Soichi Taneda was one of more than 100 young single adults from across Japan who gathered for the second session of the Kanagawa YSA conference.
“The thing that left the biggest impression on me about attending the conference was the comfort of spending time with friends who believe and value the same things as me, and the peace I felt,” Taneda said of the conference, Nov. 22-24, 2025, at the Shonan Village Center south of Tokyo in Hayama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.
Participants aged 18 to 25 shared in three days of unity, personal growth and friendship, reported the Church’s Japan Newsroom.
This session was one of several YSA conferences nationwide, with others in the north on Hokkaido; in Kanagawa, also near Tokyo; in Kyoto, about 455 kilometers (or about 283 miles) west of Tokyo; and in Fukuoka in the south. Each conference aimed to strengthen young single adults by fostering a sense of belonging and connecting them to the Savior and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Reflecting on the conferences, Rei Otani, an organizing committee member, told the Church’s Japan Newsroom that organizing the Kanagawa session highlighted the importance of collaboration in God’s work.
“The organizing committee put a variety of thoughts into this conference,” Otani said. “It made me realize how essential dedicated service was, and it also gave me a strong sense that no one can do God’s work alone.”
Q&A session with Elder and Sister Teh
On the second day of the Kanagawa second session, the program included a Face to Face session with a question-and-answer session with Elder Michael John U. Teh, General Authority Seventy and second counselor in the Asia North Area presidency, and his wife, Sister Grace Teh.
The question-and-answer session covered topics such as marriage, recognizing the Spirit and how to be motivated to do family history work.
Elder and Sister Teh reflected on their marriage, saying: “We love Heavenly Father more than we love each other. The Lord strengthens each of us and enables us to be powerful as a married couple.”
Planning the YSA conferences
At the first session of the Kanagawa conference, organizers said they wanted to create an environment where it was easy for people to interact.
In a news release on the Church’s Japan Newsroom, they acknowledged that active communication can be daunting for young adults, so they designed ways to facilitate comfortable interactions.
Groups of five to six young adults were formed for each activity over the three days, based on profiles and questionnaires collected in advance.
Participants answered detailed questions about their strengths and favorite topics, leading to groupings that matched activity content, allowing them to connect with those with similar interests.
Name tags used different colors — pink, yellow and light blue — to indicate participants’ interaction preferences or a desire for a break, making it easier to approach others. Each name tag case also included a business-card sized thank you card for expressing gratitude and practicing ministering.
‘Opening the way’
During the Kyoto session from Nov. 3-5, more than 200 young single adults participated in the expo booths, designed to spark interest in new topics and experiences, reported the Church’s Japan Newsroom.
“This time, the catchphrase for the Kyoto session was ‘Opening the way with charity and virtue,’” session coordinator Nanako Ibata said. “We wanted people to take the initiative to choose and visit booths that interest them, learn about the many different worlds out there, and use this as an opportunity to open their own paths.”
Coordinators selected booth themes based on pre-conference surveys, covering areas such as academics, work, marriage, missionary work, service and other non-genre topics.
Participant Takato Kurakawa regularly studied the “Come, Follow Me” lessons, but after attending the “Seize Happiness ... Walking with God” booth, he began reading the Book of Mormon daily.
“The message about receiving blessings from daily scripture study made a lasting impression on me,” Kurakawa said in a report from the Church’s Japan Newsroom. “Since I started reading it every day, I have felt more guidance and impressions from the Spirit in my life.”
Participants said they left with deeper insights of faith and friendship that will continue, even after the conferences have ended.
Taneda, who attended one of the Kanagawa sessions, said: “The theme of the conference was ‘light,’ and I received a lot of light not only through the lessons but also through interacting with the friends around me, which strengthened my desire to increase my own light.
“I have been able to continue to have this correct desire even after the conference ended, and I think it was a wonderful opportunity,” Taneda added.
