Our story begins in northern Japan in 1932. That was the year my wife’s father was born. The Emperor was Hirohito and the Prime Minister was Inukai Tsuyoshi. The Foreign Minister was Saitō Makoto. Okay, wait, we don’t need to go back that far.

Fast forward, past a world war, and a whole bunch of other stuff, all the way to 2017, where our story picks up again, at Costco, in Yokohama, Japan. Shopping for his birthday dinner. See those big frozen turkeys? They didn’t have those last time I was in Japan.

At Costco in America, they don’t have this many kinds of sake, either. So, it all balances out.

Look at this feast! I wish I was there, don’t you?

An appetizer of crackers topped with cream cheese and fish roe, a whole roast turkey, mounds of fresh salmon sashimi, a giant plate of assorted sushi …

And, a birthday cake. With strawberries. Happy birthday Papa!