April 29th was my 22nd Birthday. We had a celebration the previous week for several people whose Birthdays fell around the same time. The day before my Birthday was simple enough. My friend and I went shopping and walked around 河辺 (Kabe) where we live. We walked for about three hours, and I found a perfect smaller camera bag, to replace the beast of a bag that I was currently using.
After our sweet excursion was over, Nozomi (my friend) suggested that we go to Tanoshoku, the best restaurant ever (more on that later). We were greeted by the awesome owners as usual (Ryomasan and Hayatosan), our other friend Ishi, and someone who I had never met. We had a few drinks and some excellent food. It was getting late, close to midnight, and I began to think that something was up. Nozomi was repeatedly checking his watch, and Ryomasan had disappeared for quite some time. At midnight, he emerged with birthday gyoza (Chinese dumplings) complete with candles and a birthday present! I received an awesome pair of chopsticks, and of course the “cake” was delicious.
I’d say that one of the only cases of “culture shock” that I’ve had in Japan involves how much the people around me care about me, even though I’ve only been here for a month. The kindness that the’ve shown is amazing to me, and it’s safe to say that my experience here would not be so wonderful if it wasn’t for the amazing friends that I’ve made.