Yet Another No Trip Japan Report – October 8, 2021

This will be yet another no-trip Japan report. The borders of Japan are still closed for those using tourist visas. Permanent residents may even have to quarantine when they return from certain areas.

JSE Zoom Founding Day Lectureship

However, there are positive signs that things may be changing. For the last two weeks, the number of new covid-19 cases in Tokyo has gradually dropped from a high in July of over a thousand new cases each day to less than 100 per day. This is also reflected in other parts of Japan. Vaccination rates have also increased. The last report I read said that 64% of the population had both shots and another 20% have had one shot. Hospitals are beginning to see some relief.

Lesson for October Ministers’ Meeting

The state of emergency issued for nineteen of the forty-seven prefectures including Tokyo was lifted at the end of September. It had been in place for six months and deeply affected the economy and the lives of the Japanese. Churches can now resume in-person worship. You can imagine their joy at being able to worship together again. We have experienced that ourselves. There is hope that things will gradually get back to somewhat normal in Japan.

The Lord’s Supper lesson

We have not been idle while we wait. We were able to be a part of a Zoom lectureship centered on the work of Sarah Andrews single lady missionary to Japan from 1916 until 1961. It was a great encouragement to see familiar faces at the Zoom meeting and remember one of several single lady missionaries to Japan. There were forty-four who logged in representing about seventy individuals.

At the next ministers’ meeting, I will speak from Psalm 3. The intent of the lesson is to encourage us in the midst of this pandemic. These meetings are held Monday morning in Japan which is Sunday evening in Memphis.

Being encouraged by these recent changes, we have tentatively planned two trips next year in early spring and then in early summer. We have made plans for the last two years and had to cancel, but we pray that we will be able to go in 2022.

The Letter to the Ephesians

Because of the pandemic, a six-lesson study of Ephesians for the spring of 2020 had to be canceled. That will be one series that is ready for the next trip. Additionally, I have done some study on the Lord’s Supper. The pandemic has affected the manner in which we remember our Lord. I feel a review of why we meet on Sundays and the importance of this time will help us appreciate what it means spiritually to each believer.

Thank you again for your patience and support. We’re ready to go when we are permitted and continue to pray toward that end.

Dwight and Josephine Albright | 5745 Park Ave | Memphis TN 38119

November 29, 2018 – Autumn Concert for the Natori Elementary School, Minami Sanriku Machi

This year Odawara-sensei introduced two young performing musicians – a pianist and a violinist. All three are volunteers who came to this young group of students. They came to offer a musical presentation to the young students.

A picture of the program is below. I hope you can read it.

At the end of the concert, one of the students representing the student body gave words of thanks. Without any fanfare, they expressed their appreciation. We were deeply moved.

While taking tea in the principal’s office, some second-year students came in unexpectedly to offer their thanks.  We were surprised. Everyone asked that we come again next year. The students are so thankful to go to a school which hosts such a concert.

２９日は南三陸町の名足小学校での秋のコンサート。今年は小田原先生がお二人の若いピアノとヴァイオリンの演奏家をご紹介くださり、お三方は全きボランテフィアとして児童のところまで降りてこられ、児童たちに一流の音楽をプレゼントしてくださいました。

写真のプログラムが読めますでしょうか。

終わると児童代表がお礼の言葉。飾らない、そのままの気持ちが出ていて感動。

校長室でお茶をいただいていましたら、２年生が直接、お礼を言いたいと、いらっしゃり、ビックリ。みんな来年も来てくださいと言ってくださった。中には、この町の他の小学校にも行ってくださいと励ましてくださる子もいて感激！

Again this year on March 4 at 10:30 a.m. we hosted a wonderful gift concert of soprano, mezzo-soprano, and piano artists at the Minami Sanriku Natari Elementary School for Great East Japan Disaster.

The three artists returned each year in March to calm the children through singing and conversations. They also lead the children in singing loudly and vigorously. They wished everyone in Japan and the world could hear them sing for they sound better than the voices of the Vienna Children’s Chorus.

The program this year began with “Do, Re, Me.” There were other pieces listed in the Japanese. The pianist played “Puppy Waltz,” and the children’s eyes spun around. Last year after playing a piece from Turkey, a child said in a loud voice, “That was difficult. He played very well.” The room was filled with the children’s laughter. We sang “Spring Has Come.” Lastly we sang “The Sun Is in Our Hand” which could be heard to the sky.

