Tempozan Area - Home for Now

(Osaka Aquarium is famous for its two huge whales. The Giant Ferris Wheel is also a big attraction and the Tempozan Market has lots of shops and a food court too. They're a 5-minute walk from where we're staying so we like to take walks there when we can.)

This is the area where God has led us to stay for 28 days. It's at the very end of the green Chuo line (Osakako subway station) and is home to the Osaka Aquarium, the Giant Ferris Wheel, home to many Japanese, and a surprisingly large population of foreigners. There are at least a few in our building alone and it's not so uncommon to see foreigners at the station, walking or cycling around the area.

The day after we arrived, we met a Korean-Japanese gentleman who owns a Korean merchandise shop at the big market we go to. He told us how to get to Korea Town (Tsuruhashi subway station) and since then, we've dropped by for a chat almost every time we go to the market. Last time, he said that he was praying for us, which surprised me 'cause he told us that his grandmother's Christian so he attended church when he was a kid but hasn't been since. Today, he said (amongst other things) that God is going to punish humans for making things like airplanes ('cause we're not supposed to fly) and the internet, like He did with Noah and his Ark. He then joked and said that us four (three Ohs plus him) were going to be the only ones saved. I have no clue why he thinks that or said that but every time, something new comes up and we seem to get a bit deeper. He told us that there are lots of red neon crosses in the Tsuruhashi / Minami area as there are lots of Korean churches and Korean residents in that area. He said that there are also a lot of drinking parlors with Korean and Chinese women (providing a particular service) in them - no Japanese women - and that after a few drinks you can't tell whether you're in Japan or Korea. He said that the men go there during the week to drink and then go to church on Sunday and pray...

Please pray for us as we continue to visit him in his shop and speak to him about a variety of issues. I believe that God's placed us here and made our paths cross for a reason.