Webmaster Note: Some RMs are curious to know what has changed in Japan and in the mission since they served. My observations on this subject follow. I served 1974-76, right when the mission was first established. I've been lucky enough to have returned to Japan over 20 times since. If you have suggestions or additions for this section, feel free to submit them in a 'Comments' entry. There are two subsections, General Observations and Missionary Life.

General Observations
Fast Food, Convenience Stores, Mega-stores and Yakiimo
As missionaries in Touhoku in 1974-76, we all looked forward to going to Sendai, which was the only city with any American fast food outlets. Sendai had one Dairy Queen and one Shakey's Pizza--that's it. Nowadays, there are McDonalds in nearly every mission city. 7-11 moved into Touhoku around 1975, and now seem to be everywhere. Some cities have Circle K stores. Numerous Japanese convenience stores have also sprung up everywhere--Lawson Station and Daily Store to name a few. The convenience stores (konbini) operate very similarly to ones in America, but don't sell gasoline and do sell very Nihon- teki stuff like sushi, ika, oden and obentou. Even some train stations now have convenience stores inside or on train platforms. Mostly young people work in the convenience stores, so the days of chatting with the obaasan at the disappearing mom-and-pop corner stores are becoming few and far between. Nowadays you also see more and more big US-type mega-stores for food, music, home improvements, electronics etc. These superstores have huge parking lots, something unfathomable in 1974. (See discussion in Missionary Life section below about current mission rules regarding convenience stores.)

Remember the hand carts plying the streets with fresh vegetables, manjuu (nikuman), and such? Don't see many of those anymore. In the winter, hot sweet potato (yakiimo) vendor carts were also plentiful back in "old" Japan. Yakiimo vendors are still around, but instead they drive small trucks around with loudspeakers touting their "YAKI--I--MO-----" for sale, like the pied piper or the ice cream man on a hot summer day.

Trains, Planes, and Automobiles
Touhoku Shinkansen. Back in the 1970s a favorite subject of conversation was the construction of the Touhoku Shinkansen, which everyone complained was taking forever to build. After at least 11 years of construction, it finally began operating between the Tokyo area and Morioka in the middle of Touhoku in June 1982. The train whisks you from the center of Tokyo to the Sendai eki (station) in as little as one hour and 36 minutes at maximum speeds of 275 km/hr (170 mph) as compared to about four hours on Tokkyuu of old. An extension of the Shinkansen north from Morioka to Hachinohe began operating in December 2002. The extension to Aomori began operations in December 2010. Trains on the Touhoku Shinkansen are named, from fastest (fewest stops) to slowest (most stops), "Hayabusa," "Hayate," "Yamabiko" and "Nasuno." "Hayabusa" service made its debut in March 2011 to Aomori, and features the new E5 model of Shinkansen, which has, for the first time in Japan, three classes: regular, green car and a new addition, "gran class," which is truly first class (whereas green car is a just a small incremental improvement over regular class). Since its debut in 2011, the E5 model equipment, which is green in color, has also gradually been incorporated on certain Hayate and Yamabiko trains. Some bullet train cars were double-deckered in the 1990s and 2000s, but JR East has phased those out in the 2010s, except for on the Joetsu Shinkansen, which serves Niigata. In the old days all trains headed for Tokyo ended at Ueno station, but in 1991, Touhoku Shinkansen service was extended past Ueno all the way to Tokyo station. Here's a Wikipedia article on Shinkansen. The Seikan Tunnel now joins Aomori and Hokkaidou's southern city of Hakodate, replacing the renraku sen ferries that once linked those cities. Here's a Wikipedia's article on the tunnel, and JR Hokkaido's diagrams. The tunnel, which opened in 1988, is the world's longest railway tunnel at 53.85 kilometers. By about 2016, construction on the Touhoku Shinkansen extension is expected to be complete past Aomori through the tunnel to Hakodate.

