First Divine Liturgy Celebrated at Japan's First Orthodox Cemetery Church

MINAMI-ALPS, JAPAN — The first Divine Liturgy was celebrated on November 1 at a wooden Orthodox church located within Japan's first Orthodox cemetery, in Minami-Alps, Yamanashi Prefecture. Established by the Romanian Orthodox community, the cemetery welcomes people of all nationalities who wish to be buried according to their religious traditions.

The church became ready for liturgical services after approximately six months of renovation, although some construction and finishing work remains incomplete. The donors who contributed to its construction will be commemorated during the Divine Liturgy.

The Romanian Orthodox parish described the church as a blessing not only for the cemetery but also for the surrounding community, expressing hope that it would serve future generations.

"We hope that this little church will last until the end of time. Through the Divine Liturgy, sanctification also flows over the surroundings, blessing the place, those who live here, and those who sleep their eternal sleep in the adjacent cemetery," the parish said in a statement.

Additional work will include landscaping and improvements to the church's exterior. Chandeliers and a painted cross are also expected to be brought from Romania.

The parish plans to hold the church's consecration after the remaining work is completed, with the ceremony currently anticipated in 2027. The cornerstone was blessed in March 2026, and the church was constructed in Romania before being dismantled, transported to Japan, and reassembled.

Built in the Maramureș style, the church is dedicated to the Holy and Righteous Lazarus, who was raised from the dead on the fourth day, and St. Demetrius the New, the patron saint of Bucharest. Its opening marks a new stage in the development of the Romanian Orthodox community's cemetery and parish in Japan.

Previously, the UOJ reported that the wonderworking Iveron Icon was to revisit Saipan and Guam.