Wesley Goes to Hokkaido, Japan
Wesley Goes to Hokkaido, Japan!
by Rev. John Oda
Reflections on the 2026 Wesley Japan Trip
by Rev. John Oda
Reflections on the 2026 Wesley Japan Trip
On June 23 a group of 29 of us set off on the 2026 Wesley Japan Trip. For 13 days, we mostly crisscrossed Hokkaido. It was an amazing trip.
We began in Sapporo, where a day trip to Otaru had us blowing our own glass and wandering the famous canal. Later we did a walking tour of the Historical Village of Hokkaido. Lastly we were able to spend time at the sleek new ES CON Field where the Nipponham Fighters baseball team plays. The next day we saw the impossibly blue waters of Shirogane Blue Pond, the lavender rows of Farm Tomita, the roaring Ginga and Ryusei waterfalls, and a hike through the Shiretoko Five Lakes that left more than a few of us pleasantly out of breath. We ate delicious and tender wagyu in a farmhouse/restaurant,and had seafood bowls at the Washo Market in Kushiro. We learned about the Ainu culture at Akan Kotan. At Okhotsk museum, we learned about the drift ice history in the Sea of Okhotsk and experienced minus 30 degrees in a room made cold enough to simulate the winter in that area. At virtually every place we went, many of us sampled the amazingly delicious soft serve ice cream. Hokkaido is famous for their rich ice cream because of the abundant cows in that region.
For me, one of the highlights of Japan was the last Sunday of our trip when our group traveled to Yokohama Union Church. I had the honor of preaching there. It is one thing to lead worship at home in San Jose; it is another thing entirely to stand in a pulpit built by generations of missionaries and immigrants who carried the gospel across the Pacific in both directions. It was so wonderful to have 27 Wesley members fill half of the pews of that church
Afterward, we made our way to Yokohama's Chinatown for lunch with Rev. Claudia, the pastor of Yokohama Union Church (who has lived in Japan for 33 years). She brought us to a local restaurant where we had full Chinese banquet.
We wrapped up our trip with a delightful farewell dinner in Tokyo (steak and lobster) and one last morning in the temple town of Asakusa before flying home. The Wesley Japan Trip was about far more than sightseeing. It was about walking together, sharing meals together, and being able to spend time with one another, creating deeper and lifelong connections with each other.
We began in Sapporo, where a day trip to Otaru had us blowing our own glass and wandering the famous canal. Later we did a walking tour of the Historical Village of Hokkaido. Lastly we were able to spend time at the sleek new ES CON Field where the Nipponham Fighters baseball team plays. The next day we saw the impossibly blue waters of Shirogane Blue Pond, the lavender rows of Farm Tomita, the roaring Ginga and Ryusei waterfalls, and a hike through the Shiretoko Five Lakes that left more than a few of us pleasantly out of breath. We ate delicious and tender wagyu in a farmhouse/restaurant,and had seafood bowls at the Washo Market in Kushiro. We learned about the Ainu culture at Akan Kotan. At Okhotsk museum, we learned about the drift ice history in the Sea of Okhotsk and experienced minus 30 degrees in a room made cold enough to simulate the winter in that area. At virtually every place we went, many of us sampled the amazingly delicious soft serve ice cream. Hokkaido is famous for their rich ice cream because of the abundant cows in that region.
For me, one of the highlights of Japan was the last Sunday of our trip when our group traveled to Yokohama Union Church. I had the honor of preaching there. It is one thing to lead worship at home in San Jose; it is another thing entirely to stand in a pulpit built by generations of missionaries and immigrants who carried the gospel across the Pacific in both directions. It was so wonderful to have 27 Wesley members fill half of the pews of that church
Afterward, we made our way to Yokohama's Chinatown for lunch with Rev. Claudia, the pastor of Yokohama Union Church (who has lived in Japan for 33 years). She brought us to a local restaurant where we had full Chinese banquet.
We wrapped up our trip with a delightful farewell dinner in Tokyo (steak and lobster) and one last morning in the temple town of Asakusa before flying home. The Wesley Japan Trip was about far more than sightseeing. It was about walking together, sharing meals together, and being able to spend time with one another, creating deeper and lifelong connections with each other.
Posted in Newsletter 2026-07-23