.  We're looking forward to a cooler Hokkaido.