A cruise in the Philippine sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The guest of honor that day was someone Takaaki Nakano described as the person he owes the most to in his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Multiple participants gathered, boarded a ship, cruised the ocean, and had a meal. Initially, I thought it was a somewhat luxurious birthday party prepared by Mr. Nakano to celebrate someone special's birthday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was an incident where we forgot to buy the cake. Even so, at that point, I understood it to be a day where Mr. Nakano was trying to show his gratitude in his own way, clumsy as it might be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, after hearing from the birthday person themselves upon returning home, I came to rethink the meaning of that day in a completely different way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am a Filipino member of the Last One Mile Labor Union.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr. Nakano has a long history of living in the Philippines, and I met him a few years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This article contains what I directly saw and heard on the spot that day, as well as what I heard directly from the birthday celebrant after returning home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To prevent the personal information of participants or birthday celebrants from being inferred, exact dates, locations, participant counts, and the occupations or positions of participants are not included. Certain expressions are also generalized to prevent the identification of third parties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the other hand, I have not changed the sequence of events that occurred that day or the core of what I saw and heard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is not an article accusing someone of being a criminal. On the birthday of the person Nakano Toshiyuki once described as \"the person who has helped me the most in my life,\" I am recording what I actually saw, what I later heard directly from the person in question, and the questions that still remain, using my own words as a union member.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The birthday party took place at a location within the Philippines where Mr. Satsuki Nakano was staying at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr. Nakano commented regarding those celebrating their birthdays to the effect that \"they are the people he is most indebted to in his life.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To celebrate their birthday, multiple participants gathered and a boat cruise was held.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I thought that since so many people were gathering, it must be an important birthday party for Mr. Nakano as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At least at that time, I believed that Mr. Nakano had set up this occasion to express his gratitude to the person who had helped him the most in his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Since it's a special birthday, we decided to get a cake and flowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I offered to Mr. Nakano to take charge of preparing the cake and flowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, I am not very familiar with the situation in the Philippines or where to ask locally to get things ready. Therefore, I asked Mr. Nakano to help me with the preparations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then, Mr. Nakano said that he would prepare the cake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr. Nakano decided that we don't need to prepare flowers this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Therefore, in the end, it was decided that Mr. Nakano would prepare the cake and no flowers would be provided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I assumed Mr. Nakano would prepare the cake, so I didn't make any further arrangements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And then, the day of the birthday arrived.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The cruise proceeded smoothly, and soon it was time for lunch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The person accompanying me and I were thinking, \"Since it's a birthday, cake will surely appear somewhere.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There might be a surprise in the middle of lunch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mr. Nakano might bring a cake around the end of the meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Thinking that, I was waiting for the right moment to come out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, even when lunch started, the cake did not appear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The meal went on as usual, and in the end, lunch finished without a single thing happening that felt like a birthday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The party was about to return to the ship again and move to the next location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So I checked with Mr. Nakano.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When will the cake be served? Are you planning to serve it during dinner tonight instead of lunch?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then, an unexpected discovery was made here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is said that Mr. Nakano forgot to buy the cake itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I thought, \"Isn't this bad?\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is the birthday of the person who has taken care of me the most in my life. I haven't prepared any flowers. There isn't even a cake, which I was supposed to be the only one responsible for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, Mr. Nakano suggested that since they were already cruising on a boat this far, even without a cake, it should be enough for an unpretentious birthday party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Come to think of it, I thought that might also be one way to celebrate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even without cake or flowers, a large group had gathered to spend the day out on the ocean. At the time, I decided to think of that in itself as a gift from Mr. Nakano.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After that, the cruise proceeded without any major accidents or problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, at least as far as I heard on the spot, not once until the very end was there any explicit statement congratulating the person whose birthday it was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was no celebration around a cake either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I didn't even give him flowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I have no memory of a scene where everyone says \"Happy Birthday\" together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was a bit concerned, but since it was a birthday cruise hosted by Mr. Nakano, I felt it wasn't my place to step forward too much, so I couldn't speak up strongly at the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even after returning home, I was bothered by the fact that I hadn't been able to properly wish them a happy birthday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Therefore, I sent an email to the birthday person to wish them a happy birthday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the same time, though it is strange for me to say so, I conveyed the sentiment that Mr. Nakano must have gathered people with that much of a strong feeling to celebrate a birthday and organized such a cruising event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Until then, I had thought that Mr. Nakano was paying the expenses and had planned the cruise for the person who had done the most for him in his life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Forgetting the cake is a slightly unfortunate mishap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even so, I thought that the very act of gathering people, arranging for a boat, and setting up a place for a meal was, in itself, an expression of Mr. Nakano\u2019s gratitude toward that person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, shortly after that, I heard something completely unexpected from the person whose birthday it was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The cruising costs for that day, the meal expenses, and all other expenses were reportedly paid entirely by the birthday person themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I did not check the accounting documents and payment records on the spot. Therefore, regarding the cost burden, I have recorded it based on what I heard directly from the person in question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even so, when I heard this story, for a moment I couldn't understand the situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today is the birthday of the person Mr. Nakano said has \u201chelped me more than anyone else in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I thought Mr. Nakano gathered people to celebrate that person and arranged a cruise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, based on the individual\u2019s account, a summary of the events of that day is as follows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In other words, that person spent their birthday paying for the cruise and meals out of their own pocket, without any flowers or cake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After learning this, I just couldn't shake one particular question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What on earth was the birthday gift that Tamaki Nakano gave to the person he is \"most indebted to in his life\"?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It wasn't a flower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It wasn't even cake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And it wasn't a cruise either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It wasn't even a meal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is because, according to the person in question, they paid for both the cruise and the meal themselves on their birthday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If there was anything gifted by Mr. Nakano, it would be the opportunity to use his own money on his birthday to provide a boat and a meal, and to entertain the people who gathered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To be honest, I can't really call that a birthday present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I am not trying to say that you should have given an expensive present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I don't think the value of a birthday celebration is determined by the amount of money spent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whether it's a small cake, a single flower, or a brief congratulatory message, you can still express your gratitude to the person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even if you couldn't buy anything, you can still say, \"We gathered here today for you\" and \"Thank you for everything until now.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What still bothers me is that, even though it was the birthday of the person Mr. Nakano described as \u201cthe one who has helped me the most in my life,\u201d I never found out what he gave him or how he expressed his gratitude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Furthermore, those of us who were there assumed that Mr. Nakano had arranged the cruise for that person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, if the person celebrating their birthday was the one actually covering the costs, they didn\u2019t just pay the money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This would have even framed Mr. Nakano as \"the organizer who gathered people and hosted a cruise for his beloved mentor.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wasn't the person who bore the cost and the person who received the gratitude reversed?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A previous post by another Cambodian union member documents the discrepancy between Mr. Nakano Shukki\u2019s description of \u201cconfinement\u201d and the freedom of movement observed by local union members.<\/p>\n\n\n