For the kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, for he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God andapproved by men.” (Romans 14:17,18 NKJV)
The Japanese have a saying, “shokuyoku no aki,” which roughly translates into “Autumn’s Appetite” or perhaps, “An Appetite for Autumn”. Sendai, the largest city in the northern-most part (Tohoku) of Japan’s main island (Honshu), has a relatively cool climate. In the winter we see snow and in the summer the we only need to run the air conditioning for about three-four weeks. Autumn days, like spring, are crisp at times–quite the right weather for a hot cup of tea or a steaming bowl of soup. As the temperature drops the people of Sendai tend to think of food to help warm them in the cooler weather. On top of savoring the flavors of the season, residents of Sendai also relish in the warmth of sharing this “good food” alongside their “good friends”.
Thus is born the “imonikai”–a gathering held throughout Sendai in October and even a bit perhaps into November. At this gathering, folks sharing ”a common ground” (the same neighborhood, leisure spot, kids’ kindergarten, even a common shopping mall) meet together for food and fellowship. The main dish is boiled sweet potato in a soup broth. While some other cities boast of a savory soy sauce, beef-based “imoni”, Sendai’s speciality is a fermented soy bean paste (miso), pork base “imoni”. The warm soup, often prepared alongside skewered meats,fried noodles, and a cup of tea, juice or beer, is usually served out-of-doors with participants sitting on tarps on the ground. Get-togethers such as the “imonikai” offer Japanese yet another opportunity to ask those in their ”inner circle” or “group” to continue to treat them favorably and look out for them.
Please pray that the Japanese of Sendai, more than leaning on their fellow man, will turn their trust first to God. Jesus said, “No one is good but One, that is God.” (Luke 18:19b NKJV) Please pray for their hearts to hunger first and foremost for Him.
By Donna Qualls
A Word of Correction
Oops! I recently learned that the potato in the “imoni” of Sendai is not a “sweet potato” but actually a different variety of potato know in Japanese as a “satoimo” which I only had mistakenly translated as a “sweet potato”. “Sato” sounds like it has connection to the Japanese word for “sugar”; “imo” equals “potato” I believe. From our teacher’s explanation it seems that the “satoimo” is perhaps comparable to the American new potato.
Sorry for the misinformation. Please just take it as further indication as to our need of prayers for language acquisition as well as for evangelism and ministry efforts. Thank you to all who read this for your continued prayer and support. Also, an interesting sidenote–Japanese sweet potatoes, unlike the orange sweet potatoes we are accustomed to in the States, have a purplish skin with the inner meat a yellowish white color.