The Yamagata Shinkansen and Akita Shinkansen were completed in 1992 and 1997, using trains called "Tsubasa" and "Komachi," respectively. These bullet trains start in Tokyo, coupled to a Touhoku Shinkansen, then split off at Fukushima and Morioka, respectively, to ride conventional tracks (not elevated) at slower speeds (130 km/hr (80 mph) max) for Yamagata and Akita. The Yamagata Shinkansen was extended further north to Shinjou in March 2000. Another change brought about by the "Shink" is that large, multistory station buildings, most with integrated department stores and hotels, have replaced the smaller eki of old.

What about Tokkyuu and Kyuukou? The old limited express trains (tokkyuu)--virtually unchanged in 30 years--still run the non- bullet routes, such as the Jouban-sen (Iwaki), and along the Japan Sea Coast (Niigata>Sakata>Akita>Aomori). Some newer model tokkyuu limited express "Tokkyuu" trains such as "Su Pa Hitachi" and "Tsugaru" still run along the non-Shinkansen Jouban and Ou lines, respectively. The old tokkyuu name of Hatsukari was retired when the Shinkansen was completed through to Hachinohe. Kyuukou (express) trains that were used a lot by for inter-city travel by missionaries in the 1970s have virtually disappeared with the arrival of the Shinkansen. As discussed in the Missionary Life section below, most missionary transfers now utilize intercity highway busses.

Subways started operating in the city of Sendai in July 1987 after four years of construction. There is currently one line, the Nanboku-sen (South-North line), which runs from Izumi on the north to just south of Nagamachi. Here's a map. An East -West line is planned and is expected to be in operation by 2015, and will include a stop near the Sendai Mission home in front of the zoo. As for automobiles, there are a lot more of them, and more high-speed toll roads (kousokudouro) abound.

No Smoking?! In the 1970s, train rides meant inhaling copious amounts of second-hand cigarette smoke, especially in winter, when windows were shut tight. I remember grossing myself out after a long, smoky train ride by looking at the soot in my handkerchief after blowing my nose. Oh!!! Luckily, nowadays all local trains are completely non-smoking, and reserved seat, long distance trains such as tokkyuu and Shinkansen rarely have smoking cars. Stations even have "smoking corners."

Narita Airport Equally controversial "back then" was the long -delayed construction of the New Tokyo International Airport located over an hour outside of Tokyo in Narita, which finally opened in 1978 with one runway. We all arrived in and departed from Haneda Airport, which still exists but is now used for only domestic flights. In April 2002, a second smaller runway finally opened at Narita--those rice farmers are still holding out! I learned on a recent visit that newly arriving missionaries from the U.S. to Sendai for years were routed by air through such bizarre places as Seoul, Sapporo, Nagoya, and Osaka. Recently however, the more logical Narita to Tokyo by train, then Shinkansen to Sendai method has evidently been adopted. Haneda Airport reopened in 2010 for nighttime only international flights.

Missionary Life
Apartments In the early days of the mission, nearly all missionaries lived right in the rented building that also served as the church--some were residential homes and some were more industrial-type buildings with living quarters included. The exception to this was sister missionaries, who typically lived in apartments. Sometime ago, perhaps in the late 1980s, evidently a decision was made to move all missionaries into apartments separate from the church buildings. In fact, even the elders quarters building behind the Sendai Kamisugi chapel no longer houses missionaries, but is used for other activities.

Neighborhood Public Baths (FUD) I am sad to report that the honored and revered Japanese missionary tradition of the neighborhood public baths, or FUD (sentou) was for many years not allowed by Sendai mission rules. These were a necessity in the old days when frozen pipes or cold water temperatures limited the effectiveness of our makeshift showers. If there is one Japanese custom that missionaries adopted with relish in the old days, this was it. I remember well my first trip to a neighborhood Fud, being escorted there on a frigid December evening in Akita, feeling toasty warm afterwards and sleeping like a baby. Kimochi yokatta!! Sentou can still be found, but have dwindled in numbers as in-home o-furo and plumbing have improved. Onsen, the mountain natural hot spring resorts, are as popular as ever. In volcanic Japan, there are thousands of onsen, and some in Touhoku are considered among the best and most traditional in Japan. On a visit to Japan in the early 2000s, it was both interesting and to me, disappointing, to hear perceptions of onsen and sentou in the minds of current gaijin missionaries--they had no real desire to go, even if they could, due to perceptions on the "gross" end of the scale. Since, in my opinion, Japanese bathing is such a part of the culture, I was pleased to hear in 2011 that rules against onsen visits were softened a bit. (I welcome first-hand confirmation information on this topic via a 'Comments' entry).

