A happy birthday at Indus Cottage...

Indus Cottage is a lovely Indian restaurant way out in the mountains of Yamasaki. So far out, that even with a map on the invitation, a few locals got lost on the way. It's worth the trip, cause it's a cultural oasis ;) Ms. Saritha, who runs it, makes everyone feel welcome and at home.

A few friends and co-workers joined in to celebrate my birthday ("tanjyoubi omedetou" is "happy birthday in Japanese ;) over the *best* curry and nan in Shiso city...




Pictured above are my friend Tomomi-chan, her sister, and 3 of my favorite co-workers ;)

We had a delicious "oishii" full-course meal of soup, appetizers, curry, nan, and rice.
Then we relaxed a bit before dessert. The chef invited us into the kitchen to watch how fast nan can cook inside this special nan-makin' machine...



... about 5 seconds! Ms. Saritha said that nan from restaurants has a special taste because of this oven (is it an oven?). When made in a frypan, nan tastes much different.

We also browsed through the beautiful Indian sarees and jewelry on display.
Our friend Naaruo seems to be having more fun with these hats than the chef;



MMmmm.... then it was time for Indian sweets AND B-day cake!



We ended the night with an hour or 2 of Karaoke. Osaki-sensei make sure that you can see Mike's good side;




I felt like such a little kid, cause everyone spoiled me so much! Everyone brought thoughtful gifts, and they didn't let Mike and I pay for our meal. Whenever I try to protest people paying for my meals, I always lose, as I'm told it's Japanese style to pay for the guests. It's so hard, cause my independent spirit always wants to pay. It is really nice though. But when won't I be a guest anymore?

By the way...
fun fact: my actual birthday, March 14th, is a holiday here in Japan. It's called "white day", and girls are given special boxes of chocolates! It's like the favor of Valentine's Day is returned, since on V-day, boys are given chocolate. Could there be a better holiday for me!?! Another fun bit of info: I asked a teacher how long V-day has been celebrated in Japan, and his answer was that it was started by Meiji, a chocolate company, in the 1950's. I guess it's a "Hallmark" holdiay here in Japan too! Why would anyone need a corporate excuse to eat chocolate? I eat it at *least* once a week ;)

Wish you all could've been here for curry and cake! Thank you for all the good wishes and presents!!

love,
Colleen