finding christmas found churches : December 25 2024

it has been a while since i posted a picture of tokyo sky tree in my feed, it is not that it got transferred or ceased to exist, it has always been there. but going close to sky tree means that i will be going across rivers, and in this winter season, i just don't want to cross rivers, it is colder over there. anyways, this entry is not about the sky tree although i went close by, but i do want to start with this picture because it is just pretty.

christmas in japan is very much a normal work day, let me start with that. there was a time when december 24th was a holiday for it was the emperor's birthday, but then the emperor has changed and so the holiday on the 24th also vanished. i honestly did not feel that it was christmas on the 25th, sadly. and to at least feel some christmas essence, this nightwalker decided to visit nearby churches. christmas is a christian celebration to begin with, so might as well have some sort of a pilgrimage to churches where christmas truly has some meaning.

ueno catholic church

this is not the closest church to home, but this happened to be on the right path for this nightwalker to visit as many churches as possible. i was born a christian catholic and churches in a predominantly catholic country like the philippines have this big airy feel: the hot climate played a huge part of that. this church looks more like a stoic building: of course looks shouldn't matter.

based on their website, the church started as a medical relief operation on december of 1945. it was after the world war and much of tokyo was destroyed from the air raids. the founding priest saw the devastation and decided to have a mobile clinic with the help of sisters and nuns from a hospital. a clinic and a nursery was built on this same spot and the congregation was recognized as a separate parish in 1954. the current church was finally built in 1961 and has continued operation till this day.

the church holds mass in japanese and chinese, check their website in here for more info.

this is a church established from humble yet meaningful beginnings, a deeply rooted history of service, a beacon of hope in those trying times. the christmas decors outside were also minimalists with the star of bethlehem guiding the believers inside. i would have wanted to go in but i still had a long way to travel.

kanda christ church

i continued the nightwalk towards akihabara, this place is awfully familiar to me but i did not realize that there was a church in this area. it was a church indeed but not in the branch of christianity i grew up with. this one was anglican, a branch of christianity born from or after the protestant reformation of the 16th century in britain.

from their website here, the church was established at 1877. it got destroyed in the great kanto earthquake and was even burnt down during the world war. and in each times of those destructions, the congregation rebuilt the church. the current church building was completed in 1991.

for christmas, they lighted the plants outside and had a christmas tree was the only thing i could see. as this was an anglican church, i really have no idea what the inside looks like.

side musings

since i am in akihabara where things can get more crazy than usual, and this is japan where people are quite insensitive to religion, i don't know what on earth the shop owner was thinking when he decided to post this last supper depiction with cats as faces. i don't get offended for i believe in freedom of expression but this is totally unnecessary.

i also happened to overhear the conversation of a couple where the man carried the woman's bag and the woman was clearly surprised and taken aback by the sudden gesture. the man then said in japanese something like, "merry christmas is for the welfare of the ladies". most of japan really has no clue.

st. paul - catholic asakusa church

now this church had the most christmas decor on the outside so far. this also had the most garden area suitable for a display. the nativity scene, depictions of the birth of Jesus in a manger in bethlehem. sorry, i was a bit far but i am sure that it was the nativity scene.

sadly this church had no independent website, but i found some readings in the archdiocese of tokyo website itself pertaining to this church. in 1613, the tokugawa shogunate enforced a law forbidding christianity and the asakusa area was witness to a number of christian persecutions on that same year. by 1862, japan and france had a treaty and the sea ports of edo were opened to foreign ships. french missionaries came as well but were mainly catering to foreign nationals as the law of christian persecutions has not yet been lifted not until 1873. on 1877, through the efforts of the newly baptized, this church was established.

the church continued to exist even in the most difficult of times. they hold japanese sunday masses and an english one every 3rd sunday of the month.

asakusa st. john church

now this next church is rather solid! i mean look at that structure, it is robust with thick walls. this church is another anglican church.

their website mentions that the church was established in 1876 originally as a lecture hall. the church aims to be a "children's church", and much understandably as the area it is at is a toy selling district. in further research, the church building is regarded as a tangible cultural property. now i wonder what it looks like inside. i can see a christmas tree at least. but i think due to its very close proximity to the road, it is much harder to decorate.

honjo catholic church

this church had a statue of mary carrying jesus just outside the gates, it was closed the moment i arrived. and i was even planning to enter this church as i was walking towards it. from outside, christmas lights were the main decors and the star of bethlehem is again present.

from their website, the church was dedicated to the 26 martyrs executed on 1597 in nagasaki. established on 1879, this is the forth oldest parish in tokyo prefecture. according to the written history, french missionaries originally headed the church and it fell victim to the people's discontent at that time against foreign policies. at a riot in 1905, it was burnt down together with private houses of church members in the honjo area. peace returned after a japanese priest was assigned head of the church. it was also destroyed during the great kanto earthquake and in the world war, but was always restored with the help of the community members of the church.

this church seemed to be proof that anything is possible with unity between the heads and the masses.

mikawashima catholic church

this church is closest to home, but unfortunately they only hold mass in japanese. this too had a star, by this time it is very clear that a star is a necessary decoration in catholic churches during christmas. it is but fitting, based on my memory of the bible, a bright star signaled the birth of Jesus and it was this star that led the wise men to his birthplace. the star is quite significant in christian christmas traditions.

as for this church, it was established in 1933 when the archbishop of tokyo invited the salesians to work in the district of mikawashimass. there where many small factories and small houses with many children in the area at that time and that is just fit for the salesians' mission. salesian is a catholic religious congregation devoted to the christian education of youth, especially the less privileged. you can check all of this from their website.

this finally explained the statue of st. don bosco (the founder of salesian society) just outside the church entrance.

this nightwalk was longer than usual. but i guess it is my way of finding sense in a land where christmas holds more meaning to lovers. christmas will forever mean love and hope to me.

as always, stay safe!
AMPING KANUNAY!

and merry christmas! MALIPAYONG PASKO!

_{all content is by yours truly unless otherwise specified}

^{all photos are taken with a galaxy s23 ultra}

This report was published via Actifit app (Android | iOS). Check out the original version here on actifit.io

25/12/2024

20778

Chasing Pokemons, Photowalking, Walking

Height 168.0 cm		Weight 70.7 kg		Body Fat 19.9 %
Waist cm		Thighs cm		Chest cm