Bennies, Sekiyu Stoves and other conveniences Municipal sewer systems and flush SITTER toilets could only be found at the Sendai Kamisugi building, where about six or eight elders lived in the quarters behind the meeting house, and at some shimai apartments. All other living quarters had squatter toilets that needed to be pumped out by BENNY TRUCKS. Talk about REEKIN'!!! Most, if not all, current missionary apartments are hooked to municipal sewer systems (suisen benjou), and also include electric clothes dryers. I guess the days of clotheslines strung with ghostly wares throughout the missionary living quarters are gone! We used sekiyu (kerosene) stoves to heat our living quarters. Sekiyu stoves are still used, but some apartments have electric heat. Some apartments have fax machines to receive communications from the hombu.

Updated Scriptures!? When I attended church in Japan in 1996 for the first time in about 15 years, I thought I heard mistakes during the blessing of the sacrament! Expecting to hear phrases like, "...no mina ni yorite negai tate matsuru," I heard instead more contemporary corresponding wording: "...no mina ni yotte anata ni negai motomemasu." An updated translation of LDS scriptures to more contemporary Japanese language was completed in 1995. Now named Morumon Sho instead of Kei, the updated translation used as a base the inspired translation by Sato Tatsui that was completed soon after World War II and that used the more formal, classical Japanese that was more understood at the time. The simplification of the written Japanese language since World War II has increased general literacy in Japan, but it left new generations studying LDS scriptures at a disadvantage. Here's an article that appeared in the LDS Church News on the subject.

Updated Church Unit Terms I also noticed on recent visits that church unit terminology has been simplified. Instead of Wa-dobu and Sutei-kibu for Ward and Stake, the "bu" has been dropped, and Stake is now pronounced Suteikku instead of the sirloin sounding previous term. The term yu-ni tto for "unit" has also been adopted. Some church units in the mission (e.g., Kitakami branch) have adopted two-hour Basic Unit meeting schedules until sufficient numbers of members are present to organize priesthood quorums and some auxiliary organizations.

Updated Church Leader Terminology In September 2006, church leadership terms were changed as follows: Kantoku -> bishopu; Kantokukai -> bishopurikku, Shibuchou -> shibukaichou, Chihoubuchou -> chihoubukaichou, Dendoubuchou -> dendoubukaichou, Shindenchou -> shindenkaichou. Counselors are no longer Fuku- but -komon, eg. shibu kaichoukai dai- ichi komon. When addressing leaders, use -kaichou, eg. “Tanaka kaichou.” The same convention is used for Branch, District, Stake, Mission, and Temple presidents. For bishops, “Tanaka bishopu.“ Counselors in the Branch Presidency and Bishopric are referred to as Kyoudai. Counselors in the District, Stake, Mission, and Temple Presidencies are now referred to as Kaichou, which corresponds to the English President. The President of the church is still Monson Daikanchou, but his counselors will now be called Eyring Kanchou (daikanchoukai dai-ichi komon) & Uchtdorf Kanchou (dai-ni komon). My impression after talking to several members in Japan about the updated terminology is that they are generally pleased with the changes. Bishoppu and Bishoprikku are a little foreign, however.

