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Call for a Christian Japan!
On Saturday 25th May we celebrated the blessing of the new cemetery of the Romanian Orthodox Church in Japan. It was a moving moment for all those present, both because of the spiritual charge of the service and because of the installation of a cross in the middle of the cemetery. This was the first time that the Holy Cross had been placed in an area at the foot of Mount Fuji, opposite a pagan Buddhist temple. The blessing of the place with holy water and the setting up of a “guardian angel” made all those present feel enveloped and moved into a world of grace. We tasted a little…
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Historic: Japan’s first Orthodox cemetery (update)
On Saturday 20 January, a historic event took place for all of Orthodoxy in Japan: Father Daniel Coriu signed the concession contract for a 1,200 square metre plot of land that will become the first Orthodox cemetery in Japan. This was facilitated by the Japan Burial Wishers Association and the Buddhist Temple Daijouji through Buddhist priests Kimura Ichikawa and Tairyou Ichikawa.Only Orthodox Christians of any nationality who reside in Japan may be buried in this cemetery. We encourage this event to be as widely publicised as possible and encourage Orthodox Christians, whether Japanese or foreigners living in Japan, to find a burial place in the Yamanashi Orthodox Cemetery as soon…
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Feast of St Nicholas of Japan – 3 February
This year we will be celebrating St Nicholas, the patron saint of Japan and all Orthodox Christians in these lands, on 3 February. We are announcing the program well in advance as we expect as many Christians as possible to gather from all over Japan and beyond. On the 2nd of February at 4 pm we will hold the Vigil (Vespers, Lity, Matins) dedicated to St Nicholas. The next day, at 8:00 a.m., we will read the Akathist of the saint, after which we will celebrate the Divine Baptismal Liturgy. Afterwards, we will have a brotherly meal in the church’s dining room. This year, in a very special way, at…
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The myrrh-streaming icon of Saint Nicholas is visiting us from Hong Kong
By the will of God, from the 13th to the 16th of October, our church will be host to the icon of St. Nicholas of Japan from Hong Kong. This icon contains the relics of St. Nicholas, which were given to the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Hong Kong by the Japanese Orthodox Church through Archimandrite Gherasim Shevstov in 2019. The icon was then commissioned to house the relics and was painted by Valery Vysotsy. It was donated to the Hong Kong Church in 2020.On the 9th of October 2022 a miraculous event took place when a drop of fragrant myrrh was pouring out of the…
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Orthodox Cemetery with burial – Minami Alps, Yamanashi
As Orthodox Christians, bearing the name of Christ (Christian comes from Christ), following Christ is our main responsibility. We are born with Christ in Baptism, we unite with Christ through His Holy Sacraments, and we follow Christ through His holy commandments. The Christian life is a continual imitation of the life of Christ. If Christ took flesh from the Virgin Mary, body made of clay (not ashes), if He lived through and with this body, died with Him, was buried with the body in the tomb, rose with the body, and ascended into glory to heaven, then the body in the orthodox Christian teaching has the same importance as the…
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St. Andrew’s International Orthodox Center in Kita-Karuizawa, Japan
The inspiration to create an International Orthodox Centre, dedicated to the Holy Apostle Andrew, came to us from our desire to spend time in nature, enjoying the fresh air of the mountains. Our tradition of organising annual camps in the mountains is what implanted in our minds and hearts the desire to find a place of our own, that would welcome us not only once a year but at any time we might wish to visit it. Therefore, in August 2021 we proceeded to purchase a plot of land of about 1,000 m2, situated at the foot of Mount Asama, in the Kita (Northern) Karuizawa area. At present the land…
