Will & Emma Hit 6-Month Mark in Japan

For about six months now, Will, Emma, and their two boys have been living in Kofu, Japan, where they find themselves navigating the hurdles of daily life in another country. 

The most obvious hurdle is the language barrier, but Will and Emma are working hard to learn Japanese. Every weekday from 1:00–4:30pm, they sit through a fast-paced class, spoken entirely in Japanese, where they are learning the language. "In addition to vocabulary and grammar, we learn three to five new kanji [Japanese characters] every day,” Will says. “And every day we're tested on the kanji we learned yesterday."  

Getting around the area also comes with a learning curve. Their apartment is 15 minutes from the train station, which means they have to do a lot of walking, biking, and taking buses. Each of those modes of transportation come with their own nuances. “Every bike is required to have a bell, but you're not supposed to use the bell because it's rude," says Will with a sense of humor. And Kofu is considered “the hottest city in all of Japan during summer,” which can make routine trips pretty exhausting. “You walk outside and everybody is instantly grumpy, and you want to change clothes,” Emma says. 

The struggle peaked one particular evening when Will and Emma rented a car for a family outing to the mountains. Their older son, Liam, suffered from motion sickness during the ride. Will looked around and realized, "Oh, we're in the middle of a Japanese city. There's no grass anywhere around here, and if he gets sick anywhere, it’s going to be bad.” At a restaurant that evening, Will realized how pale Liam was and took him outside for fresh air—but on the way, Liam suddenly threw up in the entryway. Before Will could clean it up, Liam threw up a second time in a different spot. With no idea how to warn people in Japanese, Will had to stand awkwardly saying, "I'm sorry, excuse me. I'm sick. I'm sorry" with hand motions. 

But despite the challenges, they celebrate plenty of bright spots! God provided both of their sons, Liam (age 6) and Soren (3), with admission to a Montessori-style daycare. The school focuses on independent play, and the teachers go above and beyond, treating the boys with incredible warmth, despite it being more complicated to include them. Liam even celebrated his birthday with nine classmates after the family used their "Americanness as an excuse" to host a fun party. 

God has also blessed their family with deep community at Olive Church. Despite the 50-minute train ride and walk in the heat to get there, Emma says, “They’re some really lovely, amazing people who have done such an awesome job welcoming us.”  

Will added that being placed in such a healthy church right from the start felt almost like an unfair blessing compared to other global workers. They hope to get a car that will make their commute to church much more doable with young children. 

Looking ahead, Will and Emma ask for prayer as they continue settling in. "Though Liam has wonderful friends, we're seeing just how hard the language barrier is for his age specifically,” they say. "He is starting elementary school next April, and that's going to be a big adjustment". While Japan can be a “really hard culture to break into,” the Fergusons continue trusting God through every step of their journey.