Bicycles Now this is going to sound like one of those "when I was a kid, I walked two miles to school in the snow" stories but it's true. We MORAU'D bikes. Yep. While one was going house to house one kept one's eyes open for abandoned bikes. After the door approach, one could say they noticed the bike and one would offer to buy it from the owner. "Buy it!!!," they'd say, "I'll give it to you if you'll take it away!" Of course we spent quite a bit of time repairing and cannibalizing bikes, but that's the way it was done. Before the Mission's first president, President Teruya's mission term ended in 1977, I understand a bike purchase program began, and now each missionary buys a nice mountain bike and sports a helmet.

Language Aptitude Another observation--a great number of the missionaries currently being called to Japan have studied Japanese prior to their missions!!! Since the language aptitude test that we took when turning in our mission papers was discontinued, there seems to be more screening to see which potential missionaries have had experience with Japanese in some way. Since very few high schools in Utah offer Japanese classes, Utahns seem to be more rare.

Transfers We were reimbursed by the hombu for kyuukou (express) train travel between transfer cities. All transfers were by train. (Except for maybe the legendary David Latimer motorcycle trip!) and we were allowed to ride trains alone during transfers. Nowadays, nearly all transfers and ZL visits are by means of intercity highway bus, since roads have improved, and Shinkansen service is too expensive and kyuukou service no longer exists where Shinkansen service does. Many transfers are centered at Sendai's downtown Bus Stop 40--the infamous (among missionaries) intercity bus stop where missionaries transferring pass through to meet and pick up their new companions, exchange cell phones, and go to their new areas.

Two-man Branches, Shimais, Fufu, and Native Missionaries When the mission was formed in 1974, large groups of missionaries were called to Sendai. I think my group (October 1974) was one of the largest in those early years, with 11, including 1 Nihonjin. Most areas had four missionaries, and many had six. The cities where I served that were roku-nin branches (at least for a period of time) included Akita, Hachinohe and Iwaki. The headcount of missionaries in the mission reached a low of just over 50 around mid-2011, just after the Daishinsai (Great Earthquake Disaster). Obviously, as fewer missionaries were available to serve, most mission areas seemed to have only two missionaries and many smaller areas were temporarily closed. Retired fufu (couple) missionaries, something we never even conceived of back in the 1970s, are now more numerous and their numbers are increasing. Native Japanese missionaries now serving have often grown up in the church, some of them children of our native Japanese companions.

In the year after the October 2012 announcement of the lowering of missionary ages, numbers rebounded dramatically: President Rasmussen reports that Sendai Mission headcount will surge to 150 young missionaries and 14 seniors by 2013 calendar year end, compared to 57 and 4 when they arrived in 2011.

Zone Leaders For much of the first years of the mission (1976-ish), Zone Leaders didn't have a home, they were junkai missionaries, wandering minstrels that visited the branches in their zone, then returned to Sendai for 3 or 4 days of meetings every month. Extra futons (and for a time before the mission could afford futons, sleeping bags) were kept at each branch for the ZLs for the days they visited. Nowadays ZLs still visit but are stationed at an apartment and have their own investigators.

Church Buildings In 1974 when the mission was formed, the only "church-built" meeting house was the red brick Sendai Kamisugi building--all other meeting houses were rented and most were also the residences of missionaries. Since then, the LDS church has purchased land and built smaller stucco (not much brick) buildings in about two-thirds of the mission cities. On recent visits back to the mission, I took pictures of each church meeting house. See the Meetinghouse index to look at the church building in your city of interest. Some "back then" pictures are also included. If you have any old pictures you'd like to contribute to this site, let me know in a 'comments' entry..

Mission Home In 1974 when the mission was formed, the mission home was housed in a small apartment building, and the mission president resided in a house nearby. A few months before President Teruya completed his three-year assignment, the "new" mission home was completed in the Yagiyama section of Sendai. Check out these before and after pictures of the hombu.

Senkyoushigo (Missionaryspeak) See separate Senkyoushigo section.

