Hi! Welcome back to Japan.
At Jesus Lifehouse Tokyo we have many returnees and a strong returnee community.
As our church is bilingual in English and Japanese, you’ll feel right at home and be able to make many new friends, without feeling reverse culture shock.
Please contact us if you would like more information.
Rumiko Oda
tokyo@jesuslifehouse.com
Returnee Stories
Rumiko Oda
When and where did you live overseas?
After graduating a high school in Japan, I entered a junior college in
Hawaii, then transferred to an University in Seattle. After graduating the
university, I started in working with a media company in San Francisco and
Los Angeles, broadcasting Japanese TV shows in the areas.
How was life in the USA?
While in University, I had to study really hard to catch up with homework
and exams. I studied the hardest in my life. Also, in big cities like where
I lived in US, there are people with different races are living together, so
it was great to get to know people who have different backgrounds and
cultures, and be friends and work with them. And it helped me to be more
open for those who are different in cultures, personalities and values. In
America, you are expected to have your own opinions and communicate it well
to people around you, so I was really trained in the area, too. Outside of
school or work, there are lots of parks and beaches for picnics, I liked
that there were lots of places you can go and have good fun without spending
much money.
When and why did you come back?
I came back to Japan in the spring of 2007. I was thinking to be a permanent
resident in America, so I was not thinking of coming back to Japan. But at
one point that I needed to apply for visa extension, I started to think as
‘ Do I really know about Japan? How can I become a true global citizen
without knowing much about my home country?’ Then, I started to think as
‘There should be more to learn and do in my home country’, so I decided to
come back to Japan and work for a few years. But as I moved, I started to
loving this country more, and now becoming to have a passion to make nation
better!
What was the biggest challenge coming back?
For me, it was the speed of how things are running and operated in Japan,
especially in Tokyo. In America, people had good balance of work and
enjoying life. But in Japan, the culture and expectation is build to work
long hours and provide speedy responses and services, and the lifestyle is
set around such a buy work environment.
How is life back in Japan?
After living 11 years in US, I was concerned about whether I could make
friends or get used to society and culture in Japan. But I got to know great
friends from church and work places, so my life has been really blessed with
job and relationships. I also got married in 2010 with a man who I met in
church, and am very excited about our new stage in our life!
How is community at Jesus Lifehouse Tokyo?
I became Christian in America, so I did not know any churches or Christian
friends in Japan. So, I was concerned if I could find a church for me or
find Christian to become friend with. But when I came to Jesus Lifehouse, I
felt it was perfect for me because it was very international, lots of young
people and returnees who had similar experiences in oversea. The church
services are in English-Japanese bilingual, got many foreigner friends to go
out with and serve together in church, and so I was always communicating in
English, and I did not feel much gap from the church I used to go and
environment I was in America. Though there were some challenges because I
was in a new environment after returning to Japan, and I could share my
journey with friends from church and was always encouraged and energized, so
I am so thankful that I have Jesus Lifehouse as my home church!