W-CARP Japan Project 2013

A total of 6 members from around Europe spent 1 month in Japan, staying with CARP members, following the CARP schedule and meeting Japanese leaders and members.

Sung-joo spent 1 week with the program before leaving for Korea and being replaced with Daniel.

Christopher and Oliver stayed at a CARP centre in Hachioji, witnessing at Chuo and Tokyo Metropolitan University, and the others stayed at the Sosei CARP center witnessing at Waseda.

The first day kicked off with a visit to the Japanese national headquarters in Shibuya to attend Sunday Service. The group met with many second generation of different ages, Youth leaders and young second generation couple starting a family. They received a very warm welcome and spent time with the second generation of similar age after visiting the Meiji Shrine.

The group met and spent time with the new W-CARP Japan President, Mr. Obata. The group had an opportunity to ask questions to gain some insight into CARP as an organization and look at the activities CARP is involved with on a wider scale. The group visited Dr. Tanaka (Principal Doctor) and Yukari Okamura (Managing Director) at the Hospital. After some time spent with them and a tour of the hospital, the group visited the patients and staff and sang to them. The performance was well received. Oliver was asked to give a presentation on the activities and visions of the Youth UPF organization in Europe to a group of young, public minded University and CARP graduates lead by Mr. Matsuda, President of the Youth Federation. After another presentation, a fruitful discussion took place and the desire to form strong relationships between the European and Japanese Youth institutions.

The group received a presentation from the UPF Vice President Shusuke Uotani about the kidnapping of the Japanese members and the persecution of CARP members from their university. This was followed by Q&A’s with the vice president and one CARP member who experienced first hand discrimination from her university. The group met President and Mrs Song at the Japan HQ in Shibuya. This was an informal meeting with President Song to find how the group was managing. This was also an opportunity to ask President Song the difference between the Japanese church organization to the European organization, and what he would do to move Japan forward.

Lastly, the group met with 3 Japanese missionaries who went to Europe for a period of time and will be going again for True Mother’s recent direction to send missionaries to the providential countries. They were surprised to find that they had known some of the group’s parents.

During the team’s visit to Japan, they did some sightseeing. The visited the areas in and around Waseda University where True Father studied. They went to Hiroshima to visit the Peace Park, museum and Miyajima, staying with the CARP members there.

They then went to stay at the Kyoto CARP house for the remainder of the project. While there they visited many of the cultural sights around Kyoto.