My son celebrated his birthday this week!

Did you know that the Japanese have some cool customs in regard to birthday celebrations? So, my boy has always been into Shinkansen (bullet trains). Guess what my wife made for his birthday dinner?

It gets even more elaborate when the child of a Japanese couple turns one.

Both my son and daughter went through the rite of passage that involved them carrying two bags of rice that weighed one kg each. This ritual is called isshou mochi. The idea was to attach the bags onto the child when he was seated and then see if he could stand upright on his own. I think practising this ritual helped increase the chances of him living a long and healthy life and never having to go hungry.

For the record, my son managed to stand up, but not my daughter. But I have no doubt that my warrior princess can hold her own in a squabble or even physical fight against her brother.

Another custom they underwent was the erabitori, in which various items such as a calculator, a baseball, a guitar were placed in front of the one-year-old baby. The item that the baby chose was supposed to represent the profession he or she would join in the future.

My wife was conscientious enough to find physical items for my son. That’s the scene for him:

My job was to hold his legs so that I could release him at the right moment for my wife to take adoring pictures and videos haha.

Parenting must have taken a toll on my wife. For our daughter, she got cards instead:

I have to confess something. I have forgotten the item that my children chose, alas. Bad father! But I think we can shape the direction of our life to a large extent, so I don’t really believe in such customs.

Birthdays make people happy. Personally, I got the extra boost of energy to find these photos from way back and edit them for public consumption. So, I will appreciate cultural insights from you!

Any customs that you guys practise when it comes to celebrating children’s birthdays? Let me know.