Arigatou Gozaimasu

I am bit late on this post, but it is never too late to say "thank you!" Last Friday evening, February 17th, Roger and I were invited to attend the Emperor of Japan's birthday hosted by Consul-General Watabe at the Petroleum Club in Calgary. We were thrilled. And the event was amazing! It was a feast for our senses: women dressed in stunning kimonos, music played on the koto, saki and sushi delighted our taste buds, and we met some wonderful people.

Japan has the oldest monarchy in the world. There have been 126 emperors since the inception of Japan, all traceable to the first emperor and the founder of what is today Japan. The Emperor’s Birthday holiday date in Japan changes with the accession of a new emperor and is held on the day that the reigning emperor was born. The current emperor of Japan, Naruhito, was born on February 23, 1960, making this the date for the holiday. Salma Lakhani, Alberta's Lieutenant Governor began the evening with sincere birthday wishes for the Emperor and she spoke of the importance of the Alberta-Japan relationship. The Consul-General of Japan, Mr.Takahiko Watabe also spoke on the friendship and trade between Alberta and Japan. Twice during his speech he mentioned the long relationship with the canola industry. The canola industry is why we were invited. Roger is chair of the Alberta Canola Board and the president of the Canadian Canola Growers Association.

Japan is our most loyal canola customer. They purchase 2.5-3 million metric tonnes as canola is their number one oil. Canada produces 10 million metric tonnes of raw seed of which Japan is purchases 25-30%. Canada also produces 10 million metric tonnes of canola oil which is also sold worldwide. Canadian-grown canola contributes $30 billion to the Canadian economy each year, including more than 207,000 Canadian jobs and $12 billion in wages. Canola is a Canadian-made product and extremely important to our economy and Japan is extremely important to the canola industry.

Roger and I very much enjoyed the evening and are very grateful to have been able to attend such an important event. "Arigato Gozaimasu Mr.Watabe!"