Akune Mission is the American-Japanese partnership of Christians and Buddhists started in 2019, Our original purpose was to renew a small congregation in Akune (a city in rural Japan) started by American missionaries generations before. Over the last six years, this work has blossomed into three main focus areas and three main cities.
The three focus areas are: renewal through art, renewal through education, and renewal through service. The three main cities are Kumamoto, Hiroshima and Kyoto.
*Renewal through art is the primary vehicle of gathering people for the sake of renewal. Akune Mission hosts regular concerts in places that build community through beauty and the performance of live music.
*Renewal through education happens by building relationship between American and Japanese learners, especially high school students and young adults. In building relationship, we want our America students to become conversant in the history of Christians in Japan and for our Japanese learners to learn about American culture and the Christian faith. This education also includes a special peace-builders initiative where Americansmeet with atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima. We are also proud to be founding supporters of a first-of-its kind school in Kyoto for students who need a special learning environment outside the traditional Japanese school system. Our educational support also includes supporting a student in the mountains of Thailand.
*Renewal through service is our interfaith outreach that partners with Buddhist monks to provide relief and support to areas ravaged by earthquakes and tsunami, particularly on the Noto peninsula. We are excited to help students from affected areas of Japan connect with the Japanese national soccer team in time for the World Cup in 2026.
We are grateful for our enduring partnership with Kyushu Gakuin high school, Hiroshima Lutheran Preschool, the Kangaroo House and all the places we are deployed for relief work.
Our logo is the crab cross (a nod to St. Francis Xavier) and our motto is based on the last words of St. Paul Miki: Fruitful Rain (Minori no Ame 実りの雨).
The three focus areas are: renewal through art, renewal through education, and renewal through service. The three main cities are Kumamoto, Hiroshima and Kyoto.
*Renewal through art is the primary vehicle of gathering people for the sake of renewal. Akune Mission hosts regular concerts in places that build community through beauty and the performance of live music.
*Renewal through education happens by building relationship between American and Japanese learners, especially high school students and young adults. In building relationship, we want our America students to become conversant in the history of Christians in Japan and for our Japanese learners to learn about American culture and the Christian faith. This education also includes a special peace-builders initiative where Americansmeet with atomic bomb survivors in Hiroshima. We are also proud to be founding supporters of a first-of-its kind school in Kyoto for students who need a special learning environment outside the traditional Japanese school system. Our educational support also includes supporting a student in the mountains of Thailand.
*Renewal through service is our interfaith outreach that partners with Buddhist monks to provide relief and support to areas ravaged by earthquakes and tsunami, particularly on the Noto peninsula. We are excited to help students from affected areas of Japan connect with the Japanese national soccer team in time for the World Cup in 2026.
We are grateful for our enduring partnership with Kyushu Gakuin high school, Hiroshima Lutheran Preschool, the Kangaroo House and all the places we are deployed for relief work.
Our logo is the crab cross (a nod to St. Francis Xavier) and our motto is based on the last words of St. Paul Miki: Fruitful Rain (Minori no Ame 実りの雨).