An 88th Bday, Can You Imagine?

This weekend Josh's whole family is converging on LA to celebrate Jichan's 88th bday. In Japan the 88th birthday is a special one for many reasons - the kanji characters are significant, the number 8 is meaningful, and in general the Japanese culture has respected old age and celebrated long life.

Josh's Jichan is dear to my heart. He is not your typical quiet Japanese nisei. He is outspoken and loud but also kind and loving. He loves to fish and often dreams of the "big catch". And when his back affords him he is an avid gardener as well. From the beginning he has always accepted me and made me feel like part of the family (even though I'm only half Japanese! gasp! :p). And when my sister got engaged he found me at church and told me if Josh didn't propose soon he would take a hammer to his head! =)

I'll share pictures of the celebration with you when we get back. Although I'm sure there will be an abundance of food the entire weekend, I wanted to do something to show my love.

Recipe here. 

Happy 88th Jichan! I love you dearly.