Furlough Season

 

Is it weird to be back in the USA? How are your children doing? These are questions that we often hear since we have returned from Japan about two months ago now on a new furlough. Since originally going to Japan this is our third furlough return as a family since going on the field to do ministry many years ago. We try to stay in Japan for four years and come back to the USA for one year in cycles. It is not a requirement, just a decision that we made on how to do ministry. The last time we were in the USA was during the Covid season, so our furlough season was shortened as we were not able to meet many of our supporting churches! However, this time we will be in the USA for almost a full year to intentionally visit churches and people across the land.

Why even have a furlough? Furlough is the season for a missionary when they return to their native country to see family, report to churches, and rest. Mission agencies found that it is highly beneficial for long-term stability, even if a missionary does not seem to see its value. Even in modern times with constant connectivity on the internet it is important to invest actual furlough seasons. It is crucial for the missionary to have time to come back to his native land, be encouraged, raise additional support, see family, go to church, have important fellowship, minister to others, know his sending churches, encourage others to follow God's calling onto the mission field, and understand how his native country has changed. The fields are white, but laborers are few as Jesus said. Missionaries can greatly impact the local church for the cause of global missions in being used of God to inspire people to serve. What about other reasons?

For the Missionary child it is very important to take a furlough. For missionary children it is especially important to understand where they come from, what enables a missionary to do his work, what his home culture is, and what his identity is. Often times missionary children have a hard time in life understanding who they are, or what they are supposed to do. Are they called to the field as well? There are many sad stories about these children and their life struggles. Often times they can become entitled when people give them many gifts or they develop a victim mentality when people feel sorry for them for 'having to live overseas without a choice'. They need to develop an important biblical understanding of identity and balance in life in order to prepare for their future. So, the next time that you see a missionary child at your church, take some time to listen to them and talk with them. They will be grateful!

So, is it weird to be back in the USA? Short answer: Yes. Japan is the opposite of the USA in every way. However, it is also very comforting to be in the USA. We enjoy the freedom here, the peace, the graceful people, the common language, the nature, and the food. At the beginning of a furlough there is a honeymoon stage in which everything is wonderful. At this point in our journey we are at that stage. However, as time goes on that will change as we begin to think back to our ministry in Japan and the people there more frequently. There will be struggles to adjust in the USA as we see changes in churches, family, and friends – perhaps even deaths of loved ones. Finally, during the last stage, we will learn to continue on and be ready to journey back on the field Lord willing. Furlough season is a blessing from God for international ministries. We are glad to come and serve wherever we are at. We are thankful to God and the people who make that possible.   

Japan's Abandoned Houses: Akiya

 

For the past few years social media outlets have been quick to share the news about Japan's abandoned houses known as Akiya. I have had a few people contact me about them since I have been living in Japan, so I decided that it is finally time to write about it. It is said that there are upwards of 9 million potential Akiya homes throughout Japan. How is this possible? It is said that due to Japan's continual population decline as well as increased desire to leave small towns in search of a better life in the city that Japan's Akiya numbers have skyrocketed. Even now it is not uncommon to find large abandoned houses for sale at rock bottom prices throughout Japan. Websites like Akiyabanks have been setup to find these places rapidly. How is this scenario even possible?

In Japan the general mindset concerning housing is that it is simply for living, not necessarily a long-term investment. In America before the various housing booms of the 1990s housing was also generally considered a place to live as opposed to an investment. Later when house flipping and speculation became the norm house prices began to rise dramatically. However in Japan the mindset was far different. Due to factors such as stagnant wages, low availability of quality housing materials, and an environment of continual natural disasters houses were used for short periods of time and changed out for relatively low prices. A house was expected to last 20 to 30 years, not a lifetime. In Japan in general the value of houses decline over time, while land tends to increase in value. So, when family passes away and their old houses were ready to go to the next generation, the heirs generally decide to let them foreclose rather than pay off huge inheritance taxes and the costs necessary to update these home. Because of this many millions of homes just sat for years and broke down into their current conditions. Japanese people would rather demolish an old house and start over than go through all of the headaches and expenses of updating an old house. Most Japanese do not have the time or resources to do this. This is why it is very common to see an old house in a Japanese neighborhood torn down rather than renovated. But, what if you did want to buy that old Akiya?

In general with Japan's highly bureaucratic nature it is not exactly easy to take over an abandoned house and fix it up, but it can be done. You do not necessarily have to be a resident to buy property in Japan, but it will be almost impossible to get it financed in Japan. It will have to be paid 100% with cash. Getting that amount of cash into Japan will require a Japanese bank account which requires some form of residency unless you can somehow do a transfer overseas with special resources which will incur more expenses. Legal issues over the ownership of the house will need to be settled which could potentially be a very lengthy and expensive process. Rather than deal with an old house, most people would prefer to let the houses fade into obscurity. Many of these houses also have issues with mold, termites, foundational cracks, or roof issues, which will require specialized skills and knowledge of the resources available in Japan to fix them. These projects can easily go into the tens of thousands of dollars or more to do. Old housing material is potentially not easily disposed and must be categorized and disposed properly by the proper people which can also potentially be costly. Once renovated, the house will need to pass modern inspections which will require many potential extra costs as well as more potential bureaucratic difficulties. Some houses may not even be legally rebuilt! All of these factors can be difficult given that many of these houses are in very rural areas in which it is difficult to get anything done in a timely manner let alone find a contractor willing to help. Even if you are able to successfully navigate all of these factors many areas will require you to live in the house full time as a resident for a certain period of time which will require a longer-term visa.

With all of that being said there are those who are able to find a few of these houses that are profitable. Some house flippers from the West with certain knowledge of Japan have been able to renovate these houses and turn them into AirBNB rentals successfully. This has caused tension with native Japanese. Many Japanese neighborhoods do no appreciate houses being turned into AirBNB rentals that bring noisy obnoxious foreign visitors, but would much rather that they remain an old abandoned house. Public pressure is mounting against AirBNB rentals in general. In recent times Japanese officials have begun to crack down on these investors, making it more and more difficult to become profitable or even doable. It seems as if the days of flipping Akiyas may be coming to an end. However, if you are interested in living in Japan long-term in a rural area an Akiya may be a good option if you are willing to jump through all of the various hoops!

As a missionary living in Japan for many years to me the Akiya itself is a foreboding reflection of the continual rapid population decline issue in Japan. Like the Akiya, many elderly people are ignored, dying alone in obscurity with no care. Now upwards to 30% of the population is in retirement age with no real solutions to increase the population. These modern problems do not seem to have any reasonable Japanese solutions. Rather than deal with the issues most Japanese people seem to be content with letting things decline slowly just like the Akiya, and even make it increasingly difficult for those who try to go against the system to make helpful changes. However, only by facing issues directly can they be resolved. This is how Jesus dealt with the issues of his day. Even now Jesus is working on the hearts and minds of many Japanese people. By making peace with the creator, Jesus Christ, the Japanese people can truly find the societal revitalization that they will need to move forward as a people, not fade into obscurity like the Akiya.