5.1 A Bond Across Ten Thousand Miles#

On December 17th, we set out for Yamaguchi City. The journey was quite long, requiring a Shinkansen ride from Okayama to Shin-Yamaguchi, followed by a transfer to a local train to finally reach our destination.

We traveled this long distance specifically to see the local landmark—the St. Francis Xavier Memorial Church. Over four hundred years ago, St. Francis Xavier became the first missionary to set foot in Japan, bringing the Gospel to this eastern land.

Standing outside the church, my gaze was drawn to a massive mural. Rendered in sepia tones that evoked the vastness of the Age of Discovery, a bright red line on the map marked Xavier’s magnificent journey from Europe to the East. The Spanish manuscript quoted in the top left corner recorded his affectionate praise for the Japanese people at the time: “I see in them a natural aptitude for accepting the truth.”