Japanese publication highlights resilient spirit of the Romanian Orthodox community in Tokyo

The Romanian Orthodox community in Tokyo was the subject of a feature article by the Japanese publication Shueisha Shinsho. The article particularly highlighted the ecclesiastical community’s life and its members’ strong national identity.

The interviews and photos were made on Easter night in a quiet residential area in Fujimidai, Kunitachi city, Tokyo, where reporter Yasuda Minetoshi captured special moments: “I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw more than a hundred Romanians gathered for the service,” the author of the article noted.

The report noted the large number of women attending the service.

Approximately 80% of the participants were women, and the author was impressed by the solemn atmosphere of the service: “Many of the people praying in the hall are women, and the hymns they sing between the priest’s prayers have a gentle melody that could be a song of healing.”

“I finally want to live in my own country”

Interviewing the participants, the reporter discovered that most of the Romanian women came to Japan more than 20 years ago, either for studies or as migrants.

One of the participants shared her desire to return to Romania: “I have been married for 21 years, but one day I want to return to Romania. I finally want to live in my own country.”

“What struck me when I talked to these women was that their stories made more sense than those of Filipinos, Thais, and other Southeast Asians who also came to Japan in the 90s to ’emigrate.’ They did not speak Japanese in a forced, interrupted manner, word by word, but all spoke with firm expressions that suggested they had seriously studied grammar and pronunciation,” the author continued.

The Romanian Orthodox parish in Tokyo was established in 2008 at the request of Tokyo believers. The current parish priest is Fr. Daniel Corîu.

You can find more photos from Easter night at the Romanian parish in Tokyo on the Shueisha Shinsho website.

Photo: Basilica.ro / Raluca Ene

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