I am very thankful from the bottom of my heart to the three artists who, in spite of their busy schedules, gave their full energy to these precious children. To these artists we wish the best and our prayers. I am always grateful for the honor of driving and providing transportation.

Shiro Obata, Haruna Church of Christ

今年も３月４日、午前１０時３０分より、南三陸・名足小学校で、ソプラノの佐藤容子さん、メゾソプラノの佐藤寛子さん、ピアノの前田拓郎さんの大きな愛の贈り物、東日本大震災復興支援・コンサートが開かれます。
この小学校は３１１の津波で校舎が破壊されましたが、町の人々が子どもたちを愛するあまり、見事に校舎を以前にもまして復旧なされ、在校の児童たちは少なくなりましたけれど、みんな生き生きと笑顔で学んでいます。
お三方は毎年３月にお伺いして、歌とお話を通して、子どもたちの心をやわらげ、また、子どもたちをリードされ、みんな大きな口を開けて歌わせ、元気を引き出しています。あのウイーン少年合唱団以上の天使の歌声を日本中、いや世界中の人々に聴かせたいと毎回、うずうずしてしまいます。
今年のプログラムは、「ドレミのうた」で始まり、湯山昭の歌曲を３曲、幻想曲　さくらさくらで子どもたちを夢の世界に誘い、次は野口雨情の歌を３曲、そして世界の名曲より、ジャンニスキッキ、「私のお父さん」、カルメンから、「ハバネラ」。これは勝手に私が一人でワクワクしています。また、ピアノに戻って「子犬のワルツ」で子どもたちの目をくるくるさせましょう。~昨年のトルコ行進曲は、弾き終わったら、ひとりの子どもが、「難しいのに、よく拓郎さんは弾けましたね」と大声をあげ、いっぺんに会場は和やかな笑いに包まれました。その子は、習っているところだったそうです~　「春が来た」を歌ってから、終わりにみんなで、「手のひらを太陽に」を天にとどけと歌います。
お忙しい中を、子どもたちに大きな犠牲を捧げてくださるお三方に心から感謝し、このかわいい子どもたちに全力を尽くされている先生方にも幸あれと祈ります。いつも運転手をさせていただいている光栄に感謝しつつ。

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Flyers with Newspapers

When I think about the speed of how the gospel is spread in Japan, I am often reminded of the parable of the wedding banquet (Matt. 22:1-14).  Maybe we should more openly invite people to the church, so we have decided to put out large number of flyers (at least 50000) with news papers in the surrounding areas.  This is expensive, but it is something we have to do in order to spread the gospel.  We will continue inviting anybody.  I mean anybody who wants to know about Christ, anybody who is interested in church, anybody who is interested in the Bible or religion, anybody who is seeking the meaning and purpose in life, even people who are not so excited about Christianity and even people hostile to Christianity.    We have to seek out those people and encourage them to come to open church.  Yes, we are an open church and welcome anybody.  I would like us to be kind of church which people feel free to come and go.  I pray some of them will stay and come to have genuine interest in Christ.

Schedule in Class and Preaching

I have been speaking from the Gospel of Matthew since December 2013 and am supposed to finish it in March 2016.  After that I will speak from Isaiah.  I alternate the NT books with the OT books.  In our class I always pick out a book which will help the church members to grow most effectively.  Since December 2014 I have been teaching “the foundation of Christian faith.”  The topics are the Bible as the Word of God, God His nature, Jesus Christ, the plan of salvation, the Lord’s Supper, Christian growth and so forth.  I am supposed to finish this class in June and will start teaching the book of Hebrews in July.  None of the members have studied it in depth, so I hope it will help them understand the message of the Bible more clearly.

Typhoon 19

As I write this Monday morning, October 13, we are awaiting the arrival of yet another typhoon. This one is number 19 and has already done some damage to Okinawa and is now making land fall on Kyushu. This will disrupt travel as number 18 did for us last Monday. Now as I finish this on Tuesday morning we have bright sunny skies. Thankfully the typhoon is well out of the way for our departure from Japan Wednesday, October 15.

