Kujūkuri

Kujūkuri Beach

is a small town of 18,000 people located on the Pacific Ocean side of the Chiba (Boso) Peninsula east of Tokyo. The town gets its name from the Kujukuri beach, Japan’s second longest beach.

The word “Kujūkuri” roughly translates into “ninety-nine “ri”, with “kujūku” meaning “ninety-nine” and “ri” being the name of an old unit of measurement equating to approximately 1,900 feet.

The name, “Kujukuri” reminds us of the parable of the Lost Sheep in the Bible. There were ninety-nine sheep in the fold and one out lost. The shepherd left the ninety-nine to look for the one. In Kujukuri there are ninety-nine souls still out of the fold ,still waiting to hear the Good News of the Shepherd who gave His life for them.

Commercial fishing and food processing, particularly sardine processing, are the primary industries of Kujukuri, although the town is primarily known as a beach resort. It is a favorite spot for surfers who drive from Tokyo metro and other areas to enjoy a day on the waves. In order to enjoy their “day at the beach” they may spend five or six hours on the road in a traffic jam. In spite of that, it attracts more than million tourists to its beaches each year.

Despite its popularity as a beach resort, Kujūkuri is not served by either railway or good highway connections. Efforts are underway to raise its profile including the completion of a toll road to improve the town’s accessibility and the opening of the Kujukuri Sardine Museum as a point of cultural interest.

In each season but winter, the beach is also the site for baptisms of new believers saved in the House Church Network in the Togane, Chiba area. The new believers celebrate over a meal at a beach shanty, eating grilled sardines and shell fish, as well as raw fish.

Prayer Starters:

•   Pray as people go fishing and surfing and enjoy the vast expanse of beach that they will have a hunger to know the God who made it all!
•   Pray that the people of Kujukuri will have an opportunity to hear the gospel and that soon ninety-nine out of a hundred will be in His fold.
•   Pray for thousands of believers from the area to hear the gospel, believe and follow the Lord in baptism at the beach.