The Japan Mission

With morning sun gleaming on the hills of Yokohama, McKay and Cannon took in their initial view of the Japanese mainland on December 23, 1920. As the first apostle to visit the Japan Mission since apostle Heber J. Grant presided over it nearly two decades earlier (1901–3), McKay was struck by the scenery, customs, and language so different from his native rural Utah. Between jinrikisha¹ rides and site visits, they toured the mission with Joseph H. Stimpson, its president. The duo spent Christmas and New Year’s in Japan, visiting with church members, missionaries, and other locals. The church’s only