A special treat

There's something about birthdays that make you want to be with family and close friends. At least for me that is. And since I come from a big family, I admit I felt a bit homesick on my birthday.

Mihoko had prepared a delicious Japanese lunch for me at her home. For dinner, Markus, Rodney and I went to a Yakiniku Barbeque Restaurant called Gyu Kaku, close to home. Following dinner, we took a long bike ride around our area. We ended the day having some yummy desserts back at home.


Mihoko's lunch (photo on right) consisted of a cold noodle dish with cut strips of cucumber, ham, crab and egg in soy based sauce. The side dish is called nato, which is fermented soy beans - known to be very good for your health. Mihoko knows that nato is not one of my favourite Japanese foods. In fact, I've tried it a few times and it just never seemed to agree with my taste buds. However, in this dish, she disguised it with ocra and other spices and I actually enjoyed it very much.



Markus just loves bike rides! He rings the bell on the handlebars to signal people out of the way.
Sometimes he'll even say "Sumimasen", which means "Excuse me". Rodney and I get a kick out of it everytime.















The day after, which was Saturday, Rodney had made plans to spend an afternoon at a new park, which I thought was a perfect plan for the nice weather. Well, as we drove to our destination and turned a final street corner, we pulled into the Tokyo Four Seasons Hotel. My first thought was maybe Rodney had made lunch reservations at the hotel restaurant. To my surprise, my wonderful husband had made me a reservation for a spa retreat package, which included a full-body massage and aromatherapy. The hotel itself was as elaborate and gorgeous as you would imagine a Four Seasons Hotel would be.



Antioxidising ingredients and vitamins in the aromatherapy oils help provide conditioning and rejuvenating effects. I was given the option to select 1 of 4 treatment oils - spring, summer, autumn or winter blends. I selected the spring scent, which had notes of sakura flower, mandarin, geranium, orange blossom and cherry oils.

I loved the rich zen atmosphere throughout the spa facility. The visual appeal made the experience even more revitalizing.

I left feeling pampered, extremely relaxed and rejuvinated after the wonderful treatment I received. Overall, it was a great weekend and most importantly I didn't feel a day older!

It was a happy birthday indeed. I was in the company of the two most important people in my life.