Eddie's Big Day Out

"Kawaii" is one of my favorite words that I've learned in Japanese. It is translated as meaning "cute" but really encompasses a lot more than that. People get really emotional over things that are kawaii, so I guess it can also mean precious, adorable, special, detailed, or whatever else gets the point across. The only reason I know it is because people constantly will stop me on the street when I'm walking Eddie and cry out "kawaii!!!" as if expressing their deepest emotion or despair.

So that you know what I'm working with here, this is Eddie on his first birthday. The poor thing didn't get any presents or a cake, but he did get his favorite thing: a hike up a very long hill and a treat at the top! We even made stops for belly rubs from strangers! Woohoo!

He did get a pretty snazzy birthday hat:

Family picture pre-hike

Baby dog picture on our way across the bridge

The whole family got to the top of the mountain!

 As you can see, Joe and I are celebrating the special day by wearing our Shiba Inu shirts from Eddie's Grandma Anna. We rarely get to wear them together, but it was the perfect opportunity. I think Eddie appreciated the extra attention to detail, but did not particularly care for the birthday hat. 


We had an ulterior motive for this hike as well: we're thinking about hiking Mt. Fuji next year. It's time to get these hiking muscles into shape!