[raminaka]

I am fortunate to tell you that is NOT true. I am married to a Japanese for almost 5yrs now. We have a child together and I have been Japan 2x's and will be going back in the spring. My husband's family and we are Christians. They go to church. YES they have churches there. I saw inthe summer a Roman Catholic church, I was so shocked... that was in Atame, (where the Big Buddha is. Very Beatiful place to see. The lotus flowers on the pond looks like giant lily pads)...anyways...My inlaws are Christians. They are Lutherans', which is a split between protestants and Catholic, (more so protestants). Japan is really beautiful to see. I have been to Kyoto, Nagahama, Asakusa, Ginza, Tokyo, Chiba,(where my family lives), Odaiba, which is beautiful to see at nighttime. Its like a carnival lit up. The ferris wheel is all lit up and changes different colors, the gondolas boats on the water are outlined with lights too. They have a nostalgia time period where the Tokyo Tower was built and you can see it in different stages of the building times.. It is very nice to see. We are going back in the spring break of March 28th-April 6th,2008 for a week. We are going to see cherry blossoms, which is a huge thing to see in Japan. I love the scenry in Japan. My grandparents my marriage are there and even though they have been in invited to know CHrist, they simply deny our faith, they are still in Buddha/shintoism, yet they wear the modern day clothes and not kimonos. Kimonos are coming backin style for young girls, even the wooden thongs are coming back, and they are very uncomfortable believ eyou me. I tried on a pair and theya re very narrow and short... the old style anyways. I have a few kimonos here tha my husband's grandparents,-hiro ojisan/hiro-obasan...I think or it may be "hito".. I forget... they gacve the real Japanese silk for our daughter to have and some comoon cotton ones as well. They wrapped me up in one in the summer of this yr after the Tropical Storm came through, and i was still a bit warm in it.. I felt like I had a gurney on me, I caouldnt breathe... poossibly because I am not as thin as I once was.. hahaha. Sorry for so long... hope you enjoyed...