Not Just Ninjas

Yes, the neighborhood guys actually came through and did manage to hold a shindig for Chris’s birthday last Sunday. We’re not sure about the exact details; we know that we were supposed to have a party by the park at 5; we passed our neighbor on the way there (“hello”); we sat on the curb by ourselves for like 6 minutes; then he came driving up in a rush (from his house two blocks away), and told us that the party was now at his place at 6…. This all reeked of last-minute realization, but this didn’t really matter in the long run, because we ended up having such a rollicking time.

At first it was just us, and our neighbors, a family of 5. Our hosts fired up a number of goodies on an outdoor grill, which was lit by a 9 year old with a propane torch. Quite a sight to see.

I played volleyball with the kids out in the street, and cheered as Sakiko showed us her bright turquoise unicycle skillz. We played catch with Teppei, the youngest boy. When the ball went onto the roof of the tax office across the street, our neighbor lifted his 7 year old son right up there to go get it. Awesome.

We learned how to eat edamame “the right way.” We tried more sake and shochu. Chris graciously accepted a pot of little orange gerber daisies. We ate tasty veggies picked fresh from their front yard garden. I tried some crazy shellfish that you stick on the grill, then just pull out of the shell and suck down. We ate pork liver (earthy!), and the tastiest home wok’d noodles ever. I explained to the kids about toasting marshmallows until they’re puffed up and black, and then sucking them down while they’re still hot. We learned that you can write messages on the asphalt with sparklers.

Then the party really began. A few more guests and kids from the neighborhood joined later in the evening. One man brought a fish he had just caught that day, and he fixed us fresh fresh fresh sashimi, which everyone gladly devoured. Chris got more presents: a winnie-the-pooh towel, some hello kitty charms, and a japanese headband (hachimaki?), all 100% AWESOME.

We’re lucky to have such great neighbors who go to such extreme efforts to include us in their community and make us feel welcome. Thanks, y’all! We love you!

This entry was posted on Friday, September 1st, 2006 at 9:15 am and is filed under Ambiance, Festivals and Events, Food, Pictures. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.