This May, eleven IARF members from the US, UK, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Germany undertook a two-week spiritual and religious journey to Japan. Kathy Matsui, a member of IARF’s Japan Chapter and one of our UN representatives, accompanied us throughout the trip, with support at different points from Yayoi Kimura of Ittoen and Ritsuko Ushio of the Konko Church.

In Tokyo, we were received on the first day by members of the Japan Chapter and the Japanese section of the International Association of Liberal Religious Women (IALRW), who welcomed us with a tea ceremony, traditional garments, and several presentations.

In Hiroshima, local Chapter members had lunch with us after an impressive visit to the Peace Memorial and Memorial Museum. We spent considerable time in Kyoto and Osaka, visiting, among others, our member organisations Ittoen and the Konko Church, attending the Aoi Matsuri procession, and sharing lunch with IARF’s Japan Liaison Committee. Our programme also included visits to several Buddhist temples and shrines. Our thanks go as well to Mutsumi-kai, Shitenno-ji, and especially Rissho Kosei-kai for their warm welcome and generous hospitality.

The Ittoen community, because of its setting in the hills and its philosophy of humility and service, made a lasting impression. Our day at Tsubaki Grand Shrine, in the mountains east of Osaka, deepened our understanding of Shintoism, which was explained to us in prayer as a way of adapting to the natural order of things and seeking harmony, in a way that felt complementary to Buddhism. Koyasan offered two days of meditation and contemplation among many Buddhist temples in a beautiful mountainous setting south of Kyoto, where women, until well into the twentieth century, were not supposed to disturb the monks.

All participants were united by their sincere interest in both classic and modern Japan and by their openness to its spiritual traditions. This was evident not only in the encounters with our hosts, but also in the conversations among ourselves. We extend our thanks to all in Japan who made this visit possible. It showed that enabling personal growth through exchange and shared celebration is one of the most valuable aspects of IARF, and that we should undertake more such exchanges. You can read the article that the Rev. Dr. Esther Suter wrote for the World Council of Churches for more detail on the visits.