Meeting with Hachinohe church

We returned Sunday evening, October 12, about 8:30 after worshiping with the Hachinohe congregation in Aomori Prefecture. This is the top most prefecture on Honshu, the main island. The distance from Tokyo to Hachinohe is about like from Memphis to Chicago. We made it by Shinkansen (Bullet Train) in three hours and that with seven stops.

The Hachinohe congregation has been in existence for more than fifty years. Brother Shiozawa was the minister who did pioneer church planting in the Aomori area. He would make a circuit visiting several house churches in the prefecture. This continued until he was no longer able to travel. At that time they began meeting in the city of Hachinohe.

Twelve met Saturday afternoon for two lessons on “God’s Great and Precious Promises.” This was part of the third lesson I gave for JSE. There was some discussion about Jesus’ promise to prepare a place and return from John 14. Two of the sisters had lost husbands so I’m sure this was in the back of their minds. I was once again impressed with the great and precious promises God has given us (2 Peter 1:3-4).

Sunday morning ten of us gathered. Two brothers were unable to attend. As we sat around tables in a circle I could not help but think this was probably more like the first century Christian assemblies than our large worship settings in pews. They meet in the home of one of the members in an “upper room” which is about nine feet by twelve feet.

Since there were only two men present, I was asked to make comments for the Lord’s Supper as well as give a sermon. Like the first century church, we assemble around the Lord’s Table every Sunday to remember. Taking my comments from the well used text in 1 Corinthians 11:23-29, I made two points.

First, “recognizing the body” points to both the vertical relationship with Christ and our horizontal relationship with each other. This is the one activity we always do together as a body of believers, the body of Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23). We partake of the one loaf which further signifies our unity as one body (1 Corinthians 10:17).

Second, Paul tells us in this text that we are to “proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” Death can be a morbid topic, but I don’t think Paul intended it to be taken that way. In another text (Romans 5:8) Paul says that “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were sinners, Christ died for us.” The proclamation of the Lord’s death is a proclamation and reminder of God’s love for us. So together we remind each other of God’s love for us and in that proclamation gain strength to continue for another week.

Nagasaki to Hachinohe

Following the sermon and the time together around the Lord’s Table, we met around another table for lunch together. The feast included curry rice, fukujinzuke, rakkyo, apples, persimmons, pickled egg plant and radish, apricot jelly, baked apples with yogurt and strawberry jam, cake, drinks, and lively conversation. They have a meal together each Sunday. Of course, not as grand at this was, but still fellowship together since several live a distance from the meeting place.

When we exited the wickets in Tachikawa Sunday evening that brought to an end two weeks of travel using our Japan Rail Pass. In all we traveled a little over seven thousand kilometers or about forty-four hundred miles. Latitudinally and longitudinally we went as far north as Chicago, Illinois, and as far south and west as Lubbock, Texas, from Memphis, Tennessee.

In between Sundays this time we visited the town of Shimabara in Nagasaki Prefecture, Kyushu. This area was the scene of a ferocious battle from December 1637 to April 1638. This was a peasant rebellion against the government’s high taxes and harsh treatment. Added to this was the persecution of Christians and the suppression of Christianity by the Tokugawa government. Most of those participating were Catholic Christians.

Sign offering reward for turning in anyone who was a Christian and stating punishment for those who were.

Some twenty-seven thousand rebels faced a Tokugawa governmental army of one hundred twenty-five thousand. The battle continued from late December 1637 to April 1638 when the Hara Castle fell to the Tokugawa forces. An estimated thirty-seven thousand rebels and sympathizers were beheaded. The castle was burned to the ground and the remains of those killed were buried with the castle remains.

Mary and Jesus disguised as the Buddhist idol Kannon

Because the government thought the European Catholics were involved in the rebellion, they expelled the Portugese traders. The following year, 1639, the seclusion policy was strengthened and the ban on Christianity was strictly enforced. This led to believers going underground. They came to be known as Kakure Kirishitan or “Hidden Christians.” Many artifacts of these hidden Christians remain. With this came the total suppression of Christianity and the tightening of Japan’s national seclusion from outside countries. This lasted until 1873 when the ban on Christianity was lifted.

At another museum we learned that a special festival held each year in early October in Nagasaki Prefecture was originally “to prohibit Christianity and to protect Buddhism and Shinto shrine[s] under the control of the Nagasaki Magistrate’s Office.” This was just another reminder of the undercurrent of opposition to Christianity in Japan.

“Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?”

My lesson for the Omika church on September 31 was transcribed and printed in the October issue of the Fukuin magazine. That lesson was from Acts 8:26-40 entitled “Here Is Water.” Thanks goes to the minister of that congregation for transcribing the lesson from tape. He corrected my Japanese so it reads smoothly.

This brings to a close our travels and ministry in Japan for 2014. We are deeply appreciative to the many who have shown us kind and loving hospitality over the past ten weeks. We are also thankful for you and your words of encouragement along the way. We give thanks to the Father for His kind protection and provision. May we continue to bring Him glory through our lives whether in Japan or elsewhere.

Typhoon #18

As I begin to write this report, we have just been through typhoon #18. Our travel plans for today were canceled because the morning schedule for the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) was suspended due to heavy rain and high winds. Within six hours the typhoon had blown further north and we welcomed blue sky and bright sunshine.

Kimata family

On September 23, a holiday marking the beginning of Autumn, the Kimata family visited us. They live in Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture. We have known them since they were in Memphis while Dr. Kimata did research at the University of Tennessee. They now have two children and Dr. Kimata is in charge of surgery at the Saiseikai Utsunomiya Hospital.

Enjoying children

They took us to a restaurant where the food is served via a train. The children enjoyed that a great deal and we enjoyed being with them. Afterwards we went to the Edo-Tokyo Outdoor Architecture Museum. They also had a special exhibit for models and pictures of some of Studio Ghibli’s movies. It was a wonderful day and a good break from study.

We had our final class with the Ochanomizu church September 24. This will be the last time we would see many of them until next year’s visit (if the Lord wills). Each year of late it seems that someone we’ve grown to know and love dies so saying good bye is meaningful.

Meeting with school vice-principal

Brother and sister Obata escorted us to Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, where we did some work following the earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011 (Japan’s 311, three eleven). We jumped at the opportunity to revisit the area three and a half years after the disaster. We first visited the temporary housing complex where we had a barbecue for the residents in November 2011. I even played with one of the children that was so interested in our barbecuing techniques back then. His little sister was only a little more than a year old at the time.

Sitting in on meeting with Strakers

We also visited Jonathan and Michiko Straker who live in Ishinomaki and are working to help the community rebuild as well as to plant a church. Great strides have been made, but there are still several thousand living in temporary housing. There is also a great deal of work being done to level mountain tops and prepare level safer places for permanent dwellings. We revisited the city of Onagawa where our team worked three years ago. We also visited a school in Minami Sanriku that was heavily damaged, but all students and teachers were saved by quick thinking administrators. The school has been refurbished to provide escape paths to high ground as well as moving classrooms to the second floor. Brother and sister Obata were at the opening ceremonies for the school.

We’re all sinners, but there was One who was sinless (Heb 4:15-16).

After these two long days revisiting the areas struck by the disaster, we turned around and traveled to Tomobe to have an evangelistic meeting. Saturday evening a group of about twenty assembled with three of those being non-Christians. I spoke on why I became a Christian.

Meeting with the Tomobe church.

Then Sunday morning for worship I shared a lesson about Jesus healing the leper. Like leprousy, we are walking death because of sin and there is nothing we can do to heal ourselves. Jesus came to heal us, to save us, and restore us to a right relationship with the Creator God. Several appreciated the parables and examples I used to explain sin and God’s forgiveness.

New Shinkansen (Bullet Train) to Akita

The day following our work with the Tomobe congregation, we began our two week Japan Rail Pass. This is a very inexpensive way to travel to churches more distant from Tokyo. We traveled to Omika to speak in chapel at Ibaraki Christian University and to visit with the Noguchi family. They suffered a total loss of their house and possessions a year ago, but now have a new house. We also enjoyed playing ball with their two children.

Helping with homework?

While we have the pass we often travel to places of cultural and historical interest in between Sundays. This year we went to Akita which is about on the same latitude as New York City. This was the first evangelistic outreach by a missionary from the Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement. The Charles E. Garst and George T. Smith families moved to Akita in 1883 to plant a church. To their knowledge there had only been one other foreigner to visit the area before them. Imagine the novelty of having foreigners in your city and especially ladies with blonde hair.

