みなさん、こんにちは！Today I will be doing something a little different; today, I will be introducing you all to a good friend of mine, while at the same time, wishing him a very happy birthday! Please join me in wishing my friend the greatest birthday wishes you can offer!

Introductions Are In Order

First, let me take this time to introduce you to my friend, Masaru. He is a hardworking, funny, and laid-back man, who is trying his best to learn English. We met on the HelloTalk application back in October 2017, and we have been chatting almost daily ever since. We both enjoy being silly with our texts while at the same time, helping one another to learn the others’ language. He has greatly helped me with learning proper spelling and pronunciation of Japanese words. He has also helped me to use the correct phrases, rather than some of the overly proper phrases that are typically taught to people learning Japanese.

So, a little about Masaru. He is funny both in text and in person. (Although, I only know about him being funny in person because of his photos. I have yet to meet him in person honestly.) He has an adorable tabby cat named Lum. He loves cars, and even works on them. He also owns a super cool Chevy Monte Carlo ’71, by the way. You should really check it out below. I have found that he really enjoys many American things, and we talk a lot about things found here in the United States and there in Japan, their similarities and their differences. We also share a common interest in music. He has listened to a number of American bands and music that I simply didn’t think he would know of. (Grateful Dead comes to mind.)

Masaru and I are also pen-pals! That means (for you younger folks out there), that he and I exchange letters via the mail. No, not email, like, old school mail. Like, sending a physical letter from the post office to one another. Remember in my last blog post how I talked about learning how to write Hiragana, in case you have a pen-pal? Well, I was speaking from experience! Masaru is my very first pen-pal! My grandmother (whom I look up to and adore, even though she is no longer with us here on Earth) always had pen-pals while I was growing up, from other countries, as well as within the United States. So, I have always wished for a pen-pal of my own.

However, once the internet gained steam (I grew up during this time, yes I’m old, lol), I figured it was something that would never come to pass. I mean, who writes letters anymore, right? Well, don’t think that way… because Masaru has proven that just because we can text daily via HelloTalk and LINE, that doesn’t mean he won’t write an actual letter. I’m sure there are other people out there who are willing to do the same. (I am one of those people, lol) I am so happy that we exchange letters and small gifts to each other. It truly makes learning Japanese more fun for me, and I’m sure learning English, more fun for him as well.

I’m not sure what else I should tell you about my good friend Masaru, so I think I will keep it at that. He has been an amazing friend, and a huge help in my journey through learning the Japanese language. He is kind, friendly and has a heart of gold. I am so honored to call him my friend!

Birthday Wishes

So, July 1st is Masaru’s birthday. Although today is technically still June 30th for myself here in the U.S., it is already July 1st for Masaru in Japan. When he told me when his birthday was a few months ago, I asked him if he wouldn’t mind if I wished him a Happy Birthday on my blog, and he agreed. So, here we are! A nice little blog post celebrating my friend’s day of birth! Please everyone, send warm birthday wishes to him too. 🙂 And yes, please enjoy the silly picture of Masaru. I placed the hat and sticker on his picture, because he looked so cool. 😉

おたんじょうび　おめごとう、まさる！
Thank you all too, for reading this blog post and wishing my friend a happy birthday! I almost have your next Hiragana lesson finished, so keep an eye out for that as well!

ありがとう！
Jessica