February 26th is Shiozawa’s birthday, the same as Taro Okamoto’s. It is also the anniversary of Taira no Atsumori’s death.

In Kyoto, various people planned and held a three-day birthday party on February 24^th,25^th,and 26^th.

We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to all of you for your congratulations.

February 24^th

In order to view the full moon in all of is glory, a barbecue was held in its honor.

After a dreary week of rain and sleet, the 24th dawned a bright and sunny day.

As the sun settled on the horizon the moon soared into the sky bright and clear. By the time the barbecue ended, the moon bid us all farewell as it slipped back into the clouds. Thanks to the purity of heart of those that attended, we believe that we were lucky enough to see the moon, even if it was just for a fleeting moment.

February 25th

At a house in a villa area at the foot of Mt. Hiei, we enjoyed a sukiyaki party featuring some excellent quality, delicious Omi beef.

It’s about a 30 minute drive from Kyoto city, but the temperature was around 4 degrees Celsius and it was quite foggy that day.

On February 26th, Izakaya Daruma held a special opening on its regular holiday and had a takoyaki party.

Mr. Endo, who is in charge of the props for movie productions, entered Daruma’s kitchen with the actors and served them home-cooked meals.

Even though it was a regular holiday, regulars came to fill the back parlor.