episode-6

Oh! Here it is again! A city where churches take root - Hanoi
"Is Jesus Christ watching over us at the ARIGATOU Cafe?”

Should I open it? Or should I leave it closed? It's all about the gate.
With a gate, it's not good for business by any standard. Accepted standard practice in business is to keep the frontage wide open.

I want you to look at the pictures.
All the houses on the street of the property we rented are fully secured.
Recently, some built-for-sale properties in Japan do not have gates, and some houses do not dare to do so by building gates because they design their houses on the assumption that people will park their cars in front of the house.
There is only a mailbox standing there.

The buildings in the background were cut off by the gate so that they would not show up. The gate in the photo looks pretty decent. It has been well designed and crafted. If you walk around the city, you will see many gates that are intended to be realistically and completely protected.

Would it be alright if we took the gate down?
The resident employees will sleep here. If a thief enters through the front door...
How would he escape if he got in ...?
The resident employees look a little worried. Let's set up a surveillance camera.
And what about an emergency bell? A rope ladder should also be kept on hand.
Put something at the bedside.
Even though we rented the property, as we began to prepare for the opening of the cafe, various anxieties and fears followed us.

"There are police quarters nearby, so it's a very safe area.
Many of the residents have lived here for a long time.
A lot of foreigners as you have lived here for a long time, so it's a good area for to live."
The couple who introduced us to the property, Mr. and Mrs. Tuan, understood our anxiety and explained to us that it is a safe city.
Definitely, it is reassuring to be near where Mr. and Mrs. Tuan live. However, a little anxiety crept into me.

One day, I went out for dinner and came back to the property at night.
The interior was still under renovation.
The surrounding area is dark and it's a really quiet residential area.
I got out of the cab and looked at the house across the street

「！！！」

Jesus Christ in the picture is looking in my direction.
The house in front of us across the street is used as a dormitory for young people who work at a nearby church. I guess they have a tapestry of Jesus Christ on the inside of the gate.
As the light is on indoors, the face of Jesus Christ appears to be reflected in the light from outside.
In a split second, I decided to open the gate.

I have never been interested in religion, but when I saw it for the first time, I was a little surprised indeed. Then, my worries went away.