Happy Birthday, Hewitt -- Day 12 in Japan

Yuko was off fairly early for her special Saturday morning classes. We were going to visit the park and do some food shopping but it started to rain so Jeff ran out and got some necessities for the party. We spent the rest of the morning tidying up and, once Yuko got back, decorating with crepe paper streamers. Snack/lunch was rice with seasoning and Japanese pickles. Meanwhile Jeff made the birthday cake. I brought a chocolate cake mix, birthday candles (including a 6), and decorating gel. Japanese kitchens don't usually have an oven; Jeff has a microwave/oven combo but also has a Rival Roaster Oven (purchased to cook his Thanksgiving turkey). He used that to bake the cake.

Guests were a little late to arrive as there was traffic but everyone was there by 2:30 pm. Yuko's mother, sister, and 12-year old niece came (they all live together; her father, brother-in-law, and nephew didn't join us). A friend of Yuko's (she also teaches English) also came, with her husband and two children (3 and 5 years old). Jeff made lasagna and Japanese pizza was ordered (I'm not going to try and explain it, look at the photo). Then we had the cake (see the photos) and some Japanese desserts. And finally it was time to open presents. We gave Hewitt some Legos (a big box of people and a set to make a gas station) and two books (the complete Frog & Toad stories and the complete Little Bear stories). He also got two different remote control cars (plus Jonah got one, which they promptly swapped), a new pair of sneakers, and a brand new bicycle (a present from his Japanese grandparents).

The children had great fun running everyone over with the remote control cars. Eventually the guests left and an attempt was made to calm the boys down, get them showered, into pajamas, and into bed. Yuko, Kate, and Nancy went out for a light supper to an Okonomiyaki restaurant about a block from the house. It's a very small place with a large "table" with a hot griddle in the center and stools around it. First the owner (a very nice women from Hiroshima who moved to this area 14 years ago to be with her daughter) shreds half a cabbage. Then she ladles a very thin layer of pancake batter on the griddle, laying the cabbage on top. After seasoning the cabbage, she lays some meat (probably bacon) over it. Using two turners, she flips the whole thing over. She heats some soba noodles (buckwheat) and lays the cabbage mixture on top of them. Next she breaks an egg on the griddle, flattens it, allows it to cook a little, and then flips the cabbage mixture on to it. She flips the whole thing again, adds some sauce on the top, and then cuts it in quarters. We each got two quarters (after they were sprinkled with nori (shredded sea weed, at home it would have been parsley). There are photos of each step. This is the Hiroshima version, other versions don't use noodles and add other things. In some restaurants, you get to cook it yourself -- thank goodness we didn't, I've never be able to flip them without making a real mess.

The boys may finally be going to sleep (sugar high and party excitement). In the distance we can hear drumming -- Yuko tells us there is a festival soon and the drummers are rehearsing.

Here are the photos from day 12.

Tomorrow is our last full day in Japan -- we are going to the Hakone area, a resort area in the mountains about an hour away.