My son turns one this month. We’re planning to travel with my wife, my father (my son’s grandfather), my sister in-law and her sons. We are going to visit the farm and go snowboarding. We’ll have a special dinner and hold an event at night. In Japan, children carry on their back about 1.8 kg rice cake and do “erabi-tori” (if I express it in English, “choose and take”) for their first birthday. A heavy rice cake has a special meaning. The “isshou” is the unit of weight in old Japanese and it indicates about 1.8 kg. And “issho” is the same sound as “life” in Japanese. So carrying the rice cake on the back, expressing the parents’ wish for the child to be happy for life. In “erabi-tori”, child chose a card from among some five cards. The traditional cards are illustrated “soroban” (it is a Japanese classical calculator), a writing brush, money, chopsticks, a ruler/tape-measure. If children choose a “soroban” at first, they would be a good salesman. If they choose a “soroban” at first, a they would be a good salesman. A writing brush; intelligent. Money; rich and chopsticks means they be a chef or won’t have a trouble with eating. And a scale means they will be a tidy person. I’m really looking forward to see what my son chooses first!