天皇誕生日

Today is the 天皇誕生日 (The Emperor of Japan’s birthday).

He’s 75 years old today.

Today is one of the two times of the year that the Japanese Emperor greets the public at the Imperial Palace (the other day is New Years).
(Click here to read my short FAQ about 天皇誕生日 (The Emperor of Japan’s birthday)).

It has been announced that the Emperor is currently suffering stress-related illness.

Here’s a picture of the Emperor Of Japan greeting the public at the Imperial Palace today:

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Yesterday, I went to a 忘年会 (End Of The Year Party).
(The literal translation of 忘年会 would be Forget The Year Meeting…but I think End Of The Year Party is a more accurate translation).

It was at a nice restaurant. We had 刺身 (sashimi), シャブシャブ (Shabu-shabu), and 飲み放題 (All-you-can-drink alcohol)!

In Japan, many people do 忘年会 (End Of The Year Party) in December and/or 新年会 (New Year’s Party) in January.