Hakuju

I bought a giant sized birthday card for my grandmother, because I want to send her something special on her birthday. She is going to be 99 year old! She has had mild dementia symptoms since she broken her leg and had operations. But she is basically fine. She doesn't have any serious disease, just her body parts are getting weak with age. She lives with her son, stays at my parents house once or twice a week and visits senior care facility regularly twice a week to have socialising.

We have believed she would be 100 and more for some time, since I was child. It has become reality. It was hard to say goodbye to her for moving to the UK. She didn't want me to go far away. But I am happy she is fine.

We say 99 year old birthday 'Hakuju （白寿）'.

'白' means white and '寿' means celebration. You may wonder why it's white. Yes, that's because if you add one to the Kanji of white, it becomes hundred!

白 (white) + 一 (one) = 百 (hundred).