Alim's Surprise Birthday Party!
For our last Saturday evening in Japan, we were invited to dinner at the home of Tomi and Kiyo-san, Ayu’s mom and grandmother. It was yet another fabulous meal with family, many courses, and Alim did not know it was his birthday party!
Uh oh - Grammy gets in on the whiskey action!
Tomi greeted us as we parked. She was so gracious in welcoming us, and cute in her colorful capris and bright lime green socks.
Counter in Tomi's "ginkan," (foyer where shoes are left). Keys are left on the counter next to the VW bus. The bus is just Tomi's whimsey.
If you trust Google to translate, this is an AT&T clock?
More feasting and drinking!
Mokun, Tomi's brother, comes to see his sister and mama everyday and certainly never misses a party. He's always delighted to have a drinking buddy whenever Micah shows up.
Mokun always shows up with his bottle of Suntory Whiskey - one of the cheapest available. The cap on the bottle is mascot Mr. Tory, and pours one shot at a time. It came free with a bottle once upon a time, and Mokun has transferred it to every bottle since then. The funny part of this evening was that when Micah commented to Mokun that he had brought his cheap whiskey, Mokun said, "Yeah, but I bought really expensive sparkling water!"
Saki, next younger sister after Ayu, husband Masa and baby Lito. (And of course, Micah - always the ham!)
Here with Auntie Ayu, Lito steals all hearts!
Riona, second eldest of all these precious cousins.
Surprise!! Alim, who usually tries to ignore his birthdays, was not expecting this at all. Here everyone is singing 'Happy Birthday' that all Japanese know in English. Extraordinary was that little Lisa, standing next to her mama and who is extremely shy, came forward and presented the cake.
Traditional Japanese birthday cake: whipped cream icing with fruit on top and between layers.
This gathering was extraordinary because the love and appreciation is so strong despite little verbal communication.
