December 4, 2014 Letter

1400 hours; Eight Tree Mountain (when you write the Yagiyama on my letters that is what you are writing ha-ha)

 Culture point:

Here are 10 good manners to do when visiting a home in Japan:

1. Ring the Doorbell ONCE

2. Once inside the entryway do not take off your jacket until asked to come in (taking it off is assuming you are going to be brought in)

3. Take off your shoes with your face towards the door

4. Once inside the home first greet the Head of the home

5. Let the Host eat first

6. Say your thank yous to every one before leaving

7. Put the slippers you were given for walking around in the home in a neat position

8. As you put back on your shoes make sure your face is always towards the host

9. Don’t "stomp" your shoes on

10. As you walk away kind of back up the whole time and don’t turn your back to them tell a good 10-20 feet away from the door.

So, Japanese people are the nicest people in the world and no one is going to get mad at you if you don’t do one of these things, but they will be so happy and impressed if you do these things! They normally give you warm tea and a warm rag to wash your face and hands on. 

Also Caroling, when you don’t understand that culture at all imagine how terrifying it would be to see a large group of people suddenly appear on your porch and start singing religious songs. Ha-ha. I don't have any experience but I get a chuckle out of just the thought.

Fun food fact:

Sashimi is what you call eating raw fish. If you take that piece of fish and put it on top of a ball or vinegar rice or wrap it in rice and seaweed you get sushi. I actually prefer sashimi because then you can eat more fish. Ha-ha! 

So fish is actually pretty expensive so we hardly ever buy it we always just get it from people that love us too much or when we eat out. But cutting up the fish is SO difficult like it’s an art to get all the little bones out. True sashimi or sushi never has bones in it. Only when I make it. Ha-ha! Another interesting thing is that once that fish is dead you have 2 days to eat it raw. (That’s if it has been refrigerated well the whole time. Older than that and its cooked no matter what. I really love fish. :-)

Spiritual thought:

I write this one to anyone who hasn`t had much experience with Jesus Christ or to someone who would like to help someone who doesn`t know but about Christ. When you get someone you really loves the Savior of the world they will get all excited and start throwing around all these words like love, joy, mercy, peace, confidence, comfort. They sound so great but they sound so general at the same time. I have found it really hard sometimes to bridge that gap between the person who has experienced it to the person they are trying to share with. But i just want to add my testimony that the mercy you felt when your parents forgave you when you wrecked the car, or the peace you felt with the 12 month year old sleeping on your shoulder, or the awe you felt looking into the sky on a deep night is the same... God did not start calling to you today. You know the basics of those feelings. I also know that all of those feeling can be enhanced and purified through the savior of the world. I know the reason he asks us to do things is to get to a state where we experience those feelings forever as a family.

Funny story:

 So Gas stations in Japan. Half are like Washington and half are like Oregon. So they have both self-serve and serviced. I normally, being a Washingtonion go to the self-serve. But the other day I went to the service one. And you pull up, and they are directing your car... and in English your like (your good your good yeah your good keep coming, yeah ok stop) but in Japanese you normally hear (hai Hai Hai Hai hai) which sound like (hi, hi, hi hi) and I would always think someone was trying to greet me back in the day, but now I am more seasoned. So I pull up and I used to not be super nervous in Oregon, but this is in japan and I don’t know the rules or if there is going to be some new Japanese I don’t know. Elder Inamori is with me but he has never put gas in a car, so he doesn’t know what is right either. They bow super low to me and I bow back. I roll down the window and give them my card. "Mantan regiura desu ka?" I say yes. She walks away to fill up my car, but before she does she lays a little moist towel on my door where the window is rolled down. It’s all folded up pretty.  I felt the pressure. I knew I was to do something with that towel. It just has that flavor to it. So I casually glance around pick it up. At this point I think I know what it is because it’s warm. I have had a hundred warm towels just like this given to me over the year and a half when ever I visit restaurants or people houses. So I start wiping my hands with it getting all those little dirties off. Then just as I am three quarters the way up to my face to wipe it off I see the guy in the car next to me wiping off his dash and windshield with the same pink rag. Ha-ha-ha Elder Inamori was laughing pretty hard. I learn new things every day!

Love each other for me!

Cameron Choro