From what I hear, birthdays aren't really a big deal in Japan. If you have a birthday and you're over 30, it's even less of a big deal. So for my birthday, (which by the way was over two weeks ago...oops! I should really write on this blog more often!!!!) I wasn't expecting anything special. I think even if I had had expectations, they would have been exceeded by reality.
The kind people of Japan look for opportunities to help each other. For example, today I was looking for a lunch tray. I hadn't been looking for 10 seconds before three other teachers were involved in the hunt. We found one very quickly! And I'd say that's quite a small example of something that I feel is a very big part of Japan: people looking out for one another.
Another truly exceptional example was my birthday! The festivities started when I gave a friend a late birthday present. I had FORGOTTEN her birthday. And she reacted by planning ME a birthday party!! We went to another friend's house and some members from the Ozu International Exchange Organization came. We had a veritable feast prepared by and at the expense of a full-time mom. And the kids, parents and guests all signed a sweet card for me! (And the kids drew pictures!--see photo) And they bought a cake! And they bought a present for me! A lovely teacup that was thrown by a friend of a friend. (see photo)
On my actual birthday, I forgot it was my actual birthday until my Mamma and Pappa called me! They reminded me what day it was with a rousing rendition of the appropriate song. :D I enjoyed hearing their voices more than words could express. When I got to school, I had more surprises waiting for me! An English teacher, Ms. Nambu, had organized all the other English teachers together, and they all bought me 3 lovely gerber daisies and a cake...with my face on it!! They also wrote a very nice card, with a small message from each of them. And Ms. Nambu put up a huge poster in the hallway to advertise what day it was. And when I went to classes that day with Ms. Nambu, we sang "Happy Birthday" as well as enjoyed Stevie Wonder's version, and a student from each class gave me a gift!!! (see photo) I was so shocked! The students were so sweet. And Ms. Nambu organized it ALL!
Finally, I teach an English class for adults and the first meeting of the new year was on my birthday! A wonderful gift in itself, as I really love this class! I was surprised though because the mother of my host family brought me the sweetest smelling flowers you can imagine! And they were in very lovely wrapping and it was so thoughtful of her!! (see photo!)
And I would be remiss if I didn't mention the many emails and words of kindness from friends and family round the globe. I really had a wonderful birthday and so many people made it very special. I feel bad writing a blog post about something that seemingly has nothing to do with Japan, but this day was just such a shining example of the kindness I feel from other people here. I am so lucky to be living in a place where people are so generous and thoughtful.