Dictionaries, Kanji Study and Cameras The standard dictionary in the old days was Sanseidou's New and Consise Japanese-English Dictionary. It was blue, fit nicely in your shirt or coat pocket, and depending on your LTM (MTC) sensei's recommendation, the Japanese was either hiragana or ro-maji. Nowadays that type of dictionary is still available, but missionaries seem to buy electronic dictionaries. Advances in technology (remember, electronic calculators and digital watches first appeared while I was a missionary) have resulted in relatively inexpensive electronic dictionaries that can also serve as phrase translators, kanji dictionaries, and study tools. Cameras have changed too, of course, from film to to digital. Some missionaries nowadays are sporting camcorders. In the 1990s, some mission presidents in Japan reportedly discouraged or even banned kanji study. (Say what !???!!) Luckily, we were required to study Japanese one hour per day in 1974-76, and most missionaries progressed to the point where kanji study enhanced their Japanese language ability. In 2006, a new MTC Japanese study book called, "Learn to Read the Book of Mormon in Japanese" was published. It encourages kanji study and in 2010 I learned it is nicknamed "Sumo" and the smaller vocabulary and phrase book is called "Ninja."

Mission Boundary Realignments - Niigata In conjunction with the consolidation of the Kobe Mission into the Hiroshima Mission effective July 1, 2001, the prefecture of Niigata, formerly part of the Tokyo North Mission, became part of the Sendai Mission, adding four new branches. (Similar border shifts also took place in all missions on the island of Honshuu) The city of Niigata is on the Japan Sea Coast, a little less than two hours south of Tsuruoka via tokkyuu and about two hours west of Aizuwakamatsu by local train. This consolidation perhaps led to some new senkyoushigo from Tokyo North being introduced into the Sendai Mission.

Other Japan mission consolidations, name changes and headquarters changes have happened over the years as charted on the Mission History and Boundaries page.

Due to the (re)creation of the Tokyo South Mission, effective 01 Jul 2013, Niigata Prefecture and its districts/branches (Niigata, Nagaoka, Sanjo, Joetsu, Sado) again became part of the Tokyo Mission, after having been part of the Sendai Mission for12 years.

New Rules: No Konbini and No Raw Items? In late 2006, new rules were reportedly set up in all of Asia to prohibit missionaries from entering convenience stores (konbini). Apparently the racy magazines on display are just too racy, but in my opinion missionaries have always had to look the other way when confronted with movie posters etc., that were on the 'chotto are' side. In 2011 I learned that this anti-convenience store rule was lifted (thank goodness!).

Also in 2006, probably in response to the 'Bird Flu' scare in certain (remote) parts of Asia, raw eggs and raw fish were announced to be prohibited for missionaries. This one had me baffled, especially in hygiene-conscious Japan, where sushi and sashimi are proudly ingrained in the culture. Refusing tea from investigators is one thing, but sushi? Luckily, after about only about four months, more broad-minded heads prevailed for Japan on this topic and the rule was lifted.

Cell Phones Keitai Denwa (Cell phones) were distributed to all companionships in the Sendai Mission at the end of 2008. As a result, all land-line apartment phones were removed. A letter from Elder Evans, then serving as Area President, announced this new development in the world-wide missionary effort. The letter indicated the purpose of the cell phones is to make missionaries more available at all times to mission presidents, investigators, members etc. Obviously there are restrictions to cell phone use, but everyone seems to agree this is a positive step in missionary work efficiency. I've learned that when transfers take place there is a hand-off of cell phones. Sometimes the hand-off is botched, so the honbu's list of which city's missionaries have which phone is constantly changing.

In 2013 the Church announced more use of the Internet and specifically iPad use for missionaries in coming years. We understand that Sendai will be not the first mission in Japan to do this; it will most likely be the Tokyo mission, where some piloting of Internet-in-every-apartment has taken place.

Time Measurement In 1974-76, we measured the progression of time on our missions using the tried-and-true month system. It seems like we had a new group of missionaries arrive every month, and at the same time, a group of missionaries would go home. Somewhere along the line, the church switched to approximately 6-week transfers, and it appears that missionaries in the Sendai mission now measure time using transfers. "This is my second transfer" would equate to about three months.

Suggestions or additions for this section are welcome. Please submit them in a 'Comments' entry.