When Matt answered the doorbell on New Year's Eve, Robin handed him a flat red Milky bag. "For your mother," she explained, "from Kazumi." Inside the bag we spotted Peko-chan's sweet face peering through a seriously thick layer of plastic shrink wrap. She exploded into this three-foot tall pillow when I cut her free of the plastic. Wow! Kazumi has spent the past three months sitting in a hospital at the bedside of her teenage daughter. How did she find time to track down this pillow?
A few days later Mike and I met Admiral Hirata at Yokohama station and were escorted to a private room in a fancy restaurant on the 29th floor of the nearby Sky Building. As we admired the exceptional view (below), the other top medical admirals from the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force and a few of their wives arrived from Kurihama, Tokyo, and Yokohama to welcome Mike-san back to Japan.
Admiral Otsuka handled the beer toast then the waiter brought champagne and it was Mike's turn to make a toast. My memory is a bit fuzzy on who made the next two toasts, with white and red wine respectively, because the crab appetizer (below) distracted me. The white suds tasted like the milk foam on a Starbucks' latte.
A fish entree was followed by a dessert decorated with Japanese letters on a white chocolate disk. To my utter amazement, Mike slowly sounded out the syllables: O-ka-eh-ri Na-sa-ee. Okaeri nasai! Welcome back!
The admirals sent us home with bags of gifts, kabuki sake cups from Osaka for Mike and the special Peko-chan New Year's assortment for me.
Two days later I was overwhelmed yet again when Jen F appeared at our door with a mysterious box wrapped in festive holiday paper.
Oh my goodness, it's Anpanman and his friend, Melonpanna, whimsically dressed like Imperial dolls (hina-ningyo). How totally adorable! When March 3 rolls around, the third day of the third month, I'll be celebrating Girls' Day in style. I will be sorely tempted to display my hina-ningyo year-round but Reiko tells me that would be tempting fate. There is a belief that a daughter's marriage will be delayed if one leaves the display up too long . . .
Perhaps daughter won't mind that much if you leave hina-ningyo up for awhile longer...
ReplyDeleteYou are such a scream, Mike.
ReplyDelete