stories from japan
inside - I am currently studying in Japan and my Japanese friends here have given me inspiration to care more about people in fact me give me more meaning of what friendship is really all about.
outside - My recent trip to Atomic bomb museum in Hiroshima makes me appreciate how precious life is and how horrible the atomic bomb as a tools for war. It was so moving to see real life replica of people being destroyed by the atomic bomb.
future - I see a world where most things will be automated and electronic information highway will be the norms and computers will be more intelligent than they are today.

Anthony Tuiono <1996ic07@uitec.ac.jp>
Nukualofa, Tonga - Friday, December 20, 1996 at 01:32:09 (GMT)


inside - My relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. He's Awesome!
outside - Some of my friends were in the Kobe earthquake. None were injured at all, but afterwards the churches in Japan really pitched in with food, blankets, opening their homes etc... It was very inspiring, especially since the government was slow to respond.
future - Very much like it is now, with a dichotomy between the "sub-culture" which is into Sex, Drugs, Rock & Roll (hedonism), and those who have been saved from that life by God. I predict that it will become harder and harder for the "average" person to believe that he is a "good" person as society degenerates more and more into hedonism. At the same time the Christian church will become more and more an example of what life should be. This can be seen in the recent public humiliations of various Christian leaders (e.g., Baker, Swaggart). God is going to expose those kinds of leaders and "clean house". As it is written in the Bible, the church will be "a light to the nations", "a city set on a hill", and people will come from far and wide for help and enlightenment.

Ray Mercer <raymer@macnica.co.jp>
Yokohama, Japan - Tuesday, December 10, 1996 at 00:41:18 (GMT)


inside - Recently, I moved to Chicago after living in Osaka Japan for nearly 6 years. I never felt that Osaka was home. I never felt entirely comfortable. Early on, I complained a lot about my life there and how things were so backward, so different. When I finally moved back to North American soil, I never expected I would find myself feeling Culture Shocked. I wasnt prepared for it. I thought I was returning to a place where, as a consumer, I would be better off. I was wrong. In Japan, people and companies dedicate their existence to services. They follow-up. Theyre on time. A professional trans-pacific moving company sent a Japanese moving company to my house in Japan. They were fast, efficient, on-time. They removed their shoes before coming in the house. They disconnected light fixtures. They undid plumbing to my washing machine and my refrigerator. They were courteous and profes- sional and went out of their way to help out. When the American company came to my house in Chicago, they were 4 hours late. One guy was drunk. It was raining outside, so I asked one of the guys to remove his shoes and accept the boxes at the door. He refused saying that it was an employee regulation to keep his shoes on. I asked them to cover my carpets so the mud wouldnt be tracked in. They didnt have anything like that. When I asked about installing the light fixures and the washing machine, they said that wasnt their job. That was my first experience as a consumer here in the U.S.A. and since then, Ive come to the conclusion that American companies dont care about consumer services. Bottom line is that Services are strickly a liability on the balance sheet. My coworkers told me that I expected too much. That, I should try to get used to it. But now that I work in a Services position, I would not think of anything less than what those Japanese movers did for me. They inspired me. They made me feel as though I should not expect anything less. I guess Im lucky. Ive had the experience in which I can look at life in America against another standard. So when my co-workers say, Just accept it, I find that difficult. Maybe some would say Ive got the Grass is always greener ... syndrome. I guess my reply to that is to keep an open mind. Never expect anything less that what you feel you deserve.
outside - Having been away from North America so long, I had forgotten about what its like to be in the midst of Christmas. The house decorations, hot cider, the kids visiting Santa at the Mall, and the crazy Christmas Shopping!! I'm trying to decide whether I can get attached to the spirit of it again. I'm confused as to which Icon I should support. The Birth of Jesus Christ, Santa Claus, or the Businessmen who get rich from this holiday. I wonder how confused other people are? A radio station in Chicago is having a Christmas party which features a pornographic movie and several on- stage performances by porn stars. When I was a kid I thought I knew what Christmas meant. I guess I'm not sure anymore.
future - The Open Community. On-Line. We'll work from our houses. We'll work for companies that don't have offices. Houses won't be made from wood - they'll be made of biodegradeable plastic. People won't want to buy new houses. Houses more than 20 years old will be replaced (wood from the old houses will be sold at premium prices). We won't have cars anymore. Transportation services will be run by specialized companies since the costs to own the high speed vehicles will be too much for one individual to own. Mass transit will be more feasible worldwide since the population will have doubled at least twice. People will wear a cellular earplug as their personal communication tool 24 hrs a day. "Phone" booths will be used to patch into video conference and to interface to their personal message centers. The world will be one culture. Your friends will be every where. There will be one currency. The United nations will rule as the One Government. Your food will be reprocessed. Your pets will be electronic or created by Genetic Designers. By then - genetics will have been mapped and doctors will be using it as a tool for curing major diseases like cancer. There will be peripherals attached to your computer at home that will allow you to order and receive a Coca Cola over the internet. The record for the Men's 100 Meter Dash will just under 8 seconds. Minumum wage in the U.S. will be $150 per hour. There will be dangers too. There will too many people. Too many religions. Too many beauracracies all co-locating together too close for comfort. The world will be in a delicate balance.

J. Troy Tinnes <tinnes@cig.nml.mot.com>
Osaka, Japan - Monday, December 09, 1996 at 23:26:50 (GMT)


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