They moved to Akita shortly after the Meiji Restoration which restored power to the Emperor from the Tokugawa Shogunate. There were only thirty-six miles of railroads at that time in Yokohama-Tokyo and Kobe-Kyoto. They traveled by ship up the east coast of Japan over the top and then down the west coast to the port which serviced Akita. It took a great deal of courage to do that. Mrs. Smith and one of their children died during their time in Akita. According to records, they were buried in a Buddhist cemetery (the only kind they had at the time). It makes you appreciate those who went before at great sacrifice.

Worship with the Mito church

On our next to the last Sunday on this trip, we traveled to Mito to meet with that congregation. It had been two years since we worshiped with them. Last year we exchanged our time with them to go to Okinawa for an evangelistic meeting with the Naha congregation.

The Mito church continues to exercise a positive influence in the community through their Agape Ministry helping the homeless. They have English Bible study twice a month with about seventy, many non-Christians, meeting to study the Bible in English. There is also a group of Assistant English Teachers from the U.S. who help with these English classes. They also have a Karate Club twice a month and several other avenues to reach out into the community. Joel Osborne is resident missionary working with Atsushi Tsuneki, the minister.

This brings you up to date on our activities through October 5. Our last week is upon us which brings with it a lot of mixed emotions – leaving Japan, being reunited with family in the U.S. Thanks again for your continued interest in our ministry and your support.

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On August 23, a group of students from Ibaraki Christian University along with some teachers, alumni and members of Mito Church of Christ and Omika Church of Christ helped put on the third annual festival at Kudama-Nishi Park (Panda Park) in Ishinomaki. Panda park in the Minato Kaduma area was renovated with the help of the Eastern Japan Disaster Relieve Committee and Be One Tohoku Aid after the disaster of March 2011. The festival was in danger of not being done this year due to changes in local community leadership, but at the last minute it was decided to make it happen. This last minute decision left Chad Huddleston and Be One in Ishinomaki with little time to put together a team to support it. However, with the support of Mito Church of Christ and Omika Church of Christ a team was put together to travel to Miyagi for the weekend. The team brought carnival games, made balloon animals with children, and just spent time relaxing and playing. Additionally, the team brought a therapy dog to spend time being cared for by the local children and adults at the festival.

The team from Ibaraki was able to add some extra energy to the mix at the festival, but what they received through the experience that weekend was even better. The five Ibaraki Christian University students were not believers in Christ, but they went with the leaders of the Be One house church for worship on the Sunday after the festival. During worship, one of the students was touched deeply by the Holy Spirit and began crying. One of the Be One team talked with her about her experience at the time, and her teachers in Ibaraki will continue to walk with her and pray for her to lead her toward a relationship with Christ. It is this kind of blessing that God lavishes on those who offer themselves in His work. Please pray for more of this work to be done.

– Patrick Stephens, Ibaraki Christian University teacher, Omika church member

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オーボエ・コンサートとかき氷で訪問。

８月２回目の東北支援は、今、ハンブルグで活躍しているＮさんのオーボエの演奏会という豪華版。午後１時に、開演でしたが、その前にすでに多くの人が待っていて、驚きました。実はＯＢＯＥは、殆どの人が知らない楽器ですから、人が集まらないのではと思っていたのです。なつき姉妹｛御茶ノ水教会員）は素晴らしＯＢＯＥ　演奏家になりました。１時開演というのに、早くから会場はいっぱい。Ｎさんは澄んだお声で、わかりやすく楽器の説明をされ、

アメージング・グレイス、トロイメライ、この道、故郷、歌の翼に、バッハのアダージョ、白鳥の湖から、そして夏の思い出をのびやかに演奏された。なつきさんに促されて、いくつかの曲は会場の皆さんも声をあわせた。

予報が外れて、気温が上がり、かき氷にはもってこいの日。みなさん、お代わりをして、わいわい、がやがや。用意した氷は２０ｋｇ、終わってから私たちもイチゴ、メロン、レモン、ハワイアンブルーの味を楽しんだ。やっぱり夏はかき氷！ 私たちの目的はコミュニティつくりのお手伝い。

帰りは福島と栃木で、前が見えないほどの大雷雨。幾重にもなって横に飛ぶ稲妻を初めて見た。ハンドルを握っていなければ、写真に撮ったところ。

 Oboe Concert and Shaved Ice Visit

This was our second visit to the Tohoku area in August to support the area. Natsuki-san, who is currently in Hamburg, gave a wonderful Oboe Concert. The concert began at 1 and we worried that very few would come. We were surprised that the place filled up. We thought that the oboe is not a well known instrument that few would come. Natsuki-san, who is a member of the Ochanomizu church of Christ in Tokyo, is a very accomplished musician and had a very good performance. Even though the concert began at one, the place filled up fast. Natsuki-san, with a very clear voice, gave an easily understood explanation for each piece she played.

She played Amazing Grace, Traumerei, Kono-michi, Furusato, On Wings of a Song, Adagio by J.S.Bach, and a piece from Swan Lake. It was a very comforting summer remembrance for all present. Natsuki-san was encouraged to join with the group to sing several songs.

In spite of the forecast, the temps rose that day and we brought shaved ice. Everyone had seconds and sat talking and enjoying being together. We brought 45 pounds of ice. Strawberry, melon, lemon, Hawaiian blue were the flavors and we enjoyed some at the end of our time together. After all, it’s summer and shave ice is good. Our goal is to try to build community.

On our return through Fukushima and Tochigi Prefectures, we encountered a severe thunderstorm. This was the first time I had seen horizontal lightning. If I did not have to hold on to the steering wheel, I would have taken some pictures.

Haruna Church of Christ Relief Team

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はるなキリストの教会チーム、小幡家族グループの石巻行き。２８－２９日と石巻を訪問し、ちょうど梅雨も明けた青空の下でかき氷のおもてなしをしてきました。孫たちも大きくなると、けっこう役に立ちました。仮設団地の世話役さんたちとは、すっかりいい友達になっていますから、彼らのお手伝いも大きいものがありました。ただ、残念なことは、ほとんどのいわゆるボランティア・グループは３月で引き揚げたそうです。はるな教会は、小さな教会ですが、精いっぱいこれからも続けられるように神様にお願いしています。

Haruna church of Christ team, Obata family group go to Ishinomaki. July 28-29 we visited Ishinomaki just as the rainy season ended and blue sky appeared. We hosted friends in Ishinomaki to shaved ice under blue skies. The grandchildren are getting bigger and are a good help. The managers of the temporary housing have become good friends and were a great help. It is sad but most of the volunteer groups withdrew in March. The Haruna church is small. But we ask God to help us continue with all our might.

昨日は日帰りで東松島の仮設住宅へご奉仕。Ｏ先生のヴァイオリンとヴィオラ、Ｎ先生のピアノ、それに夏の風物詩　イチゴ、メロン、ハワイアンブルーのかき氷。中学生のＹさんも初めて参加。ここでのコンサートは二回目。みなさんは実によい聴衆。演奏者も引き込まれて熱演。Ｙさんは、すっかり、おじいさんの氷屋さんの店員さんになって大活躍。お代わりもして、なお、氷が残ったので七ヶ浜のＩさんにお電話。近所に声をかけてくださるというので直行。かつては７５軒あった地域も津波後は閑散、子どもも全員集まったというが６名。短い時間ではありましたが、だからこそ中身の濃いお交わりをいただけました。Ｏ先生が大きな車を出してくださり、その上、運転もしてくださって、一足早く敬老の日を味わいました。疲れましたが、有り難い一日でした。

Yesterday, July 24, we made a round trip to the temporary housing project in Higashi Matsushima to minister to the residents. Miss O played the violin and viola. Miss N played the piano. We had strawberry, melon, and blue Hawaii shaved ice which is a summer time treat. Yumi, a junior high student, came for the first time.

This was our second concert. It was a very good audience. The performers were encouraged and gave a very enthusiastic performance. Yumi became like a member of a shaved ice stand and was a very big help.

There was some ice leftover so we called Mr. Itoh in Shichigaoka. He called around in the neighborhood and we served seventy-five houses. This area was washed away by the tsunami. All the children in the community came, six in all. In spite of the short time we were with them, we had a very good time of fellowship.

We went in Miss O’s big van. She also did the driving for which we are grateful. It felt like we were celebrating Respect for the Aged Holiday early. It was tiring, but a very grateful day.