Big in Japan: Birfday party

My birthday party was scheduled for Saturday, May 13 at Shizunami Beach, where we were going to have a bonfire, picnic and guitar playing. However, as it is prone to do everyday in May and June in Japan, it was raining – not just a little, but a lot. So my guests gathered at the Bowers' house for a potluck dinner and hoedown.

I’m blowing out the candles

Some students and friends who live and work in the area, both Japanese and from abroad attended, including the guest of honour, my sister Cheryl, who arrived from Toronto just as the party started, and Tomoko, who came from Tokyo.

It was a great time, with many different types of very warm and kind people. I even gave a speech in Japanese – it was only three sentences, but it was a speech nonetheless. It sorta felt like that episode of Happy Days when Fonzie was the best man at Arnold’s wedding and gave a speech in Japanese!

Me and the ladies: Mariko, Misato and Tomoko

We ate great food and drank all kinds, including the uncorking of a couple bottles of champagne for my twin brother Andrew, or The Doods, who couldn’t be here, but was on the phone a few times that night!

The guest of honour, my sister Cheryl, on the phone with The Doods

The Doods actually was also having a party in Toronto at the bar called Not my Dog – read about Not My Dog in the very first entry in this blog – and it was a surprise party, the surprise being that I wasn’t going to be there!

Misato, Tomoko, me, Tanaka and Cher

All in all, it was a great birthday weekend. Unfortunately, I couldn’t reach my mom for Mothers’ Day, as she was gallivanting somewhere in